INTERVIEW & REVIEW By Matt Hussey

Recipe for Human Thermidor: (serves 8)

Step 1: Select trap for catching the pesky humans. Tonight’s example is the Garage nightclub, North London

Bait: The Victorian English Gentleman’s Club, Data Panik and a sprig of Polysics

Garnish: One Wookie for flavour

Method: Cook at high temperature for 45 minutes and serve clothes and all.

Tuesday night saw north London hotspot, Garage offer cannibals the latest and greatest in how-to-cook-a-human as the temperature soared and my beard took a sweaty beating, and oh yeah, there was some music as well.

PIMP rocked up to see the Cardiff trio Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club shimmer onto the stage at precisely the 8:15 time set on their Myspace calendar. A lightening-fast set with little time for frontman Adam to adjust his tie and delectable drummer, Emma to mop the sweat now haemorrhaging from her brow, the outing ran through a collection of new material knocking around on their new album featuring a range of heavy basslines, spiky riffs and in parts, a slightly psychedelic feel to their sound.

Particular highlights included ‘Ban The Gin’ – a hyperactive two minute jaunt into what it would be like had The Funny Bones stopped hanging around in the dark, dark basement and hit the mean streets of Hoxton for some disco-dancing. Followed by opening gambit ‘Stupid As Wood’ that offered a contrast to the ‘skeletal pop’ (a new genre perhaps?), featuring more refined musings from the three-piece.

With a new album due at the end of August, and the pseudo-Welsh band heading on tour in September, the band have picked up an ‘eclectic’ following including everyone’s favourite Wookie, Chewbacca and not to mention the aural pioneers at PIMP magazine. I did what journalists do best and demanded an interview with them immediately after their set to question them on their ‘Welshness’ and tenuous links to Peter Stringfellow…

Hey guys, thanks for chatting to me. So how did you find the set?

Yeah, it went really well thanks. We really like playing in London. The people seem to know what they like, and they appear to like us!

I didn’t realise you guys were playing the early slot, we nearly missed you, and you came on stage at exactly the time advertised! Are you starting a punctual revolution?

Ha! No, unfortunately not. We just think people have taken the time out to come and see us, so we’ll be on time because they’ve paid for the privilege!

So, what have you been up to in the last couple of months?

Well, we finished the album earlier this year. We did it in 2 weeks. We’ve just been looking at ideas for videos for the new single we’re releasing in a couple of months.

So what ideas have you come up with so far?

Well, nothing that we really like. One guy came up with the concept of a farmer planting seeds and we’d be the plants, but we really weren’t up for that. Another talked about a three-way sex-scene between the three of us, but again, not our thing.

Oh, why not?

Well, the song’s about when Adam worked in a mental hospital, so elaborate sex scenes weren’t really appropriate for that!

What did you used to do in a mental hospital?

Cleaning mainly. I did it for a couple of years back in Cardiff, got to see some strange things…

The rumour mill’s been churning out all sorts of rubbish. Apparently you’re all Welsh, but your English is better than mine!

Well yeah, only Adam’s from Wales, and he moved to England seven years ago and me (Emma) I’m from Solihull and Louise (bass) is from Leeds so being Welsh and having a band name featuring English Gentlemen does kinda clash.

I see it does, damn the rumour mill to hell. So how long have you been together?

About two years now.

Are you doing any festivals this summer?

We’re only doing one - the ‘Get Loaded’ gig in Cardiff. We’ve still got to drive down to gigs and we’re all brassic.

Do you have a minivan?

Of course.

And does it have a name?

Oh yes, but we’re not going to tell you.

Going back to the rumour mill one last time, isn’t your agent the nephew of everyone’s favourite sex terrorist, a one Peter Stringfellow?

(Laughs) Yes he is. He’s not particularly proud of it, and prefers not to mention it. We’re not supposed to tell anyone.

But you’ve just told me?

Well yes, but what can you do.

Very true. So when’s the new album out?

It’s due out on August 28 and we’re going on tour in September for a number of weeks. The album was done by two of the guys from the Go! Team as we know them, so we’re pretty chuffed about that.

Ah excellent, will you be donning sweat bands and a gratuitous visual display?

(Laughs) No, Adam gets sent ties every week by fans so we’re doing the tie thing at the moment [today’s tie is a blondish diagonal stripe, much like Adam’s hair].

The Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club self-titled album is out August 28 released by Fantastic Plastic Records.

http://www.myspace.com/thevictorianenglishgentlemensclub