It was probably inevitable that as soon as the likes of Franz Ferdinand and The Futureheads started making “music for girls to dance to”, the synths and day-glo would make a re-appearance eventually. Now it seems every new group is injected with a healthy dose of Korg, and Theremin and make music best heard when you’re loaded to the gills.
Luckily, not every band in this current loosely connected scene, labouring under the dubious moniker of ‘New Rave’, is completely devoted to ripping off early 90’s dance. London-five piece Xerox Teens mash up indie, punk, drum ‘n’ bass and dance and end up with something that sounds like… well, nothing else. With three single releases and a growing live reputation to their name, can they join the likes of Klaxons and go mainstream?
Beneath the ‘comedy’ and apparent nonchalance however, is a group that has somehow managed to break free from every musical mold available right now.
Consisting of Danny Fancy (guitar and synth), Rich Cash (vocals), Pinstripe (drums), Uber (guitar) and Nuvo (bass), the band met, apparently, “whilst foxhunting”. The Teens’ mythical image is guarded very closely, from the ludicrous pseudonyms and Adam “the greatest banjo-playing Lancastrian to ever walk the Earth” Latham’s fantasy artwork, down to the fact they refuse point blank to answer any question with anything other than a well-rehearsed response. On the subject of the band’s name; “We won it in a knife throwing game with some industry insiders in Holland. It’s very valuable so don’t tell anyone… until its official.” Unnerving to an interviewer, but you can’t help but admire the way they deliver such absurdities with a straight face.
In person, they can appear so bored at times you wonder if they can be bothered to stand up for much longer. Onstage, Nuvo flings his head around like Flea in the body of Eugene Hutz, and Pinstripe, though not quite hailing from the Keith Moon school of drumming, manages to at least groove a bit to his own beat. As far as the guitarists are concerned though, they look like they’d much rather be at home, yet they still manage to make a noise fierce and lively enough to guarantee a sea of crazy dancing in front of them. Leading this peculiar circus, Cash slouches on his mic stand, vocals ranging from a drawl eerily similar to Carl Barat’s speaking voice to a drawl eerily similar to Mark E Smith’s singing voice.
As a group, they genuinely don’t care what you think of them, and when they predict “market uncertainty, fluctuating share prices, and one of us will die” for the immediate future, you do begin to wonder if they’re in the right profession. Beneath the ‘comedy’ and apparent nonchalance however, is a group that has somehow managed to break free from every musical mold available right now. “Impeccable manners, but on another level we’re not unique,” may be Fancy’s carefully considered estimation of their individuality, but we think it’s more down to being so indifferent and so unconcerned about… well, anything. You’ll either love them or hate them, either way, they couldn’t give a toss, and isn’t that the epitome of cool?
