INTERVIEW: Robots in Disguise
- Posted on January 29, 2008 4:40 PM
- 11 comments
Robots In Disguise
Interview By Zarina Raja
‘We have a lot of fans that give us support, but in terms of the music industry, we have had f*** all. ‘
Robots In Disguise are not afraid to fight their corner. ‘G-I-R-L, it’s not a dirty word’ they scream in their song, Girl , from their second album Get RID. No, it’s not a dirty word, but it is clear to the Robots that the music industry has trouble with it. Go on, say it…GIRL.
Robots In Disguise are really pushing the girls-in-a-band vibe and are doing it well. They don’t rant and rave about men like bored housewives, instead they drench their lyrics in something that resembles girl power - but a cooler version than the 90s two-fingered, Spice inspired variety. The Robots are way more Grrrl and a lot less Giiirl.
Robots In Disguise make crunching tunes that flip between danceable Indie, dirty Electro and thudding Pop. They always put on a ruddy good show for fans, never missing the chance to dress up in a silver cape, and always dripping in glitter.
Robots in Disguise have just released their third album, We’re in the Music Biz, which is available to download now and will be available to buy on February 4th.
Dee Plume and Sue Denim chatted to us on their day off (despite still doing interviews and sorting out tax returns). Dee was the first to talk Robots with me.
Dee Plume
How did the gig go last night?
Yeah, it was really good, a great gig. Liverpool are a good audience for us, they get quite excitable. We have a day off today though; I’m going to be doing my tax returns. Whooo! That’s how Rock ‘n’ Roll it is.
What do you do when you are on the road to entertain yourselves?
Actually, we are learning to play poker. What else do we do? We have got some 3-D sketch books too; we sit and read those with our 3-D glasses on.
Is your song Argument true to the nature of your friendship?
Yeah, definitely; we don’t argue as much as we used to though! That’s why we wrote it, it has true feelings behind it. You have got to feel something when you are writing.
Do you ever get to the point where you are not speaking to each other?
We have done in the past but not really anymore. We have had fights in the past where we haven’t spoken for about a day. We have known each other a while now so we get over it quicker.
What is it that annoys you about each other most?
I think it is just being with someone all of the time. Me and Sue have shared responsibility for our band; there is no-one else to really shout at if things go wrong. We had a problem with our backing track the other night in Glasgow and I was really p***** off about it. It’s only me or Sue that is responsible for it so…
For those who haven’t heard We’re in the Music Bizz, what are they missing out on?
Well, similar stuff to DJs Got a Gun. We have got a song called I’m Hit, which is a kind of Indie Dance and another song which is more crazy Indie. Disguises was about four or five years ago now. It was very electronic but this album is more about Rock ‘n’ Roll. It’s all really up tempo. We have written more of the type of stuff that works live. It’s also a bit dirtier and a bit more smashed up.
Apart from Argument, you don’t play much live from Disguises do you?
No, its music for a different time really; Argument works live and we still play Bed Scene, we are going to play that at the next few gigs. When you start writing stuff, you don’t really realize, until you play it in front of an audience, whether it works or not.
How is everyone taking the new stuff?
Yeah, really good. We have played I’m Hit and Don’t Copy Me before. A lot of people seem to already know about We’re in the Music Bizz, maybe it has leaked out or something. We played that last night and it was really good; people were really punching the air so it had the desired effect.
I read in the London paper that someone had called Robots in Disguise the most unsuccessful duo in the UK.
I think it was a magazine in Germany. We spend quite a lot of time out there putting records out and touring.
That comment annoyed me so I can’t imagine how you felt.
At the time we felt annoyed, well yeah, I do feel annoyed actually. We haven’t had any music industry support. We do have a publisher and a great producer and we have had loads of our mates making really good videos for us. Loads of people have given us support in that way and we have a lot of fans that give us support, but in terms of the music industry, we have had f*** all.
Maybe if the guy who wrote that got down to one of your gigs, he would take that comment back...
Yeah. I think people just write stuff for their own perversity. Also, not everyone is going to like we do. I think if you are a young girl, what we do appeals more. We seem to be really appealing to teenage girls at the moment. Maybe for this guy, who is probably in his late thirties, we don’t do much for him. He has Cold Play doesn’t he.
Yeah and Snow Patrol.
Exactly. I just think that there is not enough support for women in music.
You did a song on the Girl Monster compilation. Do you think the other female artists on that have a similar problem in the industry?
Well, I guess so. Rock ‘n’ Roll is about male sexuality. That is how it started. It is kind of hard to make that about women.
Would you guys call yourself feminists?
Yeah, definitely.
You spend a fair bit of time in Berlin don’t you?
