ARIEL-X...
and an orgy of life-living aspirations and rock 'n' roll ambitions from nice guy frontman Ben...
1. HI BEN, HOW ARE YOU?
Doing well, thanks!
2. YOU USED TO BE FRONTMAN FOR REMOTE CONTROL. WHY DID THEY SPLIT?
Remote Control was an emotional beast at the best of times - you can't have that many characters in a band without causing trouble! We all wanted to be the frontman, hence people drew live comparisons with The Clash & The Manics etc. Most bands split citing 'artistic differences', but I guess we split because of artistic similarities - we were four versions of the same person!
3. YOU ARE NOW HELMING YOUR NEW BAND ARIEL-X. IS THIS NEW PROJECT MUCH LIKE REMOTE CONTROL?
I guess we are still bound by a healthy disregard for the bland, lowest-common-denominator music that still pervades the British music scene. We are, and always will be, a part of the underground glam-scene nationally - some things run deeper than a mere dash of eyeliner and glitter. I still believe strongly that guitar music does not have to be slavishly retro ('Hi there, New York!') to be exciting and relevant today, and that there are thousands of people out there who want to see a band that dares to be something other than the norm.
4. YOU RECENTLY TOURED THE UK. WHAT WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS AND LOW-LIFES THEREIN?...
It was strange to get back out there after a break of 18 months since Remote Control split, but it was great to get back to the simplicity and honesty of touring - just being a great live band again. The highlight was definitely the last date in Hastings, where we had our after-show party on the beach. The sight of 50 or so people sat round a bloody great fire, mashed out of their heads 'till dawn was brilliantly pagan! The low point was the following morning!...
5. WHY HAVE YOU CALLED YOUR NEW BAND 'ARIEL-X'?
The name refers to an urban myth in the US that, during the height of the US government's paranoia about national security in the 50's, they used a section of Area 51 to put up a giant antenna to send out electro-magnetic pulses in the hope of communicating with any UFOs flying above. The project - code named Ariel-X - cost millions, and failed to communicate with any 'little green friends', although it did magnetise the local water supply, resulting in some electrically charged Rednecks!
6. IS THE STYLE OF YOUR MUSIC STILL GLAM POP-ROCK OR ARE YOU EXPLORING DIFFERENT GENRES SINCE THE COLLAPSE OF REMOTE CONTROL?
Well, you can take the boy out of Soho but you can't take Soho out of the boy! Image-wise, we are still intent on standing out from the crowd, but the music has shifted to become less frivolous and scene-orientated than before. I guess we sound like a heavier, slightly darker, more guitar-based development of Remote Control - more Cooper Temple than Shirley Temple..!
7. WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE TOWN OR CITY IN THE UK TO PLAY?
Too many to pin down, but as a general rule, the further north you go, the better the gigs get. Hartlepool is definitely a favourite for us. Audiences seem to be a lot less jaded up north, which is always refreshing after gigging London and the south. I'd like to test the rule, though and do a gig at the North Pole - should be kicking, by all accounts!
8. RELEASE-WISE, WHAT'S IN THE CAN AND HOW CAN WE GET IT?
We've currently got a couple of labels sniffing around us, but we are all determined to go for a deal when we feel ready. Having only done four months as a full line-up, we are still high on churning out new material and developing as a band - hence the heavy touring 'till the end of the year. Generally we feel we are going to be ready to get a deal again in the first month or two of 2004, but until then we are making all of our studio material available for free download on our website at www.Ariel-X.com.
9. IN LIGHT OF ARIEL-X, DO YOU EVER USE LIQUITABS?
I only tried them once - they tasted awful, didn't give me a buzz, and the comedown lasted a week. They made me pale - well, a kind of blue-y white, anyway!
10. WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
Quentin Crisp!
Whoah!...
www.ariel-x.com