Backstage with Zoidberg

SoGlos.com catches up with local indie rock band Zoidberg to talk Futurama and being on the cover of NME – well, this time next year, that is.

Tell us about Zoidberg

Zoidberg is an indie rock band with five members: Paul Lawrence on vocals and guitar; Drew MacDonald on lead guitar; Chris Davies on vocals and guitar; Dave Kerridge on bass; and Nigel Gardner on drums. We’ve been performing together all over Gloucestershire, in this current line-up, for over a year now.

How did you all get together?

Paul and Drew were in a band together since college, while Chris made a name for himself as a solo artist – we got together in 2006 at a local beer festival and have been together ever since. We played a lot of cover gigs under the name Medium Rare, but saw the light so-to-speak and realised there wasn’t much of a future for us in playing other people’s work. Our last covers gig was at the University of Bristol’s Ball.

Where are you from?

Across Gloucestershire predominantly – One of us is from Cirencester, another is from up North but moved to Cirencester as a young lad, the third is from Tairgwaith near Swansea, then there’s one of us from Cheltenham and finally a Fairford born-and-bred member.

How did you decide on the name?

An alcohol-fuelled evening in front of the TV watching Futurama inspired the name. Dr. Zoidberg is the lobster-like alien in case you didn’t know.

What stage is the band at?

We are fast establishing ourselves as one of Gloucestershire’s brightest prospects. We have been taking venues in the South West by storm, delighting audiences everywhere since our first triumphant outing at The Vaults in Cirencester. Oh yeah, and we are currently seeking management and have a considerable amount of material ready to be recorded which is planned for December 2008. We are unsigned and have recorded three tracks ‘Politics by Numbers’; ‘The Things I’ve Been’; and ‘The Day the Cookie Crumbled’. We also have a load in waiting…

Main influences?

The Beatles, Oasis, Carter, Ian Brown, The Kinks, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, Thin Lizzy, The Who, The Clash, Pink Floyd, Paul Weller, The Jam, The Charlatans… far too many to mention! Local artists that we rate include The Divebomb Revolution, Century Man and Super Juice.

Who do you get compared to?

We like to think we combine the power of Led Zeppelin, with the energy of The Clash, mixed with the pure quality of The Stone Roses and the beauty of early Supergrass. We have something for everyone and try to bond that diversity together within our own unique style.

Where would you most like to play in Gloucestershire?

The Vaults in Cirencester will always be close to our heart as this is where we played our first official gig, and we’ve played the majority of Gloucestershire’s music venues, but it would be awesome to play somewhere with the capacity of GL1, to support a well known artist.

We would love to support The Verve or Charlatans, but being realistic we are friends with a band from South Wales called The Last Republic who have had plays on Radio 1 and NME and are certainly the type of band that we aspire to be like.

What do you do when you’re not making music?

We all have other hobbies. Chris is a rugby coach on a full-time basis so has commitments such as training. Paul loves cooking and drinking lots of vodka. Drew also enjoys DJing and never puts down his guitar. Dave can be seen singing and drinking on the terraces of Cheltenham Town FC and finally Nigel, who knows with Nigel, he’s a very interesting character that also fixes and restores guitars.

Have you ever… thrown a TV out of a hotel window?

No, we never have, we’d love to drive a car into a hotel pool, though.

…Had a groupie stalk you?

Nope, but would be quite cool providing she is good looking and not absolutely psycho!

…Done something you really regret in the morning?

Plenty of things, but some far too rude to mention here!

Recommend one album to our readers you don’t think they will have discovered.

Well, we would like to recommend a song ‘Let’s Make Bombs’ by The Last Republic.

What advice would you give to Gloucestershire bands trying to make it in the industry?

We are still very early on in our careers, but the important thing is to stick at it and put in the hard work as nothing comes to you. The reality of the music industry is that some of the most popular artists only have a short product lifecycle. The market changes quickly – people’s tastes change as they grow up, but the truth of the matter is to stay loyal to each other and to your fan base.

Where can we see you perform in the next month or two?

Next, we’ll be playing with The Antipodes at The Brunswick on Friday 14 November 2008.

Where can SoGlos.com readers expect to see you in a year’s time?

Featured on the front page of NME, hopefully. Who knows? We are just going to stay level-headed, keep on writing good tunes, and continue to have the drive to succeed.

SoGlos.com
13 October 2008