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ALIEN CHICKS INTERVIEW




 Off the back of their newest single Woodlouse, we caught up with Alien Chicks for a quick interview after their show at The George tavern in Whitechapel.


But first a little bit about their support band…

It was a nippy east London evening and as the the sound checks started there were murmurs of the headline act Pigeonhole cancelling last minute. So we were met by a band that stepped in I had not yet heard of, a side project of Alien chicks’ called Robert; they proceeded to carry out an energetic jam session. The electric energy was lead by the flank by their erratic Sax player Jasper, who seriously brought the vibe. As it was an unplanned jam session the frontman Max at one point confessed he’d run out of things to say so he pronounced to the crowd that he would read out the entirety of The Secretary of State scumbag, Jacob Rees Mogg’s Wiki page, and somehow he made it sound poetic. What a start to the evening, it was then we knew that we where in for a treat.


Alien Chicks plugged in and immediately brought the bounce. A smile that started in the corner of frontman Joe’s mouth quickly overwhelmed the band and they where fucking buzzed, as they knew what we where in stall for. 


They started off with a few high paced tunes as the three of them showed their expertise. Extraordinarily, although erratic, the gig was thoroughly thought out, with the big tunes from the start and a welcomingly mad part in the middle of the set where the crowd where asked “Do you like HipHop?!” Which was met by a resounding cheer. Alien chicks proceeded to perform a freaky fusion of West-coast surf-punk/US hiphop/South London Punk madness. It was one of the coolest and refreshing things I’ve seen in a long time! They maintained this Surf-punk/South London Punk fusion within their tracks, whilst bringing a fresh and new dynamic edge to the South London Scene, with some honestly incredible music writing.


It was an amazing connection the three of them had playing together, this is definitely no the last you will be hearing of Alien Chicks, they’ve got something seriously special here.




What is the biggest inspiration of the band? Because, the thing that surprised me the most was the American surf punk vibe crossed with the current UK post-punk scene.


Joe : “Im really into American HipHop, things like tribe called quest and Wu Tang but also new stuff as well like Denzel Curry. Who is a big influence on me.”


Joe then speaks for the band as a whole saying that “a really big post punk influence for us is Black Midi and then also obviously we have our bossanova, latin American routes.”


So asking about the American style stuff, is that something that you listen to whilst you're creating music?


Joe: “I feel like we write in quite a variety of genres, and I write in (the style of) what I'm listening to at the time, so before Alien chicks was a post punk band we where actually a surf rock band as I was listening to a Buch of surf rock at the time”.



What is something that you are listening to currently?


Stephan (Bass): Alexandra Savior - Belladonna Of Sadness (Especially the track Mirage)


Joe (Frontman + Guitar): Ocean Wisdom - Wizville and Black Midi - Hellfire


Martha (Drums): Lilly Allen and Pixies


Something I wanted to ask you Martha is about the way you use the cowbell, you almost treat it as if it is another drum.


Martha: “Im just having fun, it's louder and its good to mix it up a bit as sometimes the symbols wash everything out so it's nice to have that variation.”



So you released you new single last night Woodlouse last night, what inspired this tune?


Joe: “Basically me and Steph used to do A-Level Geography at school, and we used to make fun of this guy because he thought he was sick, and his head looked like a woodlouse. He has some dead haircut, and try and get on with the popular kids. So it's kind of about judgey people judging you when they don’t have basis to do that and people trying to get popular.”


Stephan: “When we where at uni we where in a club and some guy came up to me and asked if I knew Joe?” Stephan then went on to explain how this guy was judging his mate without knowing him and then lead on to say that “the song is about people like that who have views on you and judge you without knowing who you actually are”


Can you each give me an up-and-coming band that you’re exited about?


Stephan: Man/Woman/Chainsaw


Joe: Housearrest 


Martha: The Queens Head



Where can people come and see you next?


We’re supporting Peeping Drexels on the 7th of October at the Lexington and then we’re supporting Headshrinkers in London on the 13 of October and then again in Birmingham on the 22nd of October. 




Words/Interviewer: Canaan Valentine.

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