Interview- Killing Miranda

Killing Miranda-Conspiracy Theory

Thats right. Monday the 25th of October 2004 sees the release of the brand new Killing Miranda album "Consummate" via Cadiz Music. Distribution is by Pinnacle (UK) and Soulfood/Sony (europe). UK dates in support are being confirmed as we speak so keep an eye on the live page.

Singer Rikky remarked on the new LP:

"This is way beyond anything we've done to date. One thousand per cent more ambitious. We're throwing down the gauntlet for the whole underground. We can compete in production terms with the big major label bands and the european scene and also keep our identity. This is arguably the best and undeniably the most professional sounding album to come from the UK goth / industrial underground to date as far as I'm concerned." www.killingmiranda.com

GC: What is the name of your band and who are the current members?

Killing Miranda. We're Rikky (Vox), Alien Dave (Guitars), Irish Dave (Bass) and Belle (Drums). Four complete bastards.

GC: How did you become connected to make music?

Me and Irish and Belle knew each other from various projects and clubs, Alien we found wandering lost along the side of the North Circular in London clutching a guitar. We took pity on him. Either that or he came to an interview and was the only guitarist good enough..everyone else sucked.

GC:What are your musical influences?

Pretty damn varied. I think Bowie, the Sisters and 242 are about the only ones we ALL have in common. Mainly I think these days we're doing our own thing. Three albums in and we know what Killing Miranda sounds like so I guess you could say we influence ourselves !

GC: What is your live show like?

Loud. We're a true "live" band. We don't con people. And we've paid our dues, played hundreds of gigs from Finland to Mexico. I dunno, there's something about us live that either people love or hate.

GC:Tell us about your own unique style of music?

We're just relaxed about what it means to be a band. We're not desperately trying to impress our friends or worshipping at the altar of some other bands work. We write and perform and everythign else is kinda dressing you know. We're don't try too hard...we concentrate on being good rather than cool.

GC:What serparates your band from all the other bands out there?

Think we're just more level headed than most. There is ego here...but it's a pretty seasoned ego. We're not here "for the pussy" you might say. We like to make music and thats about it. All else is nonsense to us.

GC:How do you go about writing songs?

Well personally I'll write a song at home on Reason / Cubase and then take it into rehersal. Then it gets totally messed with. I give the guys freedom to fuck with my ideas 'cos they excel at what they do. Sometimes others will bring a song in. We don't tend to evolve from the very basics but take nearly finished songs and mutilate them to hell.

GC:Pick one of your latest song and talk about everything from writing it, meanings, the challenges of recording it?

"Conspiracy Theory" is the kick off song from the new album. When I originally wrote it I wanted to articulate a few things I felt when people had a go at me and the band. That kind of slightly frustrated "I really ought to just rise about this" feeling. I got this bass line that was very creepy and took it from there. Just evolved it to sound as claustrophobic and cold as I was feeling. It was a bitch to record actually. But fun too. Changed ALLOT. The producer and Belle changed allot of the beats and added some synth bass parts that interacted with the live bass to give it more movement. We really went to town on the samples and spent at least two days changing a few samples we'd preselected to the best form we could get to make it all as dark and structured as we could.

GC:What is your latest news with the band?

I guess the new album ! It's out in the UK 25th of October and Europe on the 15th of November. It's taken two years to do but worth every minute !

GC:Where do you hope to be in 5 years with your band? Satisfied.

GC: How are people currently reacting to your music?

Some of the countries we've been to we've had great reactions. I had no idea we were as liked as it turned out we were in these places. We've got a strong audience at home, I'd say right now only Inkkyus Sukkubus could claim to be "bigger" in terms of the new UK scene. I think we have allot of people resent us, because we're percieved as being relaxed about the link between goth and metal. And other politics. And of course just good old fashioned jealousy.

GC: What would be the top 3 reasons for listening to your music?

Because we're not feeding base impulses like Nostalgia

Because we're songwriters not image mongers

Because we're that damn good

GC: What is your best experience as a band?

Few gigs maybe. Finland earlier this year. Eurorock 2000. Gotham 4. Lots of good experiences.

What is your worst experience as a band?

Airports !

GC: What is most important to you in your band?

Our Music ! As cliched an answer as you could hope for but true...

GC:Do you have a personal favorite song, could be your own or other, and why?

Our own ...Hmmm. Probably "Embrace" (another new one). Someone elses, right now, would be "Forsaken" by Johnathon Davis mainly because I was surprised how damng good it was !

GC: What was the hardest song to write and why?

An unreleased thing called "heaven sent". It's been floating about years but only recently managed to get happy with it. It's 15 minutes long but hardly repeats itself at all, while being a real "Song" and not a collection of ideas. Hard to do.

GC: What do you think of the current gothic/ EBM/ Industrial/ noise/ synthpop etc scence today?

Some of it's OK. I try not to pay too much attention. You can't see the stars over the forest if you're staring at the other trees. That said there's some good bands and allot of crap ones. It's all just opinion, not important really.

GC: What music do you currently listen to, and why?

Some metal, some industrial, a very small amount of goth. Also bands I have soft spots for like The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. Lot's of Front 242...they rock muchly.

GC: How do you keep changing your music from album to album or plan to change it?

Yeah we do conciously change. We like to be chameleons because it keeps things fresh. Also over time people change. I'm a very differant person from the one who wrote our first album. Older, more bitter and twisted...

GC: What kind of recording environment do you have?

The last album was done at Townhouse. One of the best studios in London. They had U2, Busted and that guy from Jesus Jones in while we were there...And loads of shitty pop artists I don;t know but are probably really famous. Great fucking studio though !

GC:How long did you spend on your latest effort?

Two years !

GC: What is the hardest thing about being in a band for this genre?

I quote from apocalypse now "the shit piled up so high you needed wings to stay above it". Enough said/.

GC: Feel free to do any shameless self promotion here of you band, now is your turn to talk about anything you want about your band, ideas, or life in the band.

Well "Consummate" is to my ears a really great album. I think we've ignored peer group pressure and made the record we wanted to make. It's way too timeless to be "now" but thats a good thing in my book. Yeah it's angry, heavy and bitter sounding, but it's not a metal album either. Just our album.

GC:How did you end up in the dark underground scene?

Originally it was a tatse for girls in black clothing and cheap amphetamines. Probably the music too. I dunno. The speed has rotted my brain or at least the part of it that deasl with memory.