Interview - Lightspeed champion

it was only a couple of years ago that if you said to anyone that rave would make a come back, only the rapture would be up for it. now you can’t move for new-rave this and new-rave that. i tell you who i blame, those noisey boys testicicles, remember them? no? oh well, nevermind.

well you better mind now, because ex frontman of the skinny jean garage/metal/ravers, dev, is back, but in the words of bjork, its all so quiet, as the face of new folkers lightspeed champion.

thw - I'm going to start briefly, if that’s okay, with the testicicles. that band were pioneers of the new-rave scene in london . how do you feel seeing bands such as the klaxons come along and benefit off it long after you'd split?

dev - i live with simon, they're great friends of mine, our music sounds nothing like each other, they can actually write songs!

thw - for those who are unaware of the testicicles, what was the manifesto of the band?

dev - eat shit and die.

thw - and how does that differ to lightspeed champion's own vision?

dev - die and then eat shit. (laughs)

thw - for anyone who hasn't heard lightspeed champion, how would you describe their sound? what are you influences?

dev - hmm, influences for this project or for me as a whole? the sound to me, is like grunge songs performed by a 70's folk rock band.. but i get told by my guitarist that i'm talking shit when i say that. (laughs) but that's how i see it!!

thw - how was recording in omaha with bright eyes cohort mr moggis?

dev - fucking great, the guy's a genius! i didn't want to leave!

thw - did conor ever visit? i spoke with the guys from the faint and apparently he's not as dour as people think.

dev - he's probably the happiest guy i know. yeah i saw him lots, i was living next to him.

thw - i was at your hammersmith show in july, you were barely recognizable. you songs are a lot gentler, in sound if not in tone, with a real sense of childlike wonder. is this a character that we see on stage?

dev - man, that's just me i guess... it's weird, because to them and my friends i haven’t changed at all, it's just the same, i cans see why people think it's different though, because i guess musically it is, but to my friend group we've always been making music of different genres and i’ve always wrote songs in this vein.. thing is, i’ve banned myself from using acoustic guitars live for a while, and i’m using some distortion now, i'm ruining everything...

thw - most of your songs center around a whimsical dream world. do you dream a lot?

dev - i guess, it's more that i can’t sleep, more than anything... and when i do it's this weird form of lucid dreaming where i don’t really know what's going on and what's real or not, so that's what most of the songs on this album are about...the songs i’ve been writing lately are kinda more uplifting, well i'm trying anyway, in music and in lyrics!

thw - do you keep a note pad by your bed and write down the stuff you remember when you awake?

dev - nah. my song aren't literally about my dreams, but based on the idea of dreaming.. if that makes sense, i’ve stopped having ridiculously vivid dreams of late, which is good. they were going down a really dark path (laughs)

thw - do you have any cures for insomnia?

dev - i wish!!

thw - how do you see the future of lightspeed champion panning out? is this another project or something more long term?

dev - i will always do other projects, lightspeed is just me on my own, so whenever i do something by myself it'll be under this name.

thw - finally, what’s your favourite sit com?

dev - that 70's show!!!!!!!!!!!!


toohellwith

www.lightspeedchampion.com