Packing a punch like their Streetfighter catchphrase, new kids on the block Hadouken! have a sound dubbed “Grindie” (pronounced Gr-indie – a combination of grime and indie) they’re the new raves of the nu-rave. Still sweaty from Glasto they head to Australia to play Byron’s sold out Splendour In The Grass.
Is it tempting to not book in any gigs surround Glastonbury and get involved? Well we have a booking agent that tends to just book us as many gigs as we can, ‘cos it all helps pay for the cost and shit like that. Plus I’d rather be gigging than watching another band to be honest.
You’d copped flack for your use of grime, as if taking the piss out of the genre. What do you say about that? It’s completely been misconstrued. We were never taking the piss out of grime. Just because we’re white and not black doesn’t mean we were taking the piss. It was just lazy journalism, not listening to what we were saying.
It’s lame to think someone else decides your musical influences by your skin colour and the tightness of your jeans. That’s it. I think the thing is also the first couple of songs we did had a certain tongue and cheek quality to it. But it didn’t mean we were taking the pisstake in any way.
To prove your credentials, you produced a couple of grime records before Hadouken!, is that right? I’ve produced a couple. Nothing too important or big, however. I do like to play that down. But amongst grime listeners, before it was even called grime, I was doing it. But it’s since come into vogue.
And You’ve got a connection to The Streets’ Mike Skinner, is that right? One of the first gigs we ever played he messaged us and said he was coming down. He said “hello” and that he liked our music and wanted to hear more. He’s just been a nice support. We are ever grateful because he’s someone we’ve always looked up to.
Your music, as with many bands today, has come quickly courtesy of MySpace. Absolutely, it was a very quick, snowballing effect. I think it’s one of those things where once it’s on the internet everyone can get it. You don’t produce a disc and then take it to radio. You just get it out there. We’re exactly the same as a lot of bands today. People will pick up music quickly and they’ll repel it quickly. It makes it all the more exciting. But it also means you don’t have as much time to hone your sound – which isn’t good.
Is there anything bad that has come out of the MySpace generation of bands? I think there is a problem with the press. They are very quick to jump on bands and then dismiss them, or move on to someone else. I think it’s important that a band is allowed to develop and get it right. I don’t like the fact a lot of bands are dismissed from the word “go.”
So that’s the “Accelerated Culture”? Certainly. I think that’s the gist of it. The fact that the music scene is sped up so quickly. We are a product of it and raised like that. That’s where its coming from.
Being aware of the issue and having only just released this record, when will you start recording again? We’re doing it right at this minute. I can tell you it’s very dance-music influenced. I can’t tell you if that’s how it will turn out. But it’s certainly what we’re listening to at the moment, old jungle music.
Have you done much travelling outside of the band? No I haven’t. But I’ve got quite a few mates who’ve been to Australia. I was down the pub today and three of my best mates are going to try and move out there. I said that I’d be at Byron Bay and play Splendour In The Grass and they all said that’s a wicked festival to go and see, so definitely, I have to get over there and have a few BBQs and tinnies – I’m looking forward to it.
Music For An Accelerated Culture is out now on Warner. Catch Hadouken! at Splendour In The Grass (sold out) Sunday 3 August, Sydney’s Forum Wednesday 6 and Melbourne’s HiFi Bar on Thursday 7.