Sue lives there now and so does our drummer.
Do you prefer London or Berlin?
I like both really. I like Berlin because it is really chilled out. It’s easier to feel successful in Berlin because it’s cheaper to live there and you are not always worrying about money. In London I am always worrying about money and whether I can do stuff. Berlin is a much slower city, people just get on with being creative without having to stress about money. It’s hard for anyone struggling with money in London. That’s the good thing about it though; it gives you a really good work ethic. The down side in London is that there is loads of partying.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Well, I would definitely like to work with Peaches that would be really brilliant.
What is your current music obsession at the moment?
I’m listening to a lot of 60s stuff at the moment in the hotel room and loads of folk music.
That’s very different from your own music.
Yeah, well, I listen to whatever. Rock ‘n’ Roll is definitely something that I am into but not really electronic music. That’s one of the misconceptions about me. People say, ‘you’re really electronic,’ some of that is because we like it but there are only three of us in the band so we have to have a backing track. I really like playing instruments more really than making a noise.
Sue Denim
Ello.
Hey, how are you?
I’m fine. I have just been practicing German with our drummer, Android.
How’s it going?
The German or the tour?
Both.
Yeah, it’s all going good. We have a day off today so that’s cool.
Are you doing your tax returns as well?
Oh, God yeah. That is the main thing that we have to get down. I also have had the very exciting task of going to the passport office. It’s all go. We are going to hang out in Liverpool now though for a couple of hours then get back to the tax returns later for the tax return party.
I saw you play at a Mighty Boosh after show part at the Brighton Pressure Point during their last tour.
Oh, that was a good gig. I remember that.
Will you be joining forces with the Boosh on their next tour?
There is some talk of it. We are not sure yet though, we can’t say one way or the other. It was really good fun…there has definitely been a suggestion.
Does it annoy you that in a lot of your interviews, The Mighty Boosh always gets a mention?
It doesn’t annoy…we have lots of friends that do really interesting things and they get mentioned a lot. They are still our friends who happen to have gotten really popular. Generally, I would rather stick to talking about the Robots but we really love the Boosh and we are really good friends.
I also saw you guys at the Barfly in Brighton when the stage was invaded by swarms of fans. Does that happen a lot?
Oh yeah! Oh my god. Well, it doesn’t happen a lot to that extent. That was really funny. We had about five people onstage last night. What we do now is invite anyone who is really dressed up. There was one guy who had made a real effort and made a robot outfit out of tin foil. He came on stage. There was a girl dressed as a bumble bee too. We put a message out on our MySpace saying that anyone who is dressed up with the theme of our album could come on stage…well, there is a song called Animals and we thought she might have been an insect.
Your shows are so energetic; you are always diving about. Do ever feel like you really can’t be arsed to throw on you r silver cape and play to a drunk crowd?
Sometimes but not exactly like that. I remember on the last tour we said that it just becomes an endless routine of getting ready for a gig, or going out or an interview. Constantly doing your makeup gets a bit tedious but I always want to get on stage and do the gig. If you do too many gigs in a row you do get pretty tired though.
How many do you have in a row this time?
Well, after our day off today, we have twelve in a row and then we have another day off, then maybe another eight.
When was the first time you guys stage dived?
Oh, I don’t know if I have ever been asked that before. (To Dee) Can you remember the first time we stage dived?
Dee: Yeah, it was at the Barfly in Chalk farm for the Turn It Up video.
Has it ever gone really wrong?
Yeah, I got dropped on the first night of this tour. I hurt my back. Oh, I done my back in! It wasn’t too bad actually, I saw it coming so I managed to somehow go all limp and it was a reasonable fall. I hit my head on the ceiling too because I was jumping about so much. I hurt myself quite a lot at that first gig. I was a bit over excited. I got dropped at one of the Gossip support shows too. I don’t think they were expecting the support act to stage dive. I got also got dropped in Liverpool once before and got stuck in a handstand. You can’t guarantee that it is going to be ok. I don’t jump anymore; I just lie back and let them carry me away!
Last Wednesday, I queued ten hours to see Radiohead at 93 Feet East. Is there a band that you would do that for?
(Silence) No, but probably because I spend my life travelling to play gigs. Right now, I can’t think if any band that I would do that for.
Not even if you had a few weeks off?
I wouldn’t be going to see bands. It’s like a busman’s holiday. I would be lying on a beach somewhere.
What music are you into at the moment?
I can tell you what I have with me on tour, other than teach yourself Germany. I have Patrick Wolf, Kate Bush…
Do you have similar taste?
Well yeah, although I did put my itunes on yesterday and Dee told me to turn it off as it was too techno. I don’t really like techno that much though! I seem to have a combination of techno and insane folk music. I like Electro if it is on the melodic side.
