Media: Press

Murder on the Dancefloor
Bang, November 2003

Interview with Bizarre
Bizarre, February 2003

Keep It Surreal
Daily Telegraph, 23rd August 2003

Our Friends Electric
Guardian, 29th January 2003

Shock To The System
Kerrang!! 25th January 2003

Ire In The Disco
NME, 24th May 2003

Hold Tight!
Q, April 2003

Chancers in the nicest possible way
Scotland on Sunday, 26th January 2003

interview with Time Out
Time Out, 8th January 2003

Rock the Gaybah
X-Ray, May 2003

The more Electric Six adopt all the worst rock clichés the cooler they become, writes Aidan Smith

It is not often I wish I was back in those far-off, simpler times of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, but today is one of those days.  “Hello, could I speak to, er, Rock ‘n’ Roll Indian, please?” There’s a long pause and I’m thinking: “How can I illuminate the hotel receptionist some more?” That’s it: illumination.  Glowing codpieces, and bras – tumescence and luminescence.  They figure prominently in the bonkers video for ‘Danger! High Voltage’ by Electric Six, for whom Rock ‘n’ Roll Indian is today’s nominated spokesman.

You must have seen the promo, I say, or at least heard the song – agitated guitars, a beat from way back in disco’s Neolithic age, a highly-mannered vocal style seemingly learned from a Teach Yourself Donald Sindon correspondence course.  “Of course, sir.  Hold on, I’m putting you through…” 

Well, that was easy.  But then this is the Columbia.  London’s premier rock and roll stopover must be used to silly names at check-in. (“We’re putting you on the 12^th floor, Mr Indian.  Your TV will make an agreeable splash in our swimming pool from there.”) Rock clichés.  Don’t you just hate ‘em? Actually, Electric Six are rather fond of them.  And they don’t much care whether that ruins their cool rating, which is funny because a lot of people think they’re very cool indeed.

In the rush to proclaim the new and the vital in the dead days at the beginning of 2003, this five-piece out of Detroit popped up on just about every tip-sheet.  The NME hailed ‘Danger! High Voltage’ as the first great single of the year – a “raucous, white-hot, disco-funk, glitterbomb classic” no less.

This is a sleepy month for releases, so time your move right – just as the Christmas record tokens are starting to burn holes in pockets – and you can go all the way.  Sinead O’Connor topped the charts in January with ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, and, unfortunately, Wet Wet Wet did the same with ‘Goodnight Girl’,  Electric Six deny they have a strategy, but you suspect this is yet another fib.

They really are the most monumental liars.  They insist it isn’t Jack White of the White Stripes who adds to the campery on the single’s chorus, rather it’s a mechanic from Cleveland – all the evidence points to it being White.  And they claim the sax solo is played by Bill Clinton (yeah right).  The Six were formed, according to frontman Dick Valentine, “after I dropped out of TV weatherman school”.  Oh, and their studio back in Detroit is guarded by a wolf.

“That’s completely true,” protests Indian.  “There’s this white wolf-dog chained to the next-door building.  I don’t know if it’s full-bred wolf but it looks like one.  Other groups rehearse there, like the Knockouts, so you could get them to verify it.  And we’ve got photos!” This lot had better watch out, otherwise they’ll end up the band who cried wolf too many times.  Then no one will believe anything they say. 

Indian – who’s previously claimed to have been raised by chimps but doesn’t mention it today – admits this is happening already.  “Maybe we exaggerate a bit,” he says.  “Our problem now is that even the truth sounds like lies.  If we decide to cut the crap, no one will take us seriously anyway.  So we can’t win for losing.” So here are some indisputable facts.  The line-up comprises Indian, Valentine, Disco, M and Surge Joebot.  Previously, they were The Wild Bunch – a rubbish name in dire need of being run out of town.  “M wanted The Sex Stars of 1977 and Surge was pushing for Fuxedo.  My mom was disappointed we didn’t go with her choice, The Jam Cats.”

I’ll stick my neck out here and suggest that, in their previous incarnation, the band never released an album called The Many Moods Of The Wild Bunch’s Greatest Hits – Tonight! But it seems safe to assume they’ve been around a bit.  Allegedly the average age is 27, although they all look older than that.

“Me, Surge and Disco used to hang about in high school,” explains Indian.  “Some boys like to work on cars, some like to play in bands, but coming from Detroit there was only one thing we were going to do.  Actually, coming from Detroit, it might have been the motor industry, but you know what I mean.

“The traditions of MC5 and the Stooges just drive you, and later I found myself listening to Captain Beefheart and Devo and everything kinda fitted into place.  But we all have drastically different interests in music.  Disco loves bubblegum, Surge is really into heavy stuff such as Monster Magnet, M’s bag is avant freaked-out shit and Dick runs the gamut: The Fall, through Falco to Backstreet Boys.  He absolutely doesn’t flinch on that.”

Indian is vague on dates.  He claims the band were formed “about five years ago” but some of their influences hint at them being the wrong side of 30.  Remember how The Police were plodding pub-rockers before buying a bottle of peroxide and turning themselves into punks? Maybe Electric Six, attempting to rub out their drab past, nicked some aviator shades from Sunglasses Hut only to discover they’d just missed out on electroclash.

“We haven’t jumped on any bandwagon,” insists Indian.  “‘Danger! High Voltage’ is actually about three years old.  But I have to admit it isn’t typical of us.  We’re more or less a proper rock band and that song has turned out to be a happy accident.”

Accident or design, maybe we shouldn’t deny Elecric Six their moment.  “We figure we’ve paid our dues,” adds Indian.  “The Detroit scene for us back when that song was first released on seven-inch was like Beirut in the snow.  Some of the gigs we played then were real weird.  There was a club called the Gold Dollar which was a transvestite-kinda-strip joint.  I’ve got a hazy recollection of Dick singing whilst doing sit-ups underneath this girl’s legs – at least I think she was a girl.”

This leads us neatly to the next single ‘Gay Bar’, which relates the sorry but true tale of Valentine returning home one night to find his girlfriend in bed with another woman.  Apparently the woman in the current video is another of his former loves.

Maybe Electric Six will turn out to be one-hit wonders.  Indian insists this wouldn’t upset him.  “Listen, we’re not the new …..  If we’re never heard of again I wouldn’t care.  If we came out of nowhere the ….stuff that’s  been happening could ru….  But we’ve been through the trenches, we’re pretty grounded.”  Trenches? Who mentioned the war? Electric Six, they haven’t been around that long but they’re chancers – in a good way.

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