MUEN: Hi Anthony, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for me. I've been listening to you on MySpace for months now and I have just been so impressed with your music! How did this amazing partnership come about?

ANTHONY: We met in 1992; David helped me with the production on a project I was working on. We became firm friends and always spoke the same musical language. In 2001 David moved back to Bristol from living in London and playing in Dark Star. David built his studio and we started writing together as a recreational exercise. In 2005 we started to write what eventually became �Here Are The Roses�

MUEN: Could you describe your music for anyone reading that may not have listened to you yet?

ANTHONY: The truth.

MUEN: Why the name DRAGONS?

ANTHONY: We wanted to have an unnerving, almost uncomfortable name for the band. It is a metaphor for conscience. Far from the garish, grotesque, airbrushed creatures hijacked by the metal and fantasy fraternity, our dragons are quiet, patient, unassuming and silent. They are the ones that are always behind you and that you can�t see.

MUEN: I know that sometimes the first album can take longer to write than the second or third, how long did "Here are the roses" take for you to write? And is the songwriting done by one or by the both of you?

ANTHONY: The writing is done by both of us. It is a journey based on competition, friendship and tolerance. Our songwriting is something that we are always striving to improve upon. ��roses� was part of that improving process and it took its natural course to finish, which was about 9 months in total, from inception to the finished product.

MUEN: The lyrics are very deep and meaningful, is the song usually built around the lyrics, or the other way round?

ANTHONY: Music and melody normally first, but the first lyrical idea is usually synonymous with that process.

MUEN: They also evoke a lot of emotion. What is the song "Here are the roses" about?

ANTHONY: Forgiveness, redemption and acceptance. Accepting that you cannot change what has been already done.

MUEN: I personally love the entire album and have found it very hard to pinpoint a favourite song. I think my romantic softer side is rather partial to "Forever". What is your favourite song and why?

ANTHONY: I can�t say I have any favorites. It would probably be easier to pick the ones I�m least fond of. I come from the school of thought where you�re only as good as the last thing you did and as we are deep into the writing of the second record, I�m immersed and all consumed by that at the moment. If �Forever� was your favourite on ��roses�, I don�t think this next record will disappoint you.

MUEN: Your album is self-produced. After your past experience with being in bands that were signed with labels and now doing it yourselves, which do you prefer?

ANTHONY: I don�t see it as being self-produced, I see it more as being a record produced by David who is an incredible producer, that was one of the great attractions in working with him at this level. It�s certainly harder to do it yourself these days, people tell you the advent of the internet is a great thing for the music industry but people simply don�t buy music like they used too so it can be difficult for the small guy. That said, what we have cannot be easily destroyed, no one tells us what to do. We are committed to excellence and our belief is always unwavering.

MUEN: What's your opinion on MySpace and the Internet as an "unsigned" band's tool for promoting their music? Obviously you use it yourselves, you have your MySpace page. How else do you promote yourselves and what do you think is the most effective?

ANTHONY: Any form of exposure is a good thing, especially for young bands these days. Long gone are the days of Music TV and the cool and informative weekly music mags. We are left with the NME in the UK, which unfortunately in its current state is laughable. Thankfully there are online magazines like Pitchfork that have picked up the baton of credible journalism.

MUEN: You've also released a few EPs with some very cool remixes of your songs. Who worked on those with you?

ANTHONY: Ulrich Schnauss and Def E reworked 2 songs on the last EP. We always encourage remixers to reconstruct and give their own interpretation of the songs. It�s nice having fresh life breathed into them. We have some great pieces for the next 2 singles and Pylon King has reworked the whole album, which is remarkable.

MUEN: I watched the video for "Lonely Tonight" that you have on your MySpace page and I nearly cried at the end. Can you tell me about that? Who came up with the idea?

ANTHONY: We were very fortunate to work with Alex and Wayne at DragonPunch. They came up with the concept and casting, their film principles struck a chord with us, and we will work with them again.

MUEN: Your music is very reminiscent of 80s Pop/Alt. I'm sure you're like a breath of fresh air to those that still listen to all their old favourites like Depeche Mode and Joy Division. What's your opinion on today's music scene? Are there any current bands that you listen to?

ANTHONY: I guess it�s an easy option for people to draw comparisons to those bands you have mentioned. I sing in a similar register and we sing about subject matters that can be a little uneasy at times. I find the comparisons boring and mildly irritating. I�ve never owned a Depeche Mode record in my life, I�m afraid that their music is not for me. I don�t really listen to bands these days to be honest, I listen to a lot of techno. I love the new Burial album. It�s fresh, British, and carries a lot of social relevance. Social commentary in music is important to me. It has to transcend. It has to reach people.

MUEN: I see you have some live shows coming up in the New Year. Have you already been doing some touring with the album?

ANTHONY: We have toured the UK and mainland Europe and will be doing so again in the New Year. Hopefully at some stage in 2008 we�ll come stateside.

MUEN: Do you have certain musicians that you bring in specially for playing live shows and are some of them also featured on the CD?

ANTHONY: We have live band and they are all DRAGONS. We didn�t have a band when we wrote �roses� but we do now so yes, the gifts that these guys are blessed with shall certainly adorn further DRAGONS� recorded works whilst David and I remain the principle writers.

MUEN: Do you have plans to extend your live performances outside of the UK anytime soon? What would your dream tour look like?

ANTHONY: We start touring again in February, and who knows what this next year holds in store for us. I would love to play South America and Asia at some stage.

MUEN: Even though your album has only been out about six months and you're busy with your live shows, are you working on any material for a new album?

ANTHONY: We never stop working and writing, and we are close to having enough material for the next record, we hope to release something late spring / early summer. It just has to be ready and right.

MUEN: Thanks again for doing this interview.

ANTHONY: My pleasure.

Interview by Lissy MacMillan