Dirty denim in a Plug Pantry

Interview – Dirty Jeans

A few minutes after their gig at The Plug, the Dirty Jeans got snatched and found themselves into an interrogation room at The Plug.

After stating their names and crimes in the name of good music, Gaz (guitar/vocals), Katie (keyboard/vocals), Clint (bass) and Luke (drums) sat there, with their only company being only a couple of plastic cups of dodgy lager and a bowl of fruit. They still kept their style and were gracious enough to grant us an interview.

Could you tell us about the name of the band?

Gaz: It originates from a band I was in, called Detours, and we parted ways, started a new band, got Clint in, passed a couple of drummers and finally found the perfect drummer (!).

Luke: On my 18th birthday party, staggering around! And get asked in to a band. Next week I was in the band!

Clint: And we regretted it ever after!

Talk a little about your lyrics, about the new EP, “Our war”. You’ve got ‘Shoot the sky’ and ‘Our war’, there seems to be a theme, could you talk about it?

Gaz: Two of the songs in that I wrote and they were about some stuff about a girlfriend. A little bit of conflict, really. Draw some themes from that. Writing about what I was thinking about that time. I don’t look at it directly, but more metaphorically.

Luke: It’s about fights in general.

Katie: Yeah.

On a topical theme, do you think the digital media has helped you as a band?

Clint: I think for a band as such as us, if we wanted to get out and be seen, it’s so hard nowadays because there’s that many bands around and there’s that many bands on the internet, I think it’s a hindrance, really, because it’s so easily accessible.

Luke: It’s a good thing! It gives you an edge, you can get your music out to people. It’s so much out there that it’s nigh impossible for people to listen to it. You just gotta keep plug it in, plug it in, use the medium to get people and try to get somewhere.

Gaz: I write cause I want to write and I play because I want to play.

Katie: We’d love it if something happened!

Gaz: I don’t play gigs for the sole intention of getting somewhere. You don’t go into a restaurant to eat a meal just to have a shit, you know what I mean?

Luke: That’s the only reason I go into restaurants!

Clint: We don’t know the outcome, you wouldn’t, but we do it cause we like it.

Luke: You do it ’cause you enjoy it.

Gaz: The fact that we’re getting gradually somewhere is just a fucking bonus

Luke: Perfect outcome would be to be able to make a living out of it. Not having any good things, just to be able to pay your rent.

Gaz: Get a free beer, do you know what I mean? (laughter)

Do you think reality TV has affected more the scene than the online community?

Clint: You know how Rage Against the Machine got to number 1 on Christmas? We all agree with it. That needed to happen!

Luke: Things like Jedward! How the hell can they get dropped by Sony, then signed by Universal, they are absolutely shite! Absolutely appalling!

Katie: There’s so many good bands out there that never get recognised. They stick a few gigs here and there and then you look at bands at charts and you think ‘how the hell they got there as there’s these underground bands not getting recognised’.

Clint: What you were telling about Jedward, people don’t actually like them, they are told to like them. They are forcing them down their throat!

Gaz: It’s a fucked up world. (laughter)

Clint: Another day, another dollar.

Is the album experience alive or dead?

Luke: It’s really important for people to listen to the album. It gives a deeper look into what the band’s like. It might be a one hit wonder, but if you pick the album it could be absolutely amazing and musically genius. You can’t judge a band on one song.

Katie: I think it’s really important that you don’t just listen to one song of one band and actually listen to the full album or EP or whatever. Just to see all the music they can play. Appreciate the full music that they can play instead of judging on one song.

Gaz: From my perspective [as a lyricist] yeah, if you do listen to an album you can get a deeper insight into… not necessarily what the band is playing. The commercial songs, usually they will lead you into buying the album, then you listen to the less commercial songs and see what else the band has for ideas.

Clint: They’ve pretty much summed up what I want to say! (laughs).

Could you mention your influences?

Katie: Nobody can pinpoint an actual style for our band! We’ve got different influences.

Clint: I like Biffy Clyro, I like Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller, stuff like that.

Gaz: I picked up a guitar and starting writing due to Bob Dylan, Pete Doherty and The Libertines. Music-wise, before the soulless Brit award, I was into Kings of Leon.

Katie: I actually missed listening to…

Luke: Spice girls!

Katie: No! Coldplay! Their old stuff. Kings of Leon and I’m getting into Biffy Clyro, yeah, growing on me.

Luke: One of the best bands I’ve ever seen live is Enter Shikari, they have so much energy playing live! Again, The Libertines, by the energy and the raw music. Foalls, I adore Foals, the music is so there, it’s amazing.

Thank you, guys, that’s pretty much it!

Dirty Jeans will be playing a free show at West Street Live, Sheffield on May 10th. ‘Our war’ is now available on iTunes.