Nephu Huzzband

Hi, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. To start with then, having released your debut full-length ‘Elementary’ earlier this month, how’s the mood in the Nephu Huzzband camp? Pleased to have the album out? 

We're just glad to finally have the debut album out, it's had very interesting responses and support, generally all very positive, without exception, which is extremely encouraging. It's good to be able to move on as well in terms of material as a band, we've already started writing for the next record. 

How did you find the recording process for ‘Elementary? ’ Did you go into the studio with a pretty solid idea of how you wanted the record to sound, or was it more of a spontaneous, experimental process?

The recording experience was quite sporadic, mostly due to university timetables, and yeah, pot noodles and microwave burgers probably had something to do with the heavier energy captured! The sessions had to be spaced out around Jamie’s exam periods and our endless booked gigs all over the UK, hopefully next time we can get ourselves organised and record in much better schedules. 

Have you had the chance to bring out any of the tracks from the album live as yet? Often with debut albums, much of the material is drawn from a combination of EPs, demo tracks, previous live standards and so on... is this case with ‘Elementary?’ 

Not really excepting ‘Nurse! Nurse!’ And ‘Papers’ being the two 'older’ tracks mixed for the album, the others were all unreleased, except for ‘No Not Ever’ which was also a single free download. None of the previous mixed tracks released as singles were used on the album, they have only been included as new mixes or different versions. 

For those of us new to the band, could you give us a few pointers on what to expect, both from the new record, and from your live show? 

The record will bring the listener up-to-date with NH at present... It's much different from our older material. The songs are a lot more complex and have a lot more aggression about them. The band has matured over the period during the making of our debut album with producer Mark Rose. 

If people really want to see what we are about though, they should see us live definitely. Expect it to be very loud and very in your face! We just play our bollocks off, and expect to join in... Our performance is not confined to the stage! 

You’ve been creating quite a buzz recently, notably headlining the opening night of ‘Tom Robinson Presents’ in London, and receiving a range of plaudits from the musical press. Can you see yourselves touring extensively in support of ‘Elementary’, or might you be considering album number 2 sooner rather than later? 

Album number 2 will definitely be sooner rather than later, we already have a few songs in the bag and a general feel of the next record is starting to emerge which is exciting. We would have liked to have toured in support of Elementary but it just didn't work out. Around the timetable we had. We're just trying to play, play, play anywhere and everywhere promoters care to put us! 

Considering the high profile appearances and touring that you’ve experienced so far, would you say that there have been any highlights or particularly special moments along the way that you could describe? 

We have not actually toured properly as yet. Playing with bands we like is always good. We played with Die! Die! Die! A few months back when they were in England which was fantastic. The Arts Centre at Norwich was great, as was an all-dayer we played in Sheffield earlier in the year.. .a packed out ex-storage room at a pub. Doesn’t get better than that for NH fans. Raw and sweaty as hell. 

Are there any plans for the near future that you could share with us, or any hopes, ambitions etc that you’d like to achieve, say, over the next year or so? 

We just want to play as much as we can and hopefully tour too. That's the priority at the moment for us, getting ourselves out there a bit more. We don't have any aspirations to play stadiums or headline Glastonbury, not immediately anyhow. All we really want out of the music is a loyal following of people who like music because it's been crafted and not because it's commercial. Keeping the momentum flowing really. 

Could you tell us a few of the bands who, while perhaps not directly informing your sound, have proved influential to Nephu Huzzband, either collectively or individually, perhaps even before the formation of the band? 

Someone mentioned the album sounds like White Pony by the Deftones the other day. We all like Deftones but they've never consciously influenced us. Our biggest influences as a band would be ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Die! Die! Die!, Part Chimp, lots of post-punk and post-hardcore. 

Lots of people find it hard to place a label on our sound and I think this is also due to the fact that as individuals we all listen to such a variety of music; jazz, classical, blues, screamo, prog. It all gets put in the mix. We've been listening to screamo a lot recently, bands like Raein, La Quiete, Funeral Diner, so there may be a bit of all that energy that appeals to us, in the next record. 

Any thoughts on the apparent inability of the music press at large to place you into a convenient genre pigeonhole? 

We're pleased. Writing unique music was perhaps the only conscious thing we set out to do when we started the band. We waited a long time to play our first gig so that we could mould our sound and our musical disciplines to what we wanted them to be, rather than just leaping in. I think it's paid off to date. 

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to say to people who may be reading this? 

Our album is available for download from iTunes and in a limited nice gatefold CD digipack from Rough Trade, both through our myspace. We also really want to play absolutely everywhere, pub, club, bar, warehouse, garden, toilet, we will play it! So if any promoters or just anyone who likes to put on gigs from time to time is reading please get in touch and we will sweat for you and quite possibly bleed too. Thankyou. 

www.myspace.com/nephuhuzzband

follow us

www.twitter.com/nephuhuzzband