Dead Jerichos waded confidently into the Oxford music scene last year, quickly establishing themselves as ‘one to watch’ with a pin-sharp sense of style and a compelling blend of post-punk tension and post-rock complexity. Since then they’ve kept up a furious pace of gigging and released a couple of EPs, with new single ‘Mountains’ coming out on 1 November. We – and pretty much anybody else who hears them – predict big things for this Drayton-based three-piece.
Frontman Craig Evans kindly spared us the time to answer our not-too-probing, but interesting nonetheless, questions…
MIO: When/how/why did the band form?
CE: We started in February last year. I was asked to do a gig, but needed a band. I got Leo [Rayner, drums] at the last minute as I’d known him from bands from a young age, and Sahm [Amirsedghi] from down the road to play bass, ‘cos I knew he could play guitar a little bit. Did the gig and actually did pretty well, and all went on from there…
MIO: What/who inspires you to make music?
CE: A lot of stuff. Mostly the world around me: what it was like growing up where I live, etc. Also many old punk bands – I love the persona of The Damned on stage and the guitar solo in Buzzcocks’ ‘Boredom’ with just the two notes – Foals’ dancey beats, and the coolness of the 60s: tight smart clothes. Another band I really liked when I was younger were called The Organ – they never made it but had a great guitar sound and started playing new wave-sounding stuff in the early 2000s, which wasn’t the style for mainstream indie music at the time. I thought it was really cool at the time. I’m making myself sound like a bit of a lick-ass now, but our local music scene and Nightshift inspired me a lot. I started reading it pretty young, at the time when Fell City Girl and Dive Dive were on the cover, and would see them live a lot. I remember seeing that and thinking I want to be on the cover, and in the top twenty songs of the year, etc. Luckily I got to do it – just gotta aim for the top 20 in NME now, ha!
MIO: Do you have a master plan or are you playing it by ear?
CE: Um… a bit of both. I have ideas in my head and fingers in one or two pies, and we will see what happens. The main plan is to be a bit of a Essex girl, get around a lot and try to get as many people to hear us as possible.
MIO: Which do you prefer – recording, playing live, or rehearsing?
CE: Playing live by a hundred miles. The reason I do it – not gonna lie – I like being at the front of the stage.
MIO: What’s the best gig you’ve played to date?
CE: There have been a couple of highlights. Underage Festival was pretty decent, thousands of girls screaming at you every time you walk to the edge of the stage felt good, I must admit! After our set having loads of people asking for photos and autographs just topped it off – not sure why they wanted them, mind, ha. Sharing the stage with Ellie Goulding, Darwin Deez, MIA, Tinie Tempa and every famous band under the sun was a great feeling. Ellie Goulding even asked to do her pre-gig stretches in our dressing room, and you can’t complain about that while you’re sipping an ice cold beer out of the dressing room fridge. The Courtneers singer was a prick, though! Had a bit of a falling out with him. Was going to get their album the day after, as well… but didn’t. Thought I’d make it sell even worse! Other than that we’ve had some great gigs including our headline gig at the Jericho last month. There was only about thirty people in there, but then, out of nowhere, as soon as we got on the stage it was packed. Another good one was OX4 – it was so busy when we played. The Truck warm-up gig was also great to headline, and our first London gig which was sold out, at the 12 Bar…
MIO: Which current Oxfordshire bands do you rate?
CE: I really enjoy watching Empty Vessels, I find Matt a great frontman. They have a killer song called ‘It Moves me.’ I would really like to see The Long Insiders, I still haven’t seen them but their tunes sound great. I actually made an idiot out of myself in front of them the other week – went into the Wheatsheaf for a quiet word with Joal, and asked him who was playing. The Long Insiders. They were stood right in front of me. To make it worse all I said was ‘Ahh, cool,’ and then left.
MIO: Favourite venues in Oxford and beyond?
CE: The Cellar and The Wheatsheaf – I think they’re both great and it helps that they both have decent blokes doing the sound. Jimmy from The Cellar is actually doing the next single/EP with us.
MIO: Is the band full time or do you all do other stuff?
CE: For me it’s not, I work full time so it’s very knackering. Gig by night, and then work nice and early in the morning. I’m a hairdresser – not the job most people think I’d do, ha! I work in Headington so come get your hair cut! Sahm’s a sponging smelly student (starting to look like Neil from The Young Ones more and more) and Leo is working half-heartedly in a hotel when he wants.
MIO: Any plans for an album?
CE: Puhhhh, we only can just afford to record a single!