Interview: Mumm-Ra
Artist profile:
Mumm-Ra
It's the final day of this years NME Awards Tour (the Rock half, for the stingy ones) when we find ourselves at Brixton Academy, watching through one of The Horrors' legs as Noo of Mumm-Ra walks down the corridor in line with The View's Kyle Falconer, guitars in hand as they strum about life on the road before returning to the sort of duties that this life brings. Like interviews, for example.
Hello! How's the tour been so far?
Noo (lead singer): Really good. We're all getting on really well.
We saw you jamming with The View earlier, has that been happening a lot?
Noo: Yeah, it's really fun. We get on with all the other bands but we love The View.
What about The Automatic? Their practical jokes are legendary...
Noo: No, The Automatic haven't done anything. The Horrors have though.
What did they do?
Noo: Well, one of the places we went to, The Horrors went off and they managed to find a joke shop, so they gave us some those peanut cans that snakes come out of when you open them... we fell for it, too!
Let's backtrack a bit. How did you feel when you heard you'd gotten this coveted slot in the tour?
Noo: A bit surprised. But we were all excited about it, once it set in. It's great, it's the biggest tour we've ever done – it's a bit weird too, as I think we're still a really small band, so to be playing to thousands of people a night is just mad.
Does it feel less of an achievement, as there's two tours this year?
Noo: Oh, no man. It's nice that there's two tours – that music at the moment is so wide that there has to be.
What do you think of the whole Nu-Rave thing?
Noo: I'm not sure. It's good, Klaxons are amazing and CSS are brilliant... I don't really know who the other two bands are, but I'm sure they're good too. It's just in at the moment.
How do you go about the writing process?
Noo: It depends. Sometimes one of the lad's will come up with a hook or sometimes we'll all just jam together to see what works...
Does the music come before the lyrics then?
Noo: Oh no, I like to write the lyrics first. Sometimes though they'll have gotten ahead of me and I'll have to write them based around their lyrics, which is really hard.
You're quite a writer then, obviously. So what's your favourite quote?
Noo: Oh...I don't know. Tommy (keyboards) comes out with some great ones. Tommy, what's your best?
Tommy: Erm... I wrote cunt on a little girl's balloon once.
Noo: See? Tommy's the king!
We're really looking forward to the album – the Out Of The Question EP was great.
Noo: No, don't buy that one! Buy the new one! It's out now – top of the charts!
That would be 'What Would Steve Do?', yes? There's a duck on the drum kit in the video – care to explain?
Noo: That's Matthew. Matthew's our special friend.
Just a friend?
Noo: Well, he's our future groupie to, really.
Speaking of, who is Steve?
Noo: Steve is our old manager. A different Steve to the one with got now, though!
Let's try being a bit 'deep'. What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Noo: Erm...me! It's a good answer because it's true.
What is your life's philosophy?
Noo: Oh, Jesus. What is our life's philosophy...what is our life's philosophy...I don't know. James, what's our life's philosophy?
James (guitar): I don't know! ... We don't have one.
Noo: Yes we do! Oh, you're a cunt. You know I hate them, right? I've known them since we were little and I can't stand any of them.
Who or what do you love?
Noo: What do I love? Wow. I'm rather fond of Lemsip at the moment actually. And tea! Everyone loves tea. Just with milk though, not sugar.
You love tea?!
Niall (bass): What, you don't like tea? That's it. Get out!
Noo: Right. I'm going to make 'tea' the answer to every question now.
You're in trouble, then. We've only one last question – what do you hate?
Noo: Oh, no! No, no no! Oh... not tea!
We leave enlightened, clutching a CD with a personal message from Tommy written on it ('Smell yer Ma's Ghee xx'), and making a mental note to learn how to like tea for next time. If they let us back.
