What’s in a name? If ‘Grand Madness’ is indicative of anything at all, this album should be a richly produced piece of madness. I can confirm that this time the oft-quoted saying is all wrong. This album is just as the title says from it’s production to it’s strangely satisfying song titles  such as ‘Goodbye To All The Cynics’, ‘Dance Like A…’ and ‘Kicking And Screaming’. Of course, special mention must go to the catchy lyrics they lay down, such as “they’re all blank faced and dejected with that come on and impress me look” from the aforementioned ‘Goodbye To All The Cynics’. Add to this the fully formed musical backdrop that is unpredictable as it is diverse in it it’s influences and you’ve struck gold. There’s rock, metal, dance, post-punk and a whole lot more. If it sounds ambitious, it is. But the important part is that they pull it off without ever coming out looking extremely confused. Witness ‘Kicking And Screaming’ which is fuses dance rock and guaranteed to etch itself onto your nerves it’s that catchy. One listen and you’ll be glad you did so. In that lies the grand madness of this album.

Kick To Kill aren’t dangerous. I’m sure of that because I discovered that their name isn’t from experience. But one thing I’m sure of is that they are almost immune to danger, if not downright lucky, as you’ll discover in this interview. Pain is nothing for them and if this interview caused them any pain what so ever, they didn’t show it. They recently released the delightfully titled single ‘Cut Me’, reviewed by myself on this very site, and are probably the people you’re the most likely to see in the back of a van giving blood. Yes, Glasgow’s finest gothic experimentalist’s discuss their near misses of death, influences on life and music and just why on the release of their first single the band had a major line up change. Needless to say, there is nothing uninteresting where Kick To Kill are concerned…

How’s life with Kick To Kill?

DAVE: Starting to get to work so its good.

HARRIS:  Really good. After some time out it feels really worthwhile playing so many gigs. The single gave us something to focus on and now I think we can all feel a bit more momentum behind the band.

How did you decide on the name Kick To Kill?

DAVE: I stole it from a possible album title another band was working on.

HARRIS:  Dave stole it! Glasgow act Julia Thirteen were looking at album names. One that got thrown about was fight for fun, kick to kill. We all liked it.

Do you feel a certain sense of invincibility after surviving the attack on your person in Glasgow and did it change your view of the world?

DAVE: I’ve had a few close ones – a couple car crashes, and I recently came off my motorbike – and have been cool. I’ve always been able to walk away from them, though I don’t know if I’ve been lucky to survive or unlucky to get in to them in the first place. I’d say a bit of both.

In my review of Cut Me, I said that if you offered the chance to watch you bleed, there would be undoubtedly many takers. Have you ever made such an offer and how was it received?

DAVE: I gave blood once in a van and they were very grateful for the donation.

You’ve been compared to The Stooges in your style, but what is your aim with the sound and image of the band?

DAVE: Image wise I haven’t thought about it, in terms of clothes. I’ve always aimed to make our music moody but fast-ish. I dont think the Stooges reference is fair, we are less rock n roll and outright crazy. We like to make a big fucking noise though.

HARRIS:  I think we’ve managed to create a pretty unique sound compared to a lot of present music. Our aim is to push this and try and see where our music can take us. Personally, I’m confident our sound will expand in the future.

Why do you think so much good music comes from Glasgow? Is it something in the water or just the atmosphere?

DAVE: I think its because of the scene and the fact its a major British city. A lot of these great bands aren’t from Glasgow, they’re just based there.

HARRIS: Live music is a big part of Glasgow night life. I think with so many bands and venues the competition just raises the bar. I think we’re quite lucky in that nearly every time you go to a gig or event in Glasgow, something will impress you.

What’s your process when recording and writing music?

DAVE: I will normally write some lyrics and a chord pattern or riff then take it to rehearsals and work out some ideas. After a while it should start to take shape. If we are not feeling it after a week or so we will drop it. I tend to re-write the lyrics after a couple of weeks too.

HARRIS:  The lyrics are Dave’s. The songs will usually come from an individual idea with everyone else coming together. Sometimes we’ll plan songs out from the start. Others happen in minutes. We record our tracks ourselves with Dave and his brother Ian working hard on the production. This way we have a lot of control over the finished sound.

Is the current interest in vampires and all things blood a good thing or a bad thing?

DAVE: Any kind of fad is a bad thing. It totally cheapens itself. I pesonally love vamps but would not be interested in Twilight or its ilk. It looks like Dawsons Creek for the damned.

Is there a particular incident that inspired you to write ‘Cut Me’?

DAVE: I wrote the song about S & M and the darker things that go on in your mind.

After you were attacked and treated in hospital, you discharged yourself with a simple  “It doesn’t hurt”. Are you superhuman or just plain invincible?

DAVE: It was more a case of put on a brave face so I could go home because I hate spending time in hospitals. If they thought I was in major pain they wouldn’t let me go home. I did think that getting stabbed would have hurt more. It’s not that bad.

What’s your motto in life, if indeed you have one? (A motto, that is!)

DAVE: I’ll do it tomorrow.

HARRIS:  You can lead a horse to water but you cant make it dance.

Any amusing, bizarre or just plain disgusting anecdotes from touring to share?

DAVE: We were playing in Newcastle and we were heading back up the road, we were all pretty drunk and as the night went on I fell asleep with a can of beer in between my legs. It spilled all over my crotch and was really cold, so was the bus and the hangover was kicking in. I had to take off my jeans off and sit in the soaking wet chair in my boxers. I’ll never forget how miserable it was.

Do you ever think that you can be too dark in a songs vibe or imagery?

DAVE: Phillip Glass seems to do it all the time.

HARRIS:  Probably. Although Richard D James has really set the limits of dark and wrong.

Bearing the comparison to The Stooges in mind, who’s musical legacy would you want to inherit were such a thing possible?

DAVE: When I was younger fame sounded great but I don’t think I would welcome it anymore.

HARRIS:  The M.J. back catalog has now grown somewhat in appeal.

What was the feeling when you started having people commenting favourably on your music and did it inspire you to create more?

DAVE: Yeah its pretty cool, it’s good validation.

HARRIS:  Personally getting a good response from people involved in music and especially musicians means a lot. People like The Damned and aplacetoburystrangers stand out.

After the first single was released, the band line up changed very suddenly. What lead to the change?

DAVE: I had to make a couple of changes so that we could really sound the way I wanted. The two guys that were cut are great guys but their musical styles were very different to mine and it affected the overall feel to our sound. We seem to have an easier time live because we only have one guitar to worry about so there are no ego battles and it sounds a bit cleaner.

What music were you listening to during the recording of the E.P.?

DAVE: I’m listening to the new Twilight Sad album at the moment and I’m blown away. I really enjoy listening to ‘Third’ by Portishead.

HARRIS:  Twilight Sad, Mogwai and The Buttons.

Tell me about your favorite album and convince me to buy it!

DAVE: I have a suspicion that you would already own it anyway.

What was the inspiration behind creating ‘The Darkwave Opera’ and what’s the atmosphere like at the shows?

DAVE: We were sick of playing with indie bands or metal bands. We couldn’t seem to find any good gigs to play where the bands have similar styles or vibe so we did it ourselves. Thats what Flowers In The Dustbin is all about. Do it ourselves, so if it’s shit we have no-one to blame but us.

If you could have someone cover one of your songs, who would it be and which song?

DAVE: It would be cool to see what Mogwai would do to any one of them.

Any final words of wisdom for our readers?

DAVE: I would but it could leave me open to law suits.

Thank you Kick To Kill! To read my review of ‘Cut Me,’ click here.