How is living in Berlin?
Great, I love it. I don’t love it more than being on tour though. I’m quite into living out of a suitcase at the moment. You don’t have to worry about loads of stuff that you do when you’re at home.
What is your prize possession in your suit case?
My laptop. Or my yellow teddy that’s actually a travel pillow. It has no face either. Dee got it for me for Christmas to replace a gift that got really abused on the last tour… and then disappeared.
And now for a few quick questions:
Has success made you stupid?
No, not yet, I’m still hoping.
Who’s better: girls or boys.
Girls, I like them both though.
Any heroes?
Um…these are supposed to be quick questions but you are making me think! I find Peaches pretty inspiring and a lot of women in girl bands. I don’t really have any heroes as such to be honest. I hate saying to be honest because that make sit seem like I have lied the rest of the time.
What is the one thing that would make your world a better place?
These aren’t quick questions for me! (To Dee) What is one thing that would make my world a better place? More days! That’s true actually, If we had two little days. Actually, if we had a mini Sue and Dee, that would be good. We are pretty good at all the other jobs that distract us from writing more albums.
They could go on tour for you sometimes.
I don’t know, we might really hate them if they came on tour with us. We could stick them in an office somewhere and make them do the tax returns. Or we could make them into a street team. Imagine loads of little us on tour. You can’t really fall out with yourself! (To Dee) You’d really hate the mini Dee. You’d always be fighting!
What is the most memorable gig you have been to as an audience member?
One that I really loved recent was the Buzzcocks. I travelled a long way to see them but coincidently, we were playing! But they were really amazing.
Dee: I’ve got one, I’ve got one!
Sue: I’m doing it now. Shut up. Dee is saying We Say Party! You Say Die! Android is grinning because she loves them.
Anything you would you like to add?
Sue: Yeah, it is really important that people buy our album this time. It is going to be released in February on CD. Basically, if our fans want to support their local girl band, then buy the f****** album. It’s great that everyone is coming to the gigs and we have 80,000 friends on MySpace, the gigs are packed but no-one buys the albums. We probably won’t make any money out of it; it is more about getting into the charts and getting a profile. Then we can play more gigs and keep going.
Related Links
Win tickets to see Robots in Disguise at Reading Festival
Buy Robots in Disguise tickets.
For more info on Robots in Disguise, check out their MySpace.
Read our Robots In Disguise review from the Great Escape Festival.
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Comments (11)
Kate Spiegelhalter
What a read, what a pair...Peaches'd better get on the case.
...gotta go now and buy the f****** album..
Posted on January 30, 2008 2:24 PM
AIMEE
What a top review Zedo, loove it! YEAH, ROBOTS!!!!
Posted on January 30, 2008 5:06 PM
Katie
This is a really great interview... the girls sound fab. I'm going to go to their next gig dressed as a giraffe - with stilts. That way I can actually SEE the action.
Posted on January 31, 2008 5:36 PM
maria
Saw the Beautiful 'Bots in club 85 last night.
Mental drummage, and
they were BLOODY MARVELOUS!
buying the album, deffo jeffo.
and Sue held my shoe. Aha.
Posted on February 1, 2008 7:44 PM
gemmmaa!
I bought the fucking album and it's fucking brilliant!
Go out and buy it, it's worth the dosh.
Posted on February 5, 2008 7:47 AM
Rachel
I went to see them recently and they are certainly a band you have to see live.
I am so glad that everywhere I went when I went to go buy the CD had sold out!
Finally getting the recognition they deserve at long last.
Posted on February 8, 2008 8:35 PM
Nina
Saw the Robots in Liverpool and it was fantastic. One of the best gigs I've been to. Got the album on Monday and been playing it non stop, it's amazing!
Posted on February 9, 2008 4:14 PM
megan
Dee plume is well good. she's the luckiest girl on earth cos she's with noel fielding!!! he is so hot. Dee plume rocks. RID for life.
Megan xxxx
Posted on April 8, 2008 3:50 PM
linda norton
You are an ideal up and coming band for the youth. Well done and thankyou for being in attendance at my son paul Nicholls 25th birthday party in Glasgow.
Posted on May 28, 2008 3:07 PM
linda norton
You are an ideal up and coming band for the youth. Well done and thankyou for being in attendance at my son paul Nicholls 25th birthday party in Glasgow.
Posted on May 28, 2008 3:09 PM
dakota mabbott
oh wow i love reading through interviews it make you feel like they are talking to you... i love the way they just go witht he flow so comfortable with the way its set they are truly an inspiration to me
Posted on June 2, 2008 12:32 PM
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