Han Quintrell
Mumm-Ra Official Site
Mumm-Ra Myspace
Buy Mumm-Ra CDs | Buy Mumm-Ra mp3s | Buy Mumm-Ra Tickets | Buy Mumm-Ra Merch
It's the final day of this years NME Awards Tour (the Rock half, for the stingy ones) when we find ourselves at Brixton Academy, watching through one of The Horrors' legs as Noo of Mumm-Ra walks down the corridor in line with The View's Kyle Falconer, guitars in hand as they strum about life on the road before returning to the sort of duties that this life brings. Like interviews, for example.
Hello! How's the tour been so far?
Noo (lead singer): Really good. We're all getting on really well.
We saw you jamming with The View earlier, has that been happening a lot?
Noo: Yeah, it's really fun. We get on with all the other bands but we love The View.
What about The Automatic? Their practical jokes are legendary...
Noo: No, The Automatic haven't done anything. The Horrors have though.
What did they do?
Noo: Well, one of the places we went to, The Horrors went off and they managed to find a joke shop, so they gave us some those peanut cans that snakes come out of when you open them... we fell for it, too!
Let's backtrack a bit. How did you feel when you heard you'd gotten this coveted slot in the tour?
Noo: A bit surprised. But we were all excited about it, once it set in. It's great, it's the biggest tour we've ever done – it's a bit weird too, as I think we're still a really small band, so to be playing to thousands of people a night is just mad.
Does it feel less of an achievement, as there's two tours this year?
Noo: Oh, no man. It's nice that there's two tours – that music at the moment is so wide that there has to be.
What do you think of the whole Nu-Rave thing?
Noo: I'm not sure. It's good, Klaxons are amazing and CSS are brilliant... I don't really know who the other two bands are, but I'm sure they're good too. It's just in at the moment.
How do you go about the writing process?
Noo: It depends. Sometimes one of the lad's will come up with a hook or sometimes we'll all just jam together to see what works...
Does the music come before the lyrics then?
Noo: Oh no, I like to write the lyrics first. Sometimes though they'll have gotten ahead of me and I'll have to write them based around their lyrics, which is really hard.
You're quite a writer then, obviously. So what's your favourite quote?
Noo: Oh...I don't know. Tommy (keyboards) comes out with some great ones. Tommy, what's your best?
Tommy: Erm... I wrote cunt on a little girl's balloon once.
Noo: See? Tommy's the king!
We're really looking forward to the album – the Out Of The Question EP was great.
Noo: No, don't buy that one! Buy the new one! It's out now – top of the charts!
That would be 'What Would Steve Do?', yes? There's a duck on the drum kit in the video – care to explain?
Noo: That's Matthew. Matthew's our special friend.
Just a friend?
Noo: Well, he's our future groupie to, really.
Speaking of, who is Steve?
Noo: Steve is our old manager. A different Steve to the one with got now, though!
Let's try being a bit 'deep'. What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Noo: Erm...me! It's a good answer because it's true.
What is your life's philosophy?
Noo: Oh, Jesus. What is our life's philosophy...what is our life's philosophy...I don't know. James, what's our life's philosophy?
James (guitar): I don't know! ... We don't have one.
Noo: Yes we do! Oh, you're a cunt. You know I hate them, right? I've known them since we were little and I can't stand any of them.
Who or what do you love?
Noo: What do I love? Wow. I'm rather fond of Lemsip at the moment actually. And tea! Everyone loves tea. Just with milk though, not sugar.
You love tea?!
Niall (bass): What, you don't like tea? That's it. Get out!
Noo: Right. I'm going to make 'tea' the answer to every question now.
You're in trouble, then. We've only one last question – what do you hate?
Noo: Oh, no! No, no no! Oh... not tea!
We leave enlightened, clutching a CD with a personal message from Tommy written on it ('Smell yer Ma's Ghee xx'), and making a mental note to learn how to like tea for next time. If they let us back.
Han Quintrell
Mumm-Ra Official Site
Mumm-Ra Myspace
Buy Mumm-Ra CDs | Buy Mumm-Ra mp3s | Buy Mumm-Ra Tickets | Buy Mumm-Ra Merch
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