It's a Latin word; it means 'encore'. Actually we took it from a song by The Fall and its called 'Perverted by Language'. Yeah, I wondered what the hell it meant, and that's what it was.
You just got back from Japan... what was that like?
Well, I like being there, but I don't like the high level work involved; it's always really hectic and it's just too intense and it's like... There's good stuff that goes on when you're there, you know, the shops are good, the gigs are usually good... but just the sheer workload of having to do so many interviews and never having any free time is...
Isn't that like anywhere though?
No. There's just something strange about the gigs there because they're like at six in the evening... so you do your sound check, you do interviews, and then you just play the show... and then you've usually got the rest of the night to do stuff; but the shops are shut, so you just go out and get drunk or whatever, or play games, you know. It's quite strange, there doesn't seem to be any sort of human life even, but it's cool...
So, do you like Australia?
Yeah, what I've seen of it. I like the sort of atmosphere here, I like that. It's just, you know, we came from Tokyo straight to here and it was much more relaxed instantly, you know. It's much more like home, 'cause it was raining and there weren't too many people about. That's cool.
What music have you been listening to lately?
Ohhh. Not much! I'm mostly into sort of American techno stuff at the moment; I go through phases. I've just got turntables at home so I'm buying 12's again and stuff, and practicing my cutting style [laughs] but yeah... While I'm on tour I just listen to everything from a bit of hip-hop, a bit of techno, and a bit of punk every now and again.
What's it like being on Grand Royal? Do you get to see the Beastie Boys much?
Yeah, yeah! We saw them a few weeks ago; they were in Glasgow and stuff... It's difficult for us to keep too close in touch 'cause they're always away, but... It's a good thing, you know, for us... and they are really good guys, you know, they don't just put on a front as nice guys for the public, they are genuinely really easy going guys.
Do you support many Scottish bands? Delgados???
Yeah, Delgados.... They've got a record label called Chemical Underground and we've got a couple of releases on there, and they're a good band.... Mogwai, Arab Strap...The other Scottish band that's doing well right now is Belle and Sebastian... there's quite a lot of good Scottish dance music... Daft Punk put out their first records on a Glasgow dance label...a lot of dance people come to Glasgow because they know it's a goods vibe and stuff.
I read a while back that you guys [bis] were dumping the stage names and then you've put them on the album so...?? explain?
I think we just go through phases.... I think it was like, we just got to the point where we were sick of them, but then we just thought we can't stop with them, but we don't want to start using our old names again... It's like we've done it so we have to stick with it, it's just one of these principle things- we can't actually get rid of them so.... It's like if I went and did a solo record I wouldn't use my own name, I'd think up another name for it, you know, so it's just one of these things... You can never use your own name, never use your real name 'cause they can never trace you, you know <laughs>...
So what's it like playing with your brother all the time? Do you get along well?
Most of the time. We all feel like family like, 'cause we came from the same place...<stuff I can't decipher in thick [cute] Scottish accent- sorry> We do fight over the smallest things, but most of the time it's pretty good...
Who's your favourite person/band you've ever toured with?
Umm... musically I don't know. My favourite person I think was Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters who was just such a lovely guy... Such a weird thing for us to be touring with the Foo Fighters in Europe, 'cause it's a metal crowd... but they're really into us and stuff and we've got the same press company in America. But Dave Grohl was such a nice guy 'cause, you know, he's been through a lot and he is a big rock star to a lot of people, but he was just so down to earth... There was this one show, it was in Wales, and the crowd was totally dissing us big time and that, and chucking stuff on stage, and Dave Grohl came on and went "hey!"... And I'm standing at the side of the stage later watching the Foo Fighters when they were on, you know, and Dave's looking over at me and 'cause it was our last gig on the tour he's gone- "yeah, I'd like to thank bis for a nice tour"... And he said "Are you enjoying it tonight?" to me, and the crowd's like "YEAH!" and he went to the crowd, "no, I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to Steven!".
What was it like to come from being a fairly underground band to being a successful on much higher level?
Well yeah, but it's different for us because we are slowly progressing worldwide but...
Are you finding that the crowd's changing heaps?
Yeah, definitely, I think in Britain we have a really strange relationship with the press, the fans, everything; it's just totally fucked up, you know. They just play the one single and say, "this is good"- and then ignore you again... It's like... I just don't take it very seriously... I think we care much more about how we do in Europe, or how we do here [Australia], or America, you know. It's much more exciting to us. As much as we'd love to do really well in our own country, it's like, we're doing well elsewhere... It's like we'll go there, and play there...
So do you find the press in Britain is really bitchy?
Oh yeah, totally like prejudiced- everything. I think it's very much that homegrown bands get it.
How do you Kill the Cod?
Well I don't because I don't kill! But it's strange 'cause I have started eating fish again, 'cause I'm vegetarian, but I've started eating fish again.... So for the moment I'd kill it with batter and a healthy dollop of tomato sauce. I'd kill the flavour!