Last time I went to London I found myself in a small bar, with a fidgety girl in cotton candy hair walking in and out of the room, “Have The Ghost Frequency played yet?” she asked me. I said no, and she said to make sure I see them. Since I’m reluctant to take advice from strange girls I left. When I later heard the band, what came out of my speakers was catchy dance punk with a shimmering of garage and a whole lot of madness - something you’ll most definitely see in the conversation we had with band’s lead singer Doran - aren’t lead singers at their best when they’re a bit bonkers?

Stef: What did you do last night?

Doran: We supported Hadouken on the last night of their tour at the Brighton Concorde 2. Then we hung out with our friends here and talked about sounding (not exclusively) over many many drinks.

S: Lets start with the basics. Describe your sound.

D: The sound of Kate Bush fucking Bobby Brown covered by Glassjaw after listening to too much Slayer.
‘We Built These Walls’

‘Never Before’

S: What’s a ghost frequency?

D: The Ghost Frequency is the attempt to survive in a state of complete nothingness.

S: The media seems to have a desperate need to compare bands to every other band there has ever been. What’s been the most inaccurate comparison you’ve read?

D: Jesus… I don’t even know if anyone has made an accurate comparison yet. Journalists are too arrogant most of the time to even realize how wildly off the mark they actually are. We’ve had Franz Ferdinand, Pink Floyd, Panic at the Disco, Bloc Party. It’s a real shame when you work so hard and for so long on something you love, only to have some sarcastic under-sexed ball bag sit there and spiel their preconceived interpretations of what they so knowledgeably know to be true about your sound, image, artwork, ideology, etc. None of it is usually even based on the music.

S: Describe each band member in five words.

D: Haha! Amazing! This is gonna be fun. Murphy: Blind, stubble, single, seven kings. Jason: He’s my pop punk princess. Barney: Beefcake, midi, blogs, hard nipples. Ross: Doom, funeral doom, death metal.

S: Tell us something about your teenage years - and don’t leave out the sexual experimentation.

D: I like the five words thing, and seeing as the other guys aren’t gonna get to sum me up, I’ll do it for my teens. Bass, booze, bleak, skateboarding, suckerforromance! (Those weren’t supposed to sound like singles ads!)

S: I read that you guys are influenced by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. How has his work influenced you, and can we hear it in your music?

D: Norwegian Wood changed my life. The way he creates these complex worlds and characters that are so serene and calming, but then sends you the darkest, most twisted abstraction is completely mind blowing. I think creating that kind of beauty in things that aren’t beautiful in my lyrics is important to me, but it’s not like we’re gonna be one of those bands that makes some pompous quack at a concept album based on one of his novels or something. You have to respect your influences.

S: How about your non-musical influences?

D: The people in my life, whether I purely hate them or love them unconditionally! Different colors. Types of weather. Artists. At the moment I’m completely elated by the work of Vania Zouravliov.

S: Speaking of art who does your logo and record artwork?

D: Our previous artwork was done by Shoreditch-based graphic artist Jiro Bevis

S: How about skin art - what’s your latest tattoo, which one is most special to you, and what will be your next one?

D: Hahaahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I’m not telling.

S: Apparently you guys started out in a small North London bedroom. Describe it.

D: It was my bedroom at my Pa’s house. Like every other bedroom I’ve ever had, it was filthy. I’m not good at keeping my own spaces tidy. We didn’t even have a proper set up, like no drums or anything. I would have loved to have been one of those kids with rich parents with an insane garage where we could practice for free and take over the world etc. But no! We had to make do with what shit we had! It was worth it though.

S: I read that you guys bonded over schlock horror films. What are the top must-sees?

D: No we didn’t. Someone looked at our artwork and decided we did. I think it was The Guardian or something. Top must sees though: Return of the Living Dead, Re-Animator, Frankenhooker, Toxic Avenger, and it’s not a schlock horror film, but still a great DVD - Cannibal Corpse’s The Wretched Spawn!

S: How does your love of splatter films translate to your live shows - or how will it when you make it big?

D: It doesn’t and it won’t… except on Halloween when we go whole hog and see how gruesome we can get with prosthetics!

S: If you had a gimp (assuming you don’t), what would you force him to listen to 24/7?

D: Yeah, we do have a gimp, but he won’t listen to anything but Bronski Beat!

S: Obsessions? Perversions? Fetishes?

D: Rubbing each others gooches with strawberry cheesecake.

S: Do you believe sexuality is fluid, and if so, what fluid best describes your sexuality?

D: Piss.

S: Who are your typical groupies?

D: Errrrrrrrrrr… boys, girls, men, women… I don’t know… whoever.

S: What’s a typical night out after a gig abroad?

D: It depends. If the club is awesome (which it usually is), then we stay there and get totally ripped on the free booze, then go wrestle in public parks in front of Italian police armed to the teeth with machine guns, while Barney keeps telling us to stop for the aforementioned reason.

S: How about after a gig in your hometown of London.

D: We get as far away from each other as possible.

S: If you could recommend anything at all, what would it be?

D: Roasted aubergine!

S: What is in your record collection you think we’d be very surprised by?

D: I’d say about 90% of it. Beach Boys, classical, jazz, everything Kate Bush has ever done (I don’t think anyone’s surprised by that now!). I grew up in two different homes with lots of different music, and I’ve always looked at music as songs rather than genres. If it’s a good song, no matter what the style, it should stand out to you. That doesn’t mean I’m one of those people that says “I LOVE ALL KINDS OF MUSIC!”. Fuck off, yippy.

S: You’re not big in the US just yet. What rumor would you like us to spread about your imminent invasion?

D: That our arms are way longer than our legs, and that our noses actually inverted.

The Ghost Frequency boys gave us a few copies of their latest single (on vinyl). If you want one, email EDITOR@EASTVILLAGEBOYS.COM.

Introducing Mr. Stef Siepel, EVBs newest contributor and magnet for shit-hot bands that you’ve either just heard of, or maybe never heard of, but in either case, will likely be hearing much more about in months to come - likely on these pages.

We met Stef a few weeks ago at a Snowden show here in the East Village. We hung out, talked about music, complained that Suede was never as popular here as they should have been, he showed us his, we did the same - our iPods I mean, though if I remember correctly Stef had something definitively not iPod. We quickly learned that this man with the fucked-up hair visiting from Holland was a musical force to be reckoned with, decided our meeting was fate, and promptly signed him up.

We thought the best way to introduce him, was to have him put together a mixtape of whatever he’s been dancing too all summer, so here it is. Enjoy!

PUSHING BUTTONS AND KNOBS

Heartbeat - Late of the Pier / Wires - Dead Kids / Folio - Model Horror / Money on the Fire - The Ghost Frequency / Blackout - The Whip / Ghostdance - Lesser Panda / Love is a Boat and We’re Sinking – Dinosaur Pile-Up / Red Socks Pugie - Foals / Strobe - Friendly Fires / Wolfgang Bang - Mirror! Mirror! / Disneyland Part 1 - Get Shakes / Young and Stupid - Dreamer / Dark Skies - The Electric City / Canape of Love - We Smoke Fags / British Mode - Goose