Interviews

Cats And Cats And Cats

James McDonald 28/02/2007

Chatting with Cats And Cats And Cats: about forming new religions, losing fans to stamps, and campervans!


On the back of releasing a new split single with fellow sound-junkies Tired Irie, the Staines/Tonbridge/Otford massif better known as Cats And Cats And Cats recently managed to pry themselves away from creating alt-experimental noises and to update we at God Is In The TV on all things feline...


GIITTV: Hello, how are you today?

Cats: We're ace lightning, how are you?

If Joe Bloggs came into some money, which releases of yours would be available to him and what could he expect from them respectively?

I asked the same about Joe and all he could offer was some t shirts from Staines market with his name on spelt wrong. On our stall however Joe could pick up our album 'Sweet Drunk Everyone' which we've just repressed on our own label The Natural History Records (Ł6.99) which sounds like some choppy bandit having a caterpillar fight with a post rock band, our new split single with those cheeky gorillas from Tired Irie (Ł4), that one sounds like a national anthem for a country of ants and our very first musical outing called 'Victorialand' (Ł3.50) from when we were a three piece so it's more stripped down math rock like Coastal minor diner or Say chess.

If cats have 9 lives, collectively you should have 45. If you used one up, how would you like it to be remembered?

Actually we've only got 39 left as we lost 3 on labyrinth zone act 3 on sonic 1 (well hard) and the others were at various points on panzer dragoon saga. If we were to lose another I think we'd like it to be paragliding into an active volcano in Hawaii while singing 'Wake Up' by Arcade Fire.
We'd be remembered for coming back from the dead with another 34 chances and far too many computer games references.


Your bass player is called Tom Baker, has anyone directed any Dr.Who related jokes at his way during shows?

Really funny you should mention that because it's actually our lead singer who gets called Doctor Who on a regular basis, think it's mainly his enigmatic hair and incredible scarves and the fact he's related to John Pertwee. At one gig in Lincoln one slightly inebriated fan was so convinced he was actually the doctor that he invited him on a holiday with him to India. Ben declined and this strange man boycotted the new series which is a shame as it was alright.

Who's Lola, and why does she get a song?

The truth is we don't know, not that the title has no story but we don't know who she is, we'll say that she managed to make an impression on us by having either a very good friend or having a bad time and managing to get into someone's thoughts. We didn't even meet that someone else either.

Actually I'd really like to meet both of them. I hope she is happy. She should be, she's got a bloody song, what else does she want? A campervan?


If cats x3 were a fruit, which would you be and why?

We'd be a pineapple as we're spiky on the outside but nice on the inside and we've got great big hair.

What's on the horizon for the band? Any plans to record/gig more this year?

The horizon is getting slightly less misty as we paddle slowly closer in our bug skin boat. There's a fair few big things and we can't tell what they are yet but I think it's fair to say this year is going to be very exciting. At the moment we're writing new songs which are slowly slipping into the live set and four of those will be released in the summertime. We've also got some big plans for our next album which we aim to get out within a year. It's going to be written in a very experimental way with a set of 12 rules (and 11 sub rules) which will control things like song lengths, language, key changes and lyrics. Should be interesting.

If you were at a house party, and had left a parcel in the toilet, only to find no loo-roll, but a copy of Kerrang, NME and the bible, which would you sacrifice (pardon the expression!)

So who do we offend here; metallers, indie kids or Christians. Or do we try and make some clever remark like “what's in the parcel and why have you left it in the toilet? Is it a bomb?” They're all pretty bad aren't they? I'd probably just mash them up into a ball of Christian Indie Metal Holy Journalism then try to convert the people at the party to my new religion called KerristiaNME.

I think Cats x3 are great, although I can't obtain a grant to start my own political party whose policies would included a mandatory daily worship to a shrine of the band. What's with that? If you ran the country, what 3 things would be compulsory?

Daily worship to a shrine of our band, grants to anyone wishing to do so and compulsory subcription to your magazine.

You've been mixing with a good crowd of late- bands like Tired Irie, Meet Me In St.Louis and Red Jetson to name but 3. How much help has it been to have such ties with the movers and shakers of our alternative underground?

None, in fact most bands hold us back with their hideous faces, we were almost in Vogue but we happened to be walking home with Redjetson and they made the cameras break with an especially potent gurn. That Ian Jarrold never wears his face bag either. Ha, we jest. The underground music scene in Britain is so buff at the moment and it's great help when bigger bands namedrop us (not to mention really flattering). With bands like Forward Russia and I like trains bringing it into the mainstream hopefully the whole scene will start getting the attention it deserves. It's a real community too and we hope we can help out bands who don't get as much coverage as us but really deserve it; The Siegfried Sassoon, Our Own Devices and A Genuine Freakshow are some that spring to mind.

When and where was your worst gig, and why was it so bad?

Newcastle. Ben cut his hand open on a mic stand (not sure how?) about 5 minutes before we went on, Adam's pedals decided to fall asleep, Doug's hair strangled him and the crowd were down the road looking at stamps.
However Tom played amazingly under a psydonym: “Bass hands” and was then allowed the right to headline as a solo artist whenever he sees fit. You know Muse at Wembley? I've put Ł150 on Tom headlining while standing on top of the arch.


If cats x3 were a fruit, which would you be and why?

We'd be a pineapple as we're spiky on the outside but nice on the inside and we've got great big hair.

Collectively, do you prefer Seafood or Thai food?

The only Thai food I've ever had is Thai fish cakes which covers both, they were very nice as well. I recently went to a Loch Fyne restaurant and had Oysters for the first time but wasn't that impressed, was like a mouthful of sea water. Luckily they made up with the Moule Mariniere. So, in answer to your question, no.

On a more serious note, where would you like to see yourselves in a year's time?

Main support on Kashmir's world tour when everyone realises they're the best band in the world. If not that then replace the word Kashmir with The Siegfried Sassoon and Best with Super Best!