Carling Weekend interview: Agent Blue

United Kingdom | by Ross Purdie | 01 September 2004

Agent Blue come from Stoke, a city their lead-singer Nic frankly describes as a "desolate, barren wasteland" - well, it is where Robbie Williams comes from. The five band members met in college and were bored one day, twiddling their thumbs back in 2000, when they "just decided to start a band". Four years on they're gearing up for the big time, breeding infectious punk-riot jams that build around catchy riffs and basslines, shunning ladling any one of them with the responsibility of song writer, in favour of collective composition. Musically varied in their tastes, bassist Callum loves his dance and hip-hop, drummer Matt favours orthodox rock'n'roll and the rest fit in between. Joy Division is the only band they all truly agree on but that only came about because people said they sounded a bit like the 70s band. "We thought we'd better see what they sound like then." says Nic. "We started to pick up our musical influences during the arse end of all the Brit pop stuff and the last thing we want to sound like another Oasis. We just see what we come up with."

Virtual Festivals: We've heard a little rumour about you getting into a bit of trouble at Leeds. Guilty?
Nic: Actually yeh! On Sunday I managed to steal a golf buggy. I just saw them about and just thought 'I've got to have a go on one of them'. Then I saw one with no one in it while I was having my lunch and checked it out expecting it to have a key - but it just had this button saying 'start'. So i was buzzing around on that for a while and everyone wanted a piece. I had some of the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster on for a while. Then Johnny Borrell from Razorlight wanted a go but his manager wouldn't let him! Unfortunately I bumped into a security guard, who collared me and told me to take it back where I found it. So I hid for a while and then was off again until I got busted - again! It's definitely taught me the lesson not to return to the scene of the crime. I tried to make out I was security but they didn't believe me. 


VF: Playing Reading/Leeds was probably one of the biggest gigs of your life. Any good?
Nic: It was fucking ace. It was wicked. We played pretty well I thought. The sound was a bit dodgy for a bit but between us we sorted it out. I buzzed off it and people semed well into it as well. You totally feed off the crowd. These two gigs have probably been the best two things we have ever done and we got the best reaction and crowd so hopefully next time we can get higher up the bill.  

VF: Which one was the best?
Nic: I liked them both, in different way. In terms of the performance I think I slightly preferred Reading just because the tent was a bit bigger with more people in it. The reaction at both were similar though. What impressed me was that usually in new band tents you get people wandering in and out, but at Reading/Leeds there was always a steady audience and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

VF: You were dousing yourself with water, diving into the crowd and seemed to fall over quite a bit. How off your swede were you? 
Nic: I wasn't actually wasted at all. I'd had a couple of drinks but that was it. We all get properly into it when we play and get very carried away so it may look like we're on it. My dad's always asking me if I'm on drugs when we play because I can look so out of it, but it's just the music and the way we perform.

VF: You must get injured a fair bit if you play that that every time then...
Nic: Sometimes. We did a gig in the Sugarmill in Stoke recently, where I dived off the balcony, but fortunately there were enough people down there to catch my fall. The worst was probably at a gig in Manchester where a few people were jumping up and down at the front. One of them smacked into my mic and pushed it upwards into my mouth and chipped my tooth. I was bleeding everywhere and in a lot of pain but I still finished the gig. I've got a mouth full of dodgy teeth anyway. 

VF: Have you done any other festivals this year?
Nic: No this is our first. I was pretty shocked by the size of the crowd. People were obviously well up for it. I think Reading/Leeds has a better crowd than any in terms of watching bands and getting properly into them. But I'd absolutely love to play Glastonbury next year. The only problem being at Reading/Leeds as a band is having to travel to the other, whereas at Glastonbury you can just play and then chill and enjoy the rest of it. We went to Glastonbury this year, after being on the phone for 14 hours trying to get tickets. Hopefully next year we won't have to go through all that.

Agent Blue play 93 Feet East in Brick Lane, London, tonight (Thursday, 2nd September). An album and single 'Crossbreed' are due for release and the band will be supporting mycodenameis:milo later in the autumn.