Welsh four piece Adzuki have an average age of 17, but don't let that fool you. This band have been getting rave reviews all over the net and in the music press, and I recently got the chance to talk to Rich from the band. Read on to find out about their new EP, ugly babies and bringing Cleopatra back from the dead...

What has the band been up to recently?

Hey there. Lately we have spent almost every waking hour rehearsing, writing new material and just generally looking where we want to go next with our music.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard you before?

Hmmmmmm our music. This is a question that we get asked on almost a daily basis and everytime we get stuck for an answer. But I'd say it's very anthemic, melodic and extremely powerful. Some people find it hard to assign us to any type of genre which we think is great because that means we've succeeded in being different.

Your EP 'Five/Four' is out in October. How long did it take you to write and record?

Yes its out on the 11th of October, and we're all excited because its the first E.P that we're not releasing and paying for ourselves. As far as writing and recording it goes. The songs on there, excluding 5/4 and Transitions, were all recorded in the summer of 2003; before we had any type of management or label. We then recorded Transitions in early February 2004 and realised that one more song would make an E.P. At the time we didn't feel we had any songs good enough to go on CD so wrote a brand new one just before we went in to the studio and that turned out to be 5/4.

Have you got a track that you're most proud of? If so, what is it and why?

We're pretty much proud of every song that we write. It's kind of like having an ugly baby. If you have an ugly baby your'e never going to admit its ugly, you'll just love it anyway.

What would you say to convince someone to buy your EP?

I want to say buy it because we're poor. But then we run the risk of sounding desperate. I also want to say buy it because they are the best few songs you'll hear this year. But then we run the risk of souding cocky. So just buy it and make your own mind up.

A lot of people focus on how young you are, do you think this gives you an advantage over other bands out there or do you wish people would stop pointing it out?

We see our age as a massive advantage but also something that almost invites people to scrutinize our music for signs of immaturity. On the other hand the majority of people praise us for being so young but still producing songs of such high quality and musicianship. We have been preparing ourselves for a long slog before we got any type of recognition and are so grateful that we've got it at such an early stage.

What are some of your current favourite bands?

We're all pretty much loving the new Used material, and the Head Automatika album blew me away on first listen. Mew are another love of ours and we're also waiting anxiously for the new Biffy Clyro album. A few others that are on constant rotation in our van are Hell Is For Heroes, the Mars Volta, Oceansize, My Vitriol, The Cure and of course It Bites, you have to be loving the prog rock.

How about all time favourites?

That's a weird one because being quite young i guess that our all time favourite bands are in fact relatively new. For me personally At The Drive-in really do it and I'd say the same goes for Matt. We're also full in to The Cure and I know that Dan an Dean have a soft spot for Queen. Saying that though, who doesn't? They are such an influential band but unfortunately were finished by the time we were 4. And you can't forget Nirvana; the reason why almost every band formed after 1994.

If you could spend the day with anyone famous, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I think it has to be someone dead doesnt it? Because if their still alive there's a possibility I could still meet them and that would mean Id've wasted the chance of resurrecting someone from the dead. So I'm going to say Cleopatra. Simply because I think she'd probably be quite sexy.

What have you got planned for the rest of 2004?

We are setting off to play a few dates with Dopamine starting on October 1st. That will take us to Plymouth, Coventry, Stoke, Peterborough and Yeovil. So if you're around those areas pop down for a look. We'd appreciate it. After that we're touring in December with Everything For Some and we're also playing at The Cavern in Liverpool as part of the Pop Overthrow Festival on the 18th October. You can visit our site for details on everything we've got coming up. www.adzuki.co.uk. Theres a whole load of cool things on there, songs, videos, photos etc. So get down and spread the Adzuki love.

Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add or promote?

Yeah, Thank you for giving me something to do all afternoon. With out these questions I would have ended up watching a whole six hours of the History Channel and would now know everything there is to know about Hitler and why he lost the war. But in all honesty thanks for including us in your pages and hope to see you soon.

Thanks to Rich for taking the time out from the History channel to answer my questions! As he said, make sure you check out their site at www.adzuki.co.uk, and check the tour dates to see when they're coming to a town near you!