Can you give a brief introduction to Deviant UK?
Certainly, seeing as it is you ;)
We are a dark electro band based in England. I started writing my own music under the name Deviant UK in 2004 and started playing live as much as possible to get the name established. Our sound is not easy to define, containing a bombastic mixture of EBM, goth and futurepop. I consider that a good thing as it means we can appeal to a wider audience.
We released the debut album ‘barbed wire star’ through RebCo Records in October 2006 [it reached Number 3 in the UK alternative charts] and it is fair to say that we are now considered to be one of the best-known names on the UK scene. We are now starting to make impact in Europe with live shows across the mainland, including a performance at this year’s Wave Gotik Treffen in May.
I write, perform and produce everything in the studio but onstage, live keyboards are provided by my partner-in-crime, Mr BJ Johnson.
Why did you pick the name Deviant?
Because I think it is the word best used to describe me and my outlook on life. In my last ‘proper’ job the Directors referred to me as ‘The Deviant’ in the office and I thought ‘Mmmm…I like the sound of that name’. I wonder how they knew?
Why did you start a band?
Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is the best answer. I spent my teenage years miming in front of the bedroom mirror and then years in cover bands. So where I am now – performing my own songs onstage across Europe - is very much living the dream. And I am a long way from waking up yet, believe me. ;)
Sex, drugs and rock and roll is the romantic part of being in a band, but does it match the reality, there’s also a “darker side” , weekends without sleep, living on pizzas, sleeping together in a single persons bed and so on, how do you deal with this and has it become more of a job in which you take the lesser things for granted?
I try to make it a reality as much as possible. Although there are some hardships to be endured, we see it all as part of the fun. If people can’t deal with life on the road, then they shouldn’t be in a band. We love it.
You are a two man band, are you planning on taking more musicians into Deviant?
Initially I had a guitarist and a drummer too but that just didn’t seem to work the way I wanted it to – totally electronic seems to suit my songs better. I will be adding another keyboard player to the line-up soon. I just think it looks more symmetrical onstage somehow.
You do all the work in the studio alone, at what moment does BJ comes in the picture, does he has influence on the songs?
I am far too much of a control freak to work with anyone else on my songs. Rightly or wrongly, for better or for worse, Deviant UK is my own personal vision and sound. That said, I do value BJ’s opinion very highly and I send him basic demos of the new songs as they develop so that we can introduce them into the live set.
Reaction from a live audience is the best way to ‘road-test’ new material with the people who matter – the fans. With the first album, I fine-tuned the songs over an 18 month period based solely on audience feedback.
Which bands had an impact on you and are an influence for Deviant?
I guess the obvious influences are Gary Numan and Project Pitchfork but I am a huge fan of bands like Rotersand, VNV Nation, Depeche Mode and Rammstein.
According the rumors you were a real Numan devotee, can you explain what he means for you?
You really don’t want to know the answer to that. I became a Numan fan at the tender age of 12 years old and I have seen him live a very unhealthy amount of times. I have met him countless times too.
I consider him to be a unique songwriting talent, someone who genuinely pioneered electronic music as we know it. I have always admired his commitment to showmanship, his very personal lyrics and his ability to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck with a single note.
You’ve switched booking agencies recently, what do you expect from “Stiletto Promotions”?
Well, we were already working with Stiletto in a small capacity but their enthusiasm for – and belief – in Deviant UK is very encouraging. It’s an excellent working partnership.
We are also on the artist roster of Go! in the Netherlands [with some very exciting shows lined up for the Netherlands later this year] and are about to start working with a well-known German booking agency too.
You recently did some shows in the Netherlands, how did you feel about it?
I loved every second – the show in Tilburg in particular was one that I will always remember. The crowd was so responsive considering we were very much an unknown quantity to them. I can’t wait to return to the Netherlands, especially as we made some very special friends ;).
What’s the most stupid question someone asked you?
There have been many strange questions asked in interviews – one suggested that I was the new Oswald Mosley [leader of the British Fascist Party in the 30’s] and I wasn’t quite sure where that came from.
