Currently generating a massive buzz with their soon-to-be-released debut single My Muddle (available 12th November), Brighton loons Bad For Lazarus members Rich Fownes and Dominic Knight took the time to chat to Room 13 about running their own label, writing music for themselves, and shopping in Primark.


R13: Your soon-to-be released single, the addictively chaotic 'My Muddle', is creating quite a buzz at the moment with plenty of Radio 2 plays. Has the acclaim surprised you?
Rich Fownes: On the one hand I always believed in us wholeheartedly, but yeah the vindication is nice! We're so utterly grateful, we've been snowed under with smiles on our faces.
Dominic Knight: It's always lovely when a band you've worked on for years gets a good response from the world outside. You can spend a lot of time listening to and re working songs without ever putting them out, it's quite scary for a lot of people to put their soul on a plate then throw it to the wolves and hope to get it back in one piece.
It's only early days, but we are all incredibly grateful for the response from the public and critics.

R13: You now have your own label ShitChic, how are you finding running your own label?
RF: Well, so far we're only dealing with ourselves, and we can be difficult dickheads, so it's tough....but we'll get there.
DK: The amount of boring work far outweighs the fun at the moment, but it gives us something to do when we aren't writing or touring, keeps the mind active. Obviously for the long run, if it works, we should hopefully be in a really good position ourselves, retaining most of the control over our music and also being able to put out up and coming bands that we love. We are all from a DIY scene of some sorts, and it's important to hold on to that for as long as possible. It means working your ass off, but the good outweighs the bad in the end.

R13: You have an album due to be released next year. Do you have a date set? What can we expect?
RF: No date yet. There'll probably be another single first, early next year. From the album you can expect 12 really nice songs.
DK: You can expect anything you'd like. It's a fairly mixed bag of tracks, so there are a lot of things flying around that might catch you in the mouth and knock you for six. We are all so used to the songs it's second nature for us, but I think it will surprise people. Who knows, it's open to interpretation.

R13: You're obviously not afraid to throw any musical influences you like into a barrel, kick it over a cliff and see what kind of mess you can make. Is potential commercial appeal a concern at all when writing?
RF: I've tried it that way around and it doesn't work for me. You just gotta close your eyes and hope for the best. It's more a case of having the taste to know when you got that 1 in a million idea, and the wisdom to drop the other 999,999
DK: A lot of bands are afraid to jump head first into the fire and not worry about getting burnt. Nearly all my favourite bands and artists seemingly don't care about what people think of their records. If you like it, great, if not, go and listen to Miley Cyrus. Music is about making something that makes you feel a certain way, if you completely believe in what you are saying and doing, then people watching you will know it's completely honest. I have more respect for someone that write something for themselves rather than what 'the masses' want. That's not to say 'the masses' are wrong, but if that is your soul goal with music, you are in the wrong game.

R13: Where did the name Bad For Lazarus come from? I spent ages wondering why it sounded familiar, then I realised it's similar phonetically to Bat For Lashes. Deliberate or mildly spooky coincidence?
RF: Actually a couple of people have indeed come to shows to see Bat For Lashes. In retrospect I should've called us Runs N' Goses and attracted a few more accidental punters. I leave the explanation as a deep, poetic mystery.
DK: Am I not in Bat for Lashes?

R13: Do you/did you ever have a Plan B in case your musical career died?
RF: Well it's died at least twice before and I'm still here sooooo.....
DK: I think everyone of us has had that moment, but there is nothing else we can really do. I could become a plumber, but I'd rather live in a cardboard box and hit a bin with a twig than give up. People's ideas of success and career are so different, but for us, music is living. We all have day jobs and what not, we are all at our happiest when we are playing. That's why when you see those old guys in a bar playing 12 bar blues and grinning from ear to ear, that's success for them. Don't get me wrong, to earn a living from making music enough to feed my family etc, that would be amazing, but that shouldn't be the only reason to become a musician. If you enter this industry with monetary gain and nothing else in mind, you may succeed, you may not but people WILL see you as a fraudster.

R13: Image-wise you appear to have a penchant for floral shirts and velvet, which, in my humble opinion, are much underused in rock these days. Where do you get your stage clobber?
RF: I wish I actually knew! I could do with a few more, mine have been ravaged by time and shame.
DK: We all shop in Primark and H&M, so you can find our outfits in the 'rockband' section. For a mere 50 pounds, you too can look like a long-haired freak with all the trimmings.

R13: Thanks for your time

Bad For Lazarus are currently on tour and I seriously suggest catching them live if possible!

Find out more about Bad For Lazarus at facebook.com/BadforLazarus