Moonska Label are doing a tour to promote some of their up and coming bands. One of which is Solabeat Alliance, (formerly Spankboy) a seven-man band who produce an electrifying calypso style sound of music, which will have everybody on their feet bouncing along to the beat. I caught up with them just before the concert at "The Little Civic" at Wolverhampton, to talk about [Spunge] their CD players and what made them have to change their name.

What actually happened that made you have to change names?

TG: right well how do you say your name again?

Suzi

(Everyone laughs)
TG: what happened was our emails started getting a bit strange, and picked up by a company in America who write gay fetish novels we got more emails and they started getting more interesting and they wanted us to pay for the name for more money than we had. So we surrendered

So basically its owned by a...

TG: Basically it's something that's used as a trademark of some character or something bizarre over in America. So we gave in and let them win.

What do you think of spunge?

TG: really really solid guys
John: Lovely lovely boys, my mum would be pleased
TG: they're so nice, they treated us like kings on that tour
Joe: they shared all the food and everything, so it was really nice
(Crackling on tape as john blows his nose)
Rick: john I don't think she really wants you blowing you nose on that
John: yeah she does, it'll be nice. Yeah this is because I have tour wounds you see from being on tour so long. I've been ill for nearly a
Joe: john, shut up!
John: I'm sorry; I'm not allowed to talk. This is taking away my (Puts hand over mouth in attempt to sound muffled by others)

(JWR jess enters room)
Rick: hello

This is jess my friend

Rick: associate

Yes

Rick: right

Are you happy with the reactions you've had with your EP so far?

Rick: yeah I would say so
TG: yeah the reactions been really cool, we've sold more than we've had which does make sense
Rick: we've had to repress 3 times I think
TG: yeah and the reports we've had are wicked and people seem to have caught onto the songs really quickly. Yeah it's cool, really really cool

Who have been your inspirations?

Rick: you know I'm not sure I should say for the welfare of the band and it's reputation I don't think I could possibly comment. I'm inspired by my good friends around me, and my band mates.
TG: yeah we're mostly influenced at the moment by just doing what we do Because you come across so many people doing live performances and playing music that, we create to be a part of that, to play some music, to encourage people to listen to music. So our main influences are probably ourselves.
John: we all put our influences
Rick: John!
John: we all put our influences
Joe: no shut up!
John: Into the band depending on what we listen to.
TG: yeah with ourselves in the band can be completely different what we listen to but at the same time can be similar, so yeah we have some transgeneric influences
Gavin: transgeneric?

Big word

TG: yeah it might not mean anything

If you could headline a tour, what country would it be in and who would support you out of anywhere and anyone in the world?

(Resounding affirmation of Australia from room)
John: Japan
Rest of room: shut up
Gavin: yeah don't they get the best fans?
TG: shut up means don't speak
Gavin: I'll just go then

Yeah Japanese fans are meant to be the most obsessive so that might be pretty good

Rick: yeah that's good and everything but
TG: I wouldn't really like to be in Japan
Rick: and they're all quite short as well
(Whole room laughs)
John: Rick by the way is five foot
Paul: I think we'd be able to play anywhere really cus we've already done the British Isles so
Rick: I'd quite like to do the whole of Britain
Joe: I'd do Africa
Paul: go back to your motherland
John: that's a continent Joe, similar to a country
Joe: what it's a big country?
Paul: Africa's a country isn't it?
Rick: no
Paul: isn't it?
John: no
Rick: South America is a country
Paul: Joe it's a country

And who would you like to support you, anyone at all?

TG: a girl band
Paul: yeah we've never played with a girl band
Joe: the Donnas
Paul: the Donnas are just too real what about the kittens? Atomic kitten!
John: what about those Russian lesbians?
Rick: TATU?
John: I wouldn't really
TG: it would start to make the tour less testosteroney
Paul: yeah

Who's getting airtime on your CD players at the moment?

TG: you're best bet for that question is to go round the band because everyone listens to totally different music

Go on then (points Dictaphone in direction of john)

Rick: you're allowed to speak now
TG: but only for about 10 seconds. Go! 10
John: at the moment
Rick: 9
John: I'm listening to a lot of drum and base and brake beat
Rick: 6
John: and er, but I wouldn't say those are my influences
Rick: 2
John: I do also like a bit of
Room: shut up
Paul: the new alkaline trio album
TG: what?
Paul: the new alkaline trio album
Rick: yeah cause the question is what is on your CD player right now
Paul: yeah
TG: mer Mad Capsule Market, oh yeah that was the question. I had forgotten
Rick: the new king chango album is my favourite at the moment
Gavin: well seeing as I've got the same CD player as him its mad capsule market.
Rick: but what would you listen to if you were at home Gav?
Gavin: I dunno er
TG: me and Gavin are the same person
Gavin: anything man, I'll go for anything I'll tell ya.
Rick: but obviously your limited by what CD player you're borrowing
TG: you forgot busted Gav, yeah Gav likes busted
Rick: can I change my answer; can we have busted supporting us on our tour?
TG: they're not fit man
Rick: that's ok, so I can just take the piss out of them. I heard them on the radio the other day
John: to be honest I don't know busted songs
Joe: shut up

What's been your best ever show?

TG: the Astoria
Rick: for me the Astoria
TG: and also the Norwich art centre on this tour and also the fair festival cause we played it so fucking hard and its never going to happen again
John: the Wolverhampton battle of the bands was quite cool as well

What, where you won?

Rick: that was pretty cool

That was the end of the interview. I would like to thank Solabeat Alliance for letting me do the interview, it's very difficult trying to interview 6 people at once (Oli wasn't actually there at the time of the interview) and thanks for letting us spend half of the concert hanging out in their dressing room. It was very cool. Check out www.solabeat.com for more info.

John, who wasn't allowed in the main picture

Originally conducted for www.justwannarock.com