MM’s 5:1 Interview No. 15: Young Knives

Mad Mackerel 5:1 Young Knives

A month ago, Young Knives released their fourth album proper (and fifth if you count debut mini-album The Young Knives …Are Dead) entitled Sick Octave. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, it is a typically wilful and exhilarating sharp left turn from the band following the bright indie pop of Ornaments From The Silver Arcade, encompassing jagged industrial beats, ferocious krautrock, the occasional sneering brit-pop pastiche, and plenty more besides. The Young Knives Sick Octave

Thankfully, it is also brilliant – a thrilling, buzzing, breakneck ride through their observations of a declining, drowning modern Britain drawn with their ever persistent caustic black humour.

We love them too for being sort of local boys, Oxford by way of Leicestershire, and for being deliverers of some of the best gigs we’ve ever seen in our city of dreaming spires.

So grab the album here, and see how they responded to our 5:1 questions!

Five words to describe your music:
Fucked up white boy shit.

One book you’d recommend to an alien:
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground.

Five bands (or albums) that have most influenced you?
The Pop Group – Y
Steely Dan – Katy Lied
MIA – Kala
This Heat – Deceit
The Raincoats – Odyshape

One moment in time you’d like to have witnessed:
I’d quite like to have seen Jimi Hendrix’s first UK gig at the Cromellian surrounded by the cool cats of the time all shitting themselves, especially Clapton.

Five people (living or dead) you’d love to share a stage-jam with:
I don’t do jams but if I had to I would choose: Charles Bullen, Don Van Vliet, Viv Albertine, George Clinton, and Robert Wyatt.

One biggest regret in your career (to date):
Letting our then manager turn down an appearance on the IT Crowd, we wanted to do it so badly but he said we would look like dicks.

Five things on your perfect rider: young knives
A fruit mountain, preferably with fresh figs
A cheese board
Indian head massage
All the ingredients for a Margarita
KP Skips

One hour to live – who would you spend it with, and why?
My wife and kids because I like them.

Five Perfect Songs:
The Slits – Typical Girls
This Heat – Health And Efficiency
Alien Sex Fiend – Ignore The Machine
Fat White Family – Cream Of The Young
The Pop Group – She Is Beyond Good And Evil

One song of yours that you’d most like to be played in 50 years time:
Any really but I’ll pick We Could be Blood from the new album.