Camden - thanks to all!

Cheers to all who were at the Ballet of Teeth night in Camden last night. We had a great response including a particularly rowdy (but friendly) group of squaddies. See the pictures below to reminisce or see what you missed. Many thanks to the Fearless Vampire Killers who put on the event and who are doing their bit to keep live music going - there are very few events where one can see bands of such a high calibre for as little as 50p.

Back in Dastardland, our foot's about to hit the accelerator hard - there's a band meeting in the pipeline where we're due to discuss the band's direction for the next few months. We do, of course, want input from you guys on what YOU want too - email us at band@dastards.com with any requests and/or suggestions. This is all in preparation for a meeting with an as-yet-un-namable entity on Monday and are quite excited about the potential consequences! Watch this space for more info if and when we get it.

New live dates are being added almost daily now - keep your eyes on our gig lists to know where we'll be appearing next.

Jx

Dastards preparing themselves onstage in Camden town

George doing what he does best

Jake, thinking he's on a bigger stage than the one he's on...

Mudie - bowl of grapes just out of shot

Interview with System Subculture

"The rhythm section sticks together"

Jake and Mudie were interviewed by System Culture. The interview is published below, or you can view the full feature on their website.

SS: Your live sound is very different to the studio sound. Why is this and which do you prefer?

Josh Mudie (Drums): I like the sound of the studio work but I feel it can sound a little over produced. I personally prefer the live sound, but I'd say it was more just the atmosphere of a live gig that I enjoy.
Jake Bright (Bass): Playing live allows us to strip the sound right back. The studio stuff's great – there're loads of layers and it's really full, but live it's a raw, hard sound. I guess the main difference is that a lot of the studio work is synth based and live we all play guitars.
JM: And drums.
JB: Yeah, and drums.


SS: How does your writing process work?

JM: I don't know, but looking forward to finding out.
JB: Yeah, it's all a bit of a mystery. Wake (Vocals and Guitar) has been writing songs on his own for years and as there's never really been a 'band' as such for him to record with. Pretty much everything on the records is Wake's work.


SS: The records sound incredibly professional. How do you achieve such an impressive sound?

JM: From what I can tell wake appears to be shit hot at logic. Fair play Wake.
JB: Wake's the guy to ask about that. All the songs are recorded at his place. What goes on in there is a mystery.
JM: I reckon he wears a labcoat...


SS: Individually you all have a very different musical background. What are your influences on your respective instruments?

JB: Anyone who gets away from playing roots. I'm an orchestral double bass player too and am forever holding tonic pedals for bars on end. Peter Hook (Joy Division) kind of brought the bass forward a lot. Chris Wolstenholme (Muse) has some pretty good lines, too. Pretty much anything goes, really. Anything with a melody – Dastards basslines do more than sit as a foundation. It's nice to get a bit of attention as a bassist by having some melodic interest.
JM: I grew up as a Zep head. John Bonham I'd say was my biggest influence as a player. Over time it's slowly changed between classic rock to metal, jazz, reggae....and of course whatever genre Dastards falls into. I'm never more than a few metres from a set of sticks and intend on keeping it that way.


SS: What're the highlights so far with the band?

JM: I'm sure I'm expected to say Chagstock
JB: Yeah, it was good to get a feel for the festival vibe this year.
JM: Or perhaps the mini-tour? But I'm gonna say just generally prating about with the rest of the band and having a good time.
JB: Ha! Yeah, hours of waiting between soundchecks needs to be spent in good company. We have a laugh together.


SS: And what are the plans for the future?

JB: More gigs; some support slots with some bigger bands; release an album. Standard really.
JM: World domination.
JB: Sounds like a plan...

Next gig is Sunday 20th September at the Ballet of Teeth Club at Tommy Flynn's in Camden, London. See you there.

Jx

Worcester - tonight

Hey all,

We're playing in Worcester at The Blower (Horn and Trumpet) tonight. Come on down and hear TWO SETS from Dastards - one acoustic set from Wake and then a band set later on. It's gonna be pretty relaxed with proposed DJ sets from Jake and Mudie through the night too! Not sure about the admission fee but a drink for the band will be more than acceptable, I'm sure!

See you later,

Jx

DASTARDS come to Bristol and Worcester - with Kids' toys...?

We're pleased to anounce that Dastards will be supporting nostalgic electro maestro Kid Carpet at The Cooler in Bristol on November 7th. Come on down and party along to Casio keyboards, Gameboys and Tamagotchis with us! Should be mad... Join the Facebook event here

We have also confirmed that we are playing the Midlands leg or the M5 Live tour. The gig will take place on October 10th in The Marrs Bar in Worcester. See you there!

Jx

Exclusive Tour Pics!

Here're a couple of pictures from the tour. These ones are from Barnstaple - take a peek and enjoy!

Back on the road in a couple of weeks so check out the 'Live Dates' box and come along to a show!

D x

Gig updates

Hello all,

Next gig is in Worcester at the Horn & Trumpet on September 14th. Not sure when we'll be on, but doors are at around 7:30pm.

After that, we're playing Tommy Flinn's in Camden on 20th September, so all our London based fans have got a chance to wander over and see us! It's part of the 'Ballet of Teeth' club, a club formed around a love of music, not a love of profit. Also playing are The Fearless Vampire Killers, one of the finest acts on the UK scene at the moment. Set to be a blinder.

Also, we are finalising plans to play a Freshers exclusive event at Birmingham City Univeristy and a Bristol Freshers' week gig too! Join us!

Cheers!

P.S. Here's a nice pic of George and Mudie from a gig at The Office in Truro (kindly donated to us by Jonno Longthorpe). Enjoy it at your leisure. There's a video of Silent Soul at The Office on YouTube - click HERE to check it out.

x

Hello and welcome

Welcome to the new Dastards blog! Here, Dan, George, Mudie and Jake will keep you posted on where we are and what we're doing.

We're all still recovering from last week's tour and are back rehearsing next week for our next run of gigs. We've got exciting things in the pipeline including some Freshers' week gigs, more London dates and hopefully an album by the end of the year!

Keep an eye on this page for info, upcoming dates, releases and more.

Dastards.