Days When I

Interview with Ben, Ike, Lee and Mike of Days When I. 

Firstly, how are you all today? 

Ben - YARR!
Lee - Yeah, yeah I'm cool man, cool
Ike - I'm alright
Lee - Good, good, good 

You recently played a show at Joseph Wells in Leeds, how did that go? 

Ike - Spectacularly
Lee - Cool
Ben - It went really well 

(To Ike) You're just thinking of some big words now 

(Everyone laughs) 

How did you all meet? 

Lee - Erm…
Ike - Mike and Lee were in Zero Chance, their drummer left, well was leaving and they needed a drummer so they asked me. Then the bassist and the guitarist left and we got Ben to play bass and sing. 

What influenced you to be in a band? 

Ike - Slayer 

Just that one band? 

(Ike laughs) 

How long have you been together as a band? 

Ike - Bout a year and a half isn't it?
Lee - Probably over a year now 

Who are some of your favourite bands? 

Ike - Shall we just like go around in the circle so we all say one each?
Mike - The Used
Lee - Taking Back Sunday
Ben - Thursday
Ike - I'd probably say my favourite band was Tool
Lee - There's loads of different bands
Ike - Yeah
Lee - Too many. Across like a big spectrum 

How did you get your name? 

Ike - I was listening to The Used loads and there's a song called 'Maybe Memories' and it just made me think about like fucking, I don't know just memories, a lot of the songs are about, like the only lyrics I could make out at first when I was playing drums is like just ones about fucking memories that just really like when you're a fucking teen and that it's just like Days When I, like memories. 

In your opinion what are the highlights of being in a band? 

Lee - Self-satisfaction 
Ben - Just getting to play the music really
Ike - Being around your best friends
Mike - Meeting people 

How were you first noticed as a band? 

Lee - My good looks man 
(Everyone laughs)
Ike - Just like we had kind of a group in Birmingham, man…
Lee - Yeah we had like a little gathering…
Ike - We had like a small reputation in Birmingham we just got asked to play shows….
Lee - We were lucky to be able to play big shows with Farse and stuff like that
Lee - A lot of people saw us from there, that's how we got Leeds n stuff like that… 

What are your interests other than playing in a band? 

Ben - Weed, graffiti, weed, some more graffiti, cartoons
Lee - All of us are different really so…. just music really
Ben - Yeah, just music
Ike - Blowing shit up 

What things or events influence your song writing? 

Ike - I just put drums to the music, you'll have to ask Lee and Ben about that
Ben - Just anything - anything that pisses you off, stuff that you think about, stuff….
Lee - Just day to day - standard things I suppose - but individual to everyone I suppose - but yeah, just what you've seen and what you think is coming I suppose - suppose
Ben - Suppose 

Do you have any heroes or Idols? 

Lee - Yeah probably definitely man - Kurt Cobain
Ike - Clint Eastwood 

Where do you see yourselves in a year's time or where would you like to be in a year's time? 

Ben - Playing Reading
Lee - Hollywood hills man - next door to P Diddy
Ben - On tour
Ike - As a band either on tour, playing some kind of festival or in the studio 

How would you describe your music? 

Lee - Killer question
Ike - It's just a mix isn't it, like just fucking everything man and it's not - I dunno - I'm not even gonna use the word 'emo' 

I wouldn't - it's a dangerous word. Which one of you has the worst habits or are you all as bad as each other? 

Lee - I'm perfect me so yeah - nothing you can fault me on
(Everyone laughs)
Lee - Just smoking weed man that's a good habit and a bad one….. 

How can people get hold of your amazing CD? 

Ike - Get their friends to copy it for them, there's one track that I managed to get out on the Internet called 'No Words'. It's on www.myspace.com/dayswheni
Lee - We're just more than willing to give free CDs out - just anywhere - people wanna get in contact man
Ike - Leave a message on the message board
Ben - On our website 

Which is? 

Ben - www.dayswheni.co.uk. 

Do you have any traditions for before, during, or after a concert? 

Ben - Beating Lee up
Lee - Taking a beating
Ben - Trying to remember to warm up - like vocally kind of 

Where do you plan on going form here, like what are your plans for the rest of the year? 

Lee - Write new stuff and just to you know get as many people as possible to listen to us and just play as many shows and just play really
Ike - Just push it like harder than we've ever pushed it before 

That's it thank you 

Lee - Mazen 

That's all of the intelligence I have left - and now it's all gone 

Lee - Thank you
Ike - Yeah thanks for that
Ben - Thank you
Mike - Thanks.