Could you give a brief history of the band?

We formed in the spring of 1995 with the original drummer Fabienne (who now sings with The Bristols), but things didn't work out as Domi, Cedric and me had already played in an earlier band and we probably pushed to hard to get her to fit in with the sound we were looking for. She left after about 15 gigs (St Johns Tavern, Xmas Fratshack, Folkestone, More than Vegas) at about the time of the release of the first EP and was replaced by Mojo (Guitarist/Singer with label mates The Nuthins). The second EP was released last autumn plus other tracks (See Discography). We've had a generally good reaction from the press reviews and audience reaction, so we’ll keep the formula pretty much the same for the time being.

Who have been your biggest influences?

If you mean what do we each like to listen to, then it is as follows:

ANDY: Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Soul (but not the poppy kind), Rock & Roll, Garage Punk. Which means Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Richard, The Contours, The Stones, The Kinks, The Sonics, The Troggs, The Seeds, and The Electric Prunes.

A bit presumptuous I know but I'd say the others like pretty much the same kind of things. I know for a fact that DOMI likes the same shit as we live together! CEDRIC likes pretty much the same plus some dodgy French 60's stuff like 'Bite de la Riviere et ses Chatles Savages' and a bit of Ravi Shanker.

MOJO is the only one with a mod background (we're all rockers in origin). He's heavily into folk-rock but is generally quite fanatical about most 60's stuff, as you will see if you read his fanzines 'Gravedigger', 'Son of a Gravedigger' and 'Shindig'

Describe your music in a sentence

"................................"

That's not a fair question to ask a band, but if it's some kind of label your looking for then we're a garage punk band using authentic 60's gear to create music somewhere between R&B and Punk.

What excites you the most about 60's Garage?

Everything! I'm tired of the press/radio etc. referring to modern alternative/indie bands as punk when all they do is the sing the same soppy pop shit. The Stones have got a more punky attitude, despite being in there 50's and playing AOR, than any of these so-called teenage punk bands. Although I can't stand that shit, Techno 'bands' like The Prodigy are probably nearer to the punk spirit found in the 60's than modern punk, and that's why I think 60's garage is still one of the only true forms of alternative underground music. That also goes for early Blues, R&B and some early Country and Rockabilly.

Is there a place for 60's garage in the 90's

I kind of just answered that, but I’ll keep on ranting anyway. 60's garage, although pretty diverse in that it takes influences from many elements such as Folk, Blues, R&R and Soul, is still recognizable as one musical form. Just like the above styles and Jazz, it is possible to work within that frame work adding maybe other influences, like Thee Headcoates with there 70's punk numbers, and still sound coherent as a band. Nobody knocks Jazz as being old hat, or Blues & Soul for that matter, despite coming from periods before garage punk. So they should shut the fuck up about garage (or 50's Rock and Roll) and stop using words like retro everytime they refer to it! 'Retro-phile’ makes us sound like freaks (probably because it sounds like 'pedophile') when in reality people that like any of the above musical forms tend to be people who make a definitive choice about what they like, whether we talk about haircuts, clothes or musical tastes and are therefore not to be herded like sheep towards the next musical trend that comes along, just because it's fashionable and the media tell you so. Of course this is only my opinion, maybe the rest of the band, though surely not in disagreement with this, may actually like the appeal of being treated like a low-life geek/loser for having weird clothes, haircuts and musical tastes. Dawn of the soapbox!!

Is your image as important to you as your music?

With a name like The Sires you'd think we have some kind of medieval/noble type image and I have to admit we did toy with the idea of period costumes on stage. We decided this was not only uncomfortable but pretty silly, as visual impact doesn't have such a long effect and needs to be sustained with something more substantial. So we just wear jeans/cords and stripy T-shirts and put as much energy as we can into playing. Which hopefully puts out some kind of attitude/image. We do however play on the name of the band for writing songs, hence 'She's got the pox' and a few we haven't recorded like 'Five a Knight'.

What bands around at the moment are you listening to?

Favorite modern bands include: The Embrooks, Wildebeests, Coyote Men, Unchained, Mummies, The Element 79, Thanes, Phrogs and Blackout.

Future plans for the band?

We'll record some new and not so new songs in the New Year. A track is to be released on a 4-track Australian EP, though as yet we don't know details of date or even the name of the label. Apart from the regular London gigs the only other major event on the horizon is a festival in Guernsey. This summer, The Sires - Live at Guernsey Castle. Maybe we'll try and arrange dates through the South en-route and if possible in France, as we'll be so close.

Twist want us to do an album this year, but we're not in a hurry to do this, as it’s hard to do a consistently 'good to listen to' album in a weekend, like so many bands seem to do.