INTERVIEW: CHINA RATS

CHINA Rats are tipped to be 'ones to watch' in 2013 [by me], already having gone dow well in America. I caught up with Graeme the singer to find out who on earth they are and what on earth they're about:

China Rats? How did you come about that name?
Luke frequents a takeaway called The China Star; turns out Star is Rats backwards. Luke coined it, he's the man.

Describe your sound, yourselves and where you're from in one sentence.Stuck together with Sellotape in a town where the student loan is king, but none of us are students.

At the moment it seems as though many new British bands are into the Americana revival, channelling the more grungy style both musically and aesthetically. You guys on the other hand seem to be a British band through and through [which we like!]. Is this musical divide something you are aware of?
Yeah i suppose we are aware of it but we are just doing our own thing. Most of our favourite bands are British and i suppose that comes through in our music. We all like grunge and American music but that style doesn't come naturally to us when we are writing tunes.

Last year you played SXSW. How was that?
It was unreal, I've never been to the States so it was almost a holiday. It's quite commercial but there's loads of stuff going on around the festival that we never expected to see. We saw so many bands, and drank and ate for free everywhere. It was a crazy piece of paradise.

Who was your favourite SXSW act?
White Lung

I've never heard of them. Google says they're from Canada though so I like them already. You're busy doing a UK tour from now until August. You play Manchester. Brighton, Leeds then Brighton again. Why aren't you playing Birmingham?!
We haven't had the chance yet, One day we'd love to!

Wonderful. I will hold you to that. Name one thing you can't go on tour without.
Trebor Extra Strong Mints Spearmint flavour.

Minty! What's the big band goal? [e.g mine is to eventually play Jools Holland]
To mime one of our songs on Saturday Morning Telly, playing to the kids. That's where I found all of my heroes.

Who would be in your ultimate gig line-up [dead or alive]?
The Jimi Hendrix Experience + The Dirty Mac + Nirvana.

Finally, your set on Wednesday at the 100 Club was a stormer. What was your highlight of the night and how was it to be playing with the Cribs?
Diving off stage into the green room to find The Cribs on the bevvies. Word's can't describe, I'm sat in work typing this when last night I was playing alongside The Cribs!

Catch China Rats at Sticky Mike's in Brighton on 26th April.

STAVRINI KOUMI

THE CRIBS//DRENGE//CHINA RATS @100 CLUB (17TH APRIL 2013)

LAST night saw Converse host one of the best gigs I have been to in the last ten years [no exaggeration]. The lineup included the Cribs' first gig at 100 Club in nine years, Drenge by way of Sheffield and Leeds' own China Rats who, might I add, are probably my new favourite band.

Upon arrival we were each handed a disposable camera, courtesy of Converse, and an unspoken promise that what would follow would most definitely be something worth taking photos of.

First on were China Rats, a band who look like they skipped school to make it down to Oxford Circus; but don't let their youthful looks deceive you. The set was a wonderful breath of fresh air; akin to the Sex Pistols but slightly more coherent and less covered in safety pins, China Rats presented us with song after song of clean-sounding, undeniably catchy melodies. Uncomplicated riffs plus very memorable chorus' equals one very happy crowd. It was lovely to see that they remained equally enthusiastic yet modest throughout their set, virtues which will surely help them on their way to stardom.

Next up were Drenge, a two-piece from Sheffield. Unfortunately due to the shape of the rather wide stage, if you were standing on the wrong side of the room you would only have seen one person; but what struck me first was the sheer depth of the sound that one guitarist and one drummer managed to create. They have the drive of DFA and the togetherness of the White Stripes, but the vocal range of Tame Impala beach melodies to QOTSA at their most 'metal'. Their cover of I Just Want To Make Love To You was a bold move, making it the least feminine and most distorted song of the year, though particularly topical an account of the newly re-vamped Coke adverts. The uncertainty when each song had finished as the crowd were left hanging more than once wasn't ideal, but that did little to deter the massive applause as they finished their set mounted on top of amps and drum kits.

And just as the sweat levels rose a notch, the Cribs walked on to what I can only describe as a wonderfully cheesy power ballad, singing their hearts out, which they proceeded to do for the entire hour that they were on. Opening with Major's Titling Victory and shouts of #I I I can't find time for her, this was clearly to be a gig for their 'hardcore fans' as Ryan Jarman put it, with songs spanning their nine-year careers. The sweatier the room became, the better the gig, with people literally throwing themselves into the set with everything they had. The sound was perfect and the band seemed to be incredibly tight and, most importantly, really enjoying themselves. They flew through old favourites Hey Scenesters and Come On, Be A No-One, but were sure to throw in some nods to the less charted but just as loved gems like Glitters Like Gold and Cheat on Me. And in case anyone was wondering, a great barometer of how 'relevant' a band is to the times is the response to a relatively new song, and yes, the crowd may have been a little biased, but Leather Jacket Love Song was just as celebrated as the rest, prompting everyone to burst into cheers and shouts of approval. It takes some sort of skill to command the complete attention and admiration of a wildly packed room for an entire hour, but the Cribs did just that. If I were you i'd catch them at the few confirmed dates this summer which include the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 29th June, Hop Farm Festival on 6th July and a few more festivals through to September, details of which can be found HERE.

Thanks must go to Converse for putting on such a spectacular show, and for providing us with much-needed hand towels that double up as souvenirs.

Stavrini Koumi