Dear Superstar Interview

Room Thirteen caught up with Ben (B), Adam (A) and Micky (M), who had just returned from hospital, before their headline show at Manchester Academy 3. They give us the lowdown on Dear Superstar, touring and finally making the breakthrough and getting signed.

R13:So who does what in the band?
M: I'm Micky and I'm the singer, this is 'The Minge' on drums, Sexshow Bird on bass, the Rockhurst on lead guitar and McNasty on rhythm guitar and that's pretty much us.

R13: How do you describe the Dear Superstar sound to people who haven't heard you?
B: There are a few bands like Motley Crue, Eighteen Visions, Avenged Sevenfold.
M: We're kind of like sleazecore really, that's probably the best description but I hate labelling bands because it creates that level of expectation but it is sleazy with big guitars!
R13:That sounds about right.
laughter

R13: You've just signed a deal with Copro Records, that must be pretty exciting?
M: Yeah, finally! We'd recorded the album and sent it out to all the labels we wanted to get signed to and we got a bit of interest but nothing major. Then we did a show with a band called Fony, who are signed to Copro and their manager was there and loved us and said he'd put in a good word. Three weeks later we had pen on paper.
R13: Did they seem like the right people to go with as well, rather than just taking it because it was an offer?
M: Yeah definitely
B: There were other offers from labels where we would have to move the earth for them and they'd do fuck all for us or it was internet releases and yeah it's a foot on the ladder but we wanted to hold out for something that was worth it.
M: Copro came up with a cracking deal that we're dead happy with and it's probably more of a stepping stone, it's a not a massive label it's more of a medium sized independent but they've got some cracking bands and they used to work with Lost Prophets and Hundred Reasons so they've got good experience.
R13: So are they looking to re-release the album as it is?
M: Yeah they were dead happy with it as it is, they're going to repackage it and then it should be hitting the shelves, which is dead good. It just means that we're stuck with a load of promos that we can't sell or do anything with!

R13:How many of those did you manage to shift first time around?
M: About 900, which isn't bad.
R13:What sort of reaction did you get to it?
M: Really good, we didn't expect to get a deal as quickly as we did, we thought it would be more towards our second album, which we're working on at the moment, but then they came along with this. We'd sent it out to a lot of web zines and Zero magazine gave it 4 out of 5, Classic Rock liked it. It's a bit crazy because we're going to have to hit them again with the same album.
R13:It must be a bit weird because you've started writing your second album but now you're going to have to go back and promote the first one again?
M: We mix the set up a bit to keep ourselves amused and also to keep the audiences that we've played to before interested. We've just taken management with Bonkers management actually and they want the second album recorded by the beginning of November! So it's all hands on deck now, working our arses off and practising three or four times a week.
R13: I know it's early days with them but what can Bonkers do for you that you weren't getting, because you had management before didn't you?
M: Yeah but it was just pissing in the wind, a small company whereas Bonkers have worked with some decent bands in the past and they've got good contacts. We've got a meeting with them on Friday so hopefully we'll find out what's what then!

R13: It all seems to be happening at once for you at the moment.
B: You work for ages and nothing happens and then it all comes at the same time.
R13:Well you've been together for eight years one way or another haven't you?
M: Yeah exactly, we've done a million and one gigs and it would be good just to go out on the road full time.
R13:That must be really gratifying to see all that work finally pay off?
B: We've been slogging away for years and not really got anywhere, you get little stepping stones but then you have to take a step down because nothing comes of it.
M: Last year we played here with a sell out show, which was amazing as we'd only been together as Dear Superstar for a year but then the following day we played to three people in Warrington!

R13:Were there times when you thought about packing it in?
B: With the old band there were times when we thought we were going nowhere and it was pissing us off but with this band I think we're all that happy being mates and having the crack so what's the point in giving this up?

Micky, who by this point is looking decidedly grey, takes a turn for the worse ... but carries on

R13:So you're off to America in October, what's the story behind that?
M: It's something we were trying to do since before we got signed and when we got signed we thought they would want us to go on tour and knock it on the head but they supported us on it and think we're designed for that market.
R13: Have you got gigs lined up over there already?
M: Yeah we've got Long Beach, Newport Beach, the Whiskey, really looking forward to that one.
R13: Even if you do nothing else to say you've played the Whiskey is not bad is it?
B: Yeah it's excellent.
R13: Have you done anything abroad before?
M: No ... Adam can you take over from me? I'm going to have to go and die or something

Micky, now looking the colour of the John Major Spitting Image puppet, exits leaving the rather bemused Adam to take over.

R13: You did a big tour last year?
A: Too many some might say
B: It was something like 72 dates but they weren't consecutive
A: They were all really spread out
B: Yeah we tried to keep it from the Midlands up and not hit London too early, try and get a foundation around here.
R13: Did you notice that you were starting to get a following?
A: Yeah we started getting a lot more hits on the website and myspace.
B: At the moment our myspace is getting something like 200 hits a day.
A: We had two weeks where it was really bad, we had one or two days off then it was two weeks of dragging yourself out of bed, going and doing your daily grind and then driving off somewhere.
B: Yeah to some village in the middle of fucking nowhere to this little pub that's full of inbred people! To be fair there were some like that where there were 50 people there and it was packed out and those times are what makes it worthwhile. When you play these god awful venues though like Warrington, which was near the end of the tour you start thinking but I've never thought I didn't want to be in the band.

R13:Did that couple of weeks give you a taste for touring though?
A: Yeah it was just good crack you know? Driving around with your mates and meeting lots of new people, other bands as well.

R13: Anything else you want to add?
B: Minge single, not looking but after minge! No wait, Minge after minge, that'll do.
laughter

Dear Superstar have their debut album 'Confessions of a Twisted Mind' re-released on Copro Records on September 4th.