Me My Head

Dark Pop Quintet

“You’ve got to have integrity. But the singer we had didn’t really have the balls or the commitment to see it through, so he fell by the wayside. We wanted to find someone who’d fit with us, so we got Charlie down for a couple of sessions. First of all we just got on with him, which was the main thing. and then he sang, and it sounded amazing, so…”

Dave is describing how he, along with Charlie Moss (vocals), James Lightfoot (bass), Ashley Billimoria (keyboards) and Jonny Juliver (drums), came to form Me My Head from the remains of a former band. Named after an obscure song by Gary Numan’s pre-solo career band, Tubeway Army, their dark-pop sound is set to take the country by storm in 2009.

“I’d been a fan of Tubeway Army, The Cure and all that new wave post-punk stuff since I was a kid,” explains Dave of the genesis of the band’s name. “That dark, brooding sound really appealed to me. Plus Me My Head – nobody knows the thoughts in your head apart from you, so it’s an integral part of being a human being. It’s just nice to have something that’s original but also means something to us. It’s nice sometimes when you’re influenced in different ways than just the music. You can say ‘Oh, we’re influenced by this’, but you might never hear it because it’s more of a subconscious thing. It’s always hard when people ask what your influences are, and you’ll give them this massive list, or you’ll say five really influential bands on your life, because it might not actually be that you’re necessarily trying to sound like any of them.”

So, who are they influenced by?

“There’s a lot,” says Dave, “and it’s very eclectic. Early Eurythmics, even Faith no more, sisters Of mercy and stuff like that. Things that have that darkness to them. Joy Division as well.” The result is an intoxicating mixture of catchy pop sensibilities with a close to the surface undercurrent of darkness. “There’s poppy stuff in there,” says Dave, “but they’re all tinged with that dark, melancholic edge. Even The Killers, if you listen to a lot of their stuff it’s very euphoric, but at the same time has that quite sad quality to it. I think that’s how we sound. It’s pop, but it’s got that sort of tainted slant to it.” “It sounds happy but it’s not, basically,” laughs Charlie.

Recorded with Embrace guitarist Rich Mcnamara, their debut album is finished, and the band are eager to let people hear it. “I want people to do what i did with albums,” says Charlie sincerely, “Where i’d listen to them and worship them. I’d like to be inspiring.”

“Once it’s out there…” adds Dave. “It’s that old adage: if you build it they will come; it doesn’t matter when. You know, there was that garage rock revival a few years ago, and suddenly people like Jennifer Aniston were wearing mC5 T-shirts. She’d probably never even heard of them, and when they were first around they sold hardly any records, but they’re one of the most influential bands ever.”

It may take a few years to emulate their idols, but the early signs are good…

‘Night Is On Fire’ is released on Play To Work on March 2nd.

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