The recent release of AA-sided single Love Sick/ Like An Animal reinforced UK garage punk/psyche rockers Dedwardians as one irresistibly primal and infernally seductive incitement. Breeding a raw and scuzz lit infestation of the senses and imagination from the essential essences of psychobilly, garage punk, psyche rock, fifties rock ‘n’ roll and plenty more, the London quartet has emerged as one of Britain and garage punk’s most exciting and flirtatiously inventive propositions. Already carrying a lustful appetite for the band’s sound we thought it was time to learn more about the dark sonic beast that is Dedwardians, so with thanks to drummer Ben Auston we explored the band’s origins, sound, new single and much more…
Hi and thanks for sharing time to come chat with us.
Firstly can you tell us about the background to the band and how you all linked up?
Hello there. Paul (vocals) and Gaff (guitar) found me (Ben, bass) via the bands manager at the time. We met up for a few drinks in Soho and we took it from there. We went through a couple of drummers before finding the boy wonder, Dan Bridle. As for our backgrounds, I can only guess that Paul and Gaff, being men of the North, were raised listening to Venom whilst working in a shipyard or something equally manly. We’ve all grown up playing in rockabilly, punk and rock ‘n’ roll bands….so we’ve all been cut from a similar cloth. …Faux leather.
The band members I believe hail from cities like Liverpool, Leeds, and London, but now all London based for the band. Why the choice of the Capital for the band’s home and would you 
contemplate living anywhere not beginning with the letter L? 😉
We wanted to move to Aleister Crowley’s old dwelling, Boleskine House on Loch Ness, but the bedroom tax malarkey ruined that, so we settled on a 6 berth caravan in South London.
Many bands seem to start with one direction or idea of sound before emerging with or evolving to their true sound, Ministry maybe the biggest named example. With Dedwardians, I get the feeling you were all born to create the music you do, so was the sounds gracing your two singles it from day one?
Kind of…We started off with a bit more of a 1950’s rock ‘n’ roll sound with our first single – almost Jerry Lee-esque, but somehow we have gone a bit darker and twisted with the newer stuff…which I guess is more true to how we actually sound live. The name was a bit of a play on the Edwardian Drape Society/Teddy Boy thing, so we’ve not strayed too far off from the original ethos.
In our review of the new AA-sided single Love Sick/ Like An Animal we drew on comparisons to the likes of The Cramps, The Dropper’s Neck, and Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, and we could have mentioned Gene Vincent, The Heartbreakers, early Misfits for example too. What are the predominate inspirations which have shaped your tastes and influenced your invention?
You’ve pretty much nailed it on the head with those, but The Cramps are the band we’d all agree on though if I had to pick one. We’re an eclectic bunch on the whole though. Glam through to Psychobilly, Garage Punk to Goth…we’ll borrow shamelessly from wherever. Might confuse some listeners, but hey ho.
As you just mentioned your sound really is a creative frenzy whipped up from essences of numerous styles. Has this diversity just come from all your varying tastes over time or always been there in the songwriting from day one?
It’s been there from the start. It’s becoming more diverse as things progress, which has been tricky in the past when it comes to picking what to play live as we’ve been worried about jumping too far from one style or genre to another. Somehow it always sounds like us nonetheless, so it can’t be too far off. I think we’ve got it down now though, so not too many perplexed looking faces in the crowd. Hopefully.
How would you describe your music to newcomers?
Errr, something along the lines of Gene Vincent, Lux Interior and Captain Sensible on a night bus home.
We love the band name, The Dedwardians speaking for itself and of course you touched on it earlier, but who came up with it?
I think it was Paul and his love for Teddy Boys…Or boys with teddies…Can’t remember. Good though.
Are both your singles Bang Bang Die/Stop Destroy and now of course Love Sick/ Like An Animal songs written around the same time or over different periods?
There was a bit of a gap, maybe a few months at the most. What delayed things was trying to find the right studio to get the sound we were after. Some studios we tried made us sound way too clean…completely not what we wanted, but then we didn’t want to sound too digital or heavy metal. We ended up picking Andy Brook to work with, who I’ve known for years. I wish we’d just gone to him in the first place. We’d have an album sorted by now…maybe.
How are you seeing the evolution in your songwriting and sound as the band grows and matures together?
The songs are getting a bit more thought through and taking longer to sort out the final arrangements. I don’t mean in a Math Metal/Prog direction, we’re just trying to get the most out of the dynamics and avoiding becoming formulaic. Sometimes it’s tricky doing so with just one guitar, bass and drums. Saying that, Gaff is often louder than two guitarists…Sound men love him.
Is there a predominate inspiration to the lyrical and emotional side of your songs?
The only recurring theme I’ve managed to pick up on is DEATH. Which is odd, as Paul is generally a pretty cheerful chap.
Tell us about the recording of the new single. Did you have any particular intent with the tracks?
We wanted it to be loud; fuzzy guitars, big drums, over driven vocals and dirty bass. Andy Brook (engineer) pretty much got what we wanted straight away. He knew our influences better than the other studios we had recorded in, so that took a lot of the guess work out.
The songs have an instinctive, almost primal lo-fi breath. This edge makes them predatory and insatiably addictive, certainly for us drawing out the true heart of the tracks. Many bands seem almost afraid to tap into raw sounds, what lures you into this approach?
It’s probably the hatred for the opposite. We’re not Hi-Fi for sure. We’re really not about high end boutique guitar amps and overly compressed tracks. Our influences aren’t squeaky clean, perfectly auto-tuned performers. Raw is always better…Red raw.
It is fair to say you make music for you, sounds that you adore and then hope others feel the same?
Yep. Haha. Utterly selfish. When me and Gaff are writing together, we’re honestly not bothered about trying to please a certain scene or genre. If you go that route, you’d just end up sounding like you’re trying to suit a certain style.
Tell us about the video for Sick Of Love?
We shot it in a dark rehearsal room in a few hours, again, about as lo-fi as you can get. I shot most of it and edited it…DIY all the way. It’s not that we can’t afford something more grand though…we saved up enough cash to get Martin Scorsese interested, but we ended up blowing it on a night out in Skegness.
You have earned strong praise and acclaim for your live performances as well as the singles. Rampaging in front of the audience is where you really get a fire in the belly I am guessing?
Yep. We go for it on stage. Who doesn’t want to watch 4 sweaty blokes playing too loud for 25 mins?!
Where can people catch the band live next?
Butlins. No, err, The Finsbury, 18th December.
Any Christmas treats in store for fans with shows?
Yes, naturally. The venue’s ceiling will be so heavily adorned with mistletoe that it resembles stalactites. We have a list of all the naughty girls – Dan will be dressed as Santa for their pleasure. Paul will be dressed as an Elf. Me and Gaff will be head to toe in black leather, with tinsel detailing…humming Wizzard’s festive classic – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday. We’re the gift that keeps on giving.
Thanks again Ben for sharing your time, anything you wish to shout out to finish off with?
A dog is for life, not just Christmas…and buy our fucking record!
Cheers Pete! Merry Crimbo!
Ben Auston
Read our review of Love Sick/ Like An Animal @ https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/dedwardians-love-sick-like-an-animal/
https://www.facebook.com/Dedwardians
Pete RingMaster
The RingMaster Review 11/12/2014
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