Interview : The Hysterical Injury

We recently put forward noisy pop rock making duo The Hysterical Injury for the Emerging Talent Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival, along with Vetoes, and Wounds. We thought it would be a great idea to find out a little more about The Hysterical Injury, so we conducted a lovely interview with Annie and Lee from the band. Look out for the interviews we did with the other two bands later in the week. To view the full longlist and other blogs nominatied for the competition click here, and  you can check out the final 8 acts who made it through to the live final here.

Photo : Jamie Worsfold

Q1. Describe your music in three words?

Annie: "Melodic, Noise-y, Beatsy?!"

Lee: "Noisy, Constant, Pop"

Q2. Who are your musical and non-musical influences?

A: "Musical influences right at this moment, because they change all the time, Kristin Hersh, Broadcast, The Knife. Non – musical are again at this moment in time Finn Mackay founder of London Feminist Network for lucid and clear language to describe feminism."

L: "Musical influences, at the moment are Type O Negative, Raging Speedhorn and as much Italo Disco stuff as I can handle. Non-musical influences include Philip Garner, The Adventures of Pete and Pete and Philip K Dick." [ED: Props on the Speedhorn mention!]

Q3. What's on your agenda for the next 12 months?

A: "Our plans are to finish our first album, we are at the mixing stage and are doing it in small chunks as money is tight. We hope to be touring it as soon as it is complete and out there, but we are gigging all the time anyway cos we love it! We have already started writing the next album too, so hopefully get that into the studio in the latter part of the year."

Photo : Jamie Worsfold

Q4. Any new bands/artists you recommend us checking out?

A: "The Jelas, Bellies, Jemima Surrender all from Bristol."

L: "Not sure about new bands. But I’d recommend listening to That Fucking Tank if you want to hear the most concise drummer known to mankind. Also Tim Ten Yen if you want to hear the most pure form of pop music. I was impressed with Bitches too, we played with them in Cambridge."

Q5. If you could tour with any two artists, past or present, who would they be and why?

A: "I would die a happy girl if we toured with Sonic Youth because they are always interesting to me; their dedication to the artform of music and keeping that every-changing, they aren’t afraid and so many artists/musicians are. I would also love to tour with Lightning Bolt because I really can’t get enough of that bass!! Its like a drug, you need it, intravenously; like a hit and loud and clear and live is good! We supported them once and that was my favourite gig we played even though I think we were a bit rough that night!"

L: "Tough question... I would have liked to have been on tour with a band like The Sonics, just to have seen the reaction at the time. Would be cool to tour with The Dirtbombs too, they seem to look like they are having a lot of fun."

Q6. Have do you feel about music bloggers and their influence on the Music Industry?

Photo : Jamie Worsfold

A: "Telling people all about new music is a brilliant thing, I do it all the time, and that’s the great thing about blogs and people getting involved, the internet has been great for that, it provides opportunities also. I think its good that it influences the industry and helps to shift its emphasis. I don’t really care about the music industry but I care about music and the fair trade of it. If I cared about the industry my dreams and art would have been crushed long ago. We didn’t have any money to make this album until The Joe Strummer Foundation gave us a bursary and we were completely thrilled, they gave it to us and let us be ourselves, they asked for nothing in return but our music as it is and we cant thank them enough for that. That’s the kind of industry I care about. The idea that just because someone gives you money you have to curtail your artistic ambition is complete shit, what is money anyway, to me it’s a curse of our history, I wont be dictated by it."

Q7. You have unlimited funds, what 3 things do you have on your tour rider?

A: "I would like a really good bean chilli, tea and a shower."

L: "Three bags of Haribo."

Q8. What's your perfect sandwich?

A: "Salmon and cream cheese."

L: "Sausage, bacon and egg. White bread."

Photo : Jamie Worsfold

Q9. If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?

A: "I would be a lazy, fluffy house cat and laze all day and look out at the birds and fly’s because I find it hard to laze about but always want to!"

L: "A cat. Because cats have got their priorities right about everything."

[ED: The guys also put this question to their Facebook and Twitter followers, who said they would be a Bison, an Eagle Owl, a Giant Squid, or a Pistol Tiger Shrimp.]

Q10. How can we find out more about you?

A: "We are on all the social networking sites. The facebook one is the one we are on most. But best to come and see us play really, We are always writing new stuff and like to play it out."

L: Myspace / Twitter / Soundcloud / Reverb Nation. Come and see us play!

"The next gig outside of the local area is at London's Old Blue Last on 21st March – it's free!"

Adam West by Hysterical Injury