Interview with The Glitterati

Room Thirteen catch up with Nic Denson from The Glitterati ahead of their forthcoming 'Back In Power' tour.

R13:So, we only spoke to you last in January, since then the album (The Glitterati) has been released, do you read any of the press surrounding your work, or stay well away?
Nic:You're intrigued by it a little if you know what I mean, but you can never take it seriously because at the end of the day you've got your opinion and that can't change. You look at it for fun and it's a bit of a laugh.

R13:I actually read a review of your album where you were mistakenly listed as the frontman, do you ever wish that you were?
Nic:No, not really, I think I've got the best job in the band because playing live I just stand there and don't worry too much. I'm totally happy with where I am.

R13:You played Bulldog Bash, did you prove hard enough for the bikers there?
Nic:Yeah, that was alright, it was a bit weird because we turned up and it was like Harleys and beards basically. It was quite bizarre when we first got there, but I think we went down really well, it was really cool in the end. They had these screens up at the back of the tent so as you were playing you could see yourself, that was a bit too disturbing.

R13:Did you get a chance to get any summer holidays this year?
Nic:No, we didn't get to go away, touring's our holiday.

R13:You're going off on the Back In Power tour, how will that differ from last autumn's tour?
Nic:We've got some new songs we're going to play and some tracks from the album which we didn't do previously. We're going to rehearse this week and try to do something a little bit different.

R13:If you had an unlimited budget, what kind of stageshow would you like to put on?
Nic:Something slightly more impressive than when England won the Ashes, that was a little bit poor. You've got to have the usual fireworks and fire, a lot of fire, it's all about fire and probably some ice too - that's what it's all about.

R13:If you could have a pet as a mascot to take on tour with you, what would that be?
Nic:Maybe a rottweiler.
R13:What would it be called?
Nic:Trevor
R13:Any reason why?
Nic:You could call it big Trev.

R13:If you'd like the band to be remembered for one thing, what would that be?
Nic: The tunes.

R13:You all seem pretty charismatic people, who's the loudest one in the band?
Nic:[Paul] Gautrey without a doubt. You can hear him coming a mile off, he just shouts and sings. The walls of our house are really thin and when Gautrey's talking to someone in another room you can't hear the other person, you can just hear Gautrey and it sounds like he's talking to himself. He's got a reputation to keep up of course, so it works out all right.

R13:Has that loud cockiness ever got the band into any trouble though?
Nic:I can't recollect any specific instances. I think Gautrey manages to carry it off in that he's got kind of like a glint in his eye and you let him off.

R13:If The Glitterati were to have a fracas with any other band, who would that be?
Nic: I can't think of anybody! How about Metallica just for that terrible classical thing they did with all the strings [S & M], purely on that basis. We saw a documentary about them and they are pretty fucking annoying.

R13:You're Guns'n'Roses guys then, rather than Metallica fans?
Nic:Yep, there's another reason.
R13:What's your favourite Guns n'Roses album?
Nic:It's got to be Appetite [To Destruction], as a debut I don't think you could say there's much wrong with it really.

R13:Loads of groups have been making the move from rock star to actor, is there any film you'd like to be in?
Nic:I'd quite like to make a cameo in The Glitterati film, I'd like to be a really bad tempered promoter in Peteborough. I think Jamie could maybe play some kind of comedy superhero character who doesn't save the world, you know, rescues milk bottles, something like that.

R13:What kind of question would you actually welcome being asked in interviews?
Nic:I'd like to be asked, "do you fancy a fry up?" cuz I haven't had breakfast yet, it would probably change from interview to interview.

R13:You toured with Avril Lavigne, what was that like?
Nic:Ok, obviously we're not fans of her music or anything, but it gave us an opportunity to play to a lot of new people and a lot of those people liked us, so that's what it's all about. The tour itself was really cool because we got really good receptions and then you're playing at venues like that it's great because you get a big stage and you can run around a lot, so it was pretty good.

R13:Your videos are all pretty glamorous, is that escapism or part of your lives?
Nic:It's an extension, let's say. It's good fun to do and visually looks good... it's a bridge to what our lives should be.

R13:Last question, are you planning on releasing any of the slower songs from your album?
Nic:We haven't really talked much about singles to be honest, we've got 'Don't Do Romance' and 'Keep Me Up All Night' which are both really strong songs, it's just a question of what the label wants and what makes sense to do from a marketing perspective. We're really proud of the slower songs on the album.

R13:Thank you for your time, it's been great speaking to you, good luck for the tour.