I have also been asked many times ‘Are your eyebrows like that naturally?’ Yes of course they are. I am a Vulcan. Live long and prosper. ;)
Also, a fan once called my mobile number at 4am and asked what one line in the song ‘Access Denied!’ meant. Dealing with strange questions is a fun part of the job – and after all, I am a very strange boy. ;)
What is a question nobody has ever asked you in an interview and of which you are always hoping they should ask that one?
‘Why are you so very handsome, charming and talented?’ ;)
Are you already making plans for a new album, and if so what can we expect from it?
Although we are still proactively promoting the ‘barbed wire star’ album, I am already well into finishing the next one which will be called ‘Very Bad Things’. I have started to introduce new songs into the live set and these are proving to be highlights of every show, so I am heading in the right direction. Bigger, harder and even more dark…to soundtrack the very bad things that we love. And the very bad things that we are.
How did “barbed wire star” do so far, how were the responses and are you happy with it?
I am enormously proud of it although I listen to it very rarely but when I do, I find myself singing along. I am a fan of my own music after all ;)
The reviews were incredibly positive and the fans seem to love the album, which as far as I concerned is the main thing. It’s still selling well and one reviewer called it ‘a classic debut’. I can live with that ;)
Did the making of the new album differed from “barbed wire star” What things did you do different and what lessons did you learned from the recording of the first one?
My production skills are better for a start – I see it as a continuous learning curve. I am a perfectionist to the point of nervous breakdown and it was a long hard road to finish the ‘barbed wire star’ to a point where I was satisfied…but I got there in the end, making the very best album I could at the time.
I’m now writing much quicker and I have at least 16 songs in various stages of production. ‘Very Bad Things’ will be more varied in sound and temp that the first album but still instantly recognizable as Deviant UK – I like to think I have managed to create a distinctive sound that stands apart from most of the scene.
Quite a few people have told me that I have put a lot of pressure on myself by setting the bar so high with ‘barbed wire star. Of course, I am far too arrogant to believe that for a moment. ;)
Peter Spilles (Project Pitchfork) did a remix for you how did you get him to do it? And will the track be on a new album?
Peter Spilles is a personal hero of mine and so working with him was an absolute honour. We were in contact about a show and he told me that he would be delighted to remix one of my tracks. We chose one of the new ones, the autobiographical ‘Bad Influence’ and he did incredible things with the song – he totally transformed it and somehow managed to change the whole vibe of the song. He even added his own voice alongside mine and to hear Peter Spilles singing with me was a spine-tingling moment.
My own original version will appear on the new Deviant UK album – the Peter Spilles version will be released somewhere else in a very exciting form. Watch this space ;)
This summer and autumn you are planning on touring Europe, we know that there are three other major artists joining you, who are they?
I can’t give too many specific details right now as things are still in the process of being confirmed but we hope to be sharing the stage with Angels and Agony for one – which is something we are looking forward to very much as we are all big fans of what they do [particularly the excellent ‘Unison’ album]. Reinier and Marco came along to see us at our recent show in Breda – it was a pleasure to meet them and we got on very well indeed.
As soon as the dates are set, you will be the first to know.
For what band would you like to do a remix, and why?
To be honest, I have no real desire to remix other bands. I have been asked several times [by one or
two major names too] but until the right thing comes along, I am not actively pursuing it. I have worked very hard to develop my own sound and I don’t want to share it ;)
That said, I love hearing what other artists do with my own songs…the Peter Spilles version of ‘Bad Influence’, the Rotersand and Assemblage 23 mixes of ‘Access Denied!’ and the SkinjoB version of ‘Raptured Saints’ were all outstanding. I have been very grateful and lucky to have such names interested in working with my material.
What’s your personal album top 5?
This is an ever-changing thing but I dearly love ‘Daimonian’ by Project Pitchfork, ‘Telekon’ by Gary Numan, ‘Mutter’ by Rammstein, ‘Empires’ by VNV Nation and ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’ by Depeche Mode.
Any last words for our readers?
Sure…if you like dark, powerful electronic music performed by a band that is larger than life, come see us play. You won’t be disappointed.
www.myspace.com/deviantuk