Multicoloured Green

Who the hell are Multicoloured Green? Well, read the whole damn feature for the full answer, but think blues / noise / rock / punk and a little White Stripes and you're half way there.

This feature also marks our first collaboration with the swell fellows at Good Blades, who are out to radically change the face of music journalism (or something).

Lloyd Brown, Good Blades - Words
Tim Mallon, Good Blades - Photos

Rumour has it that 'Little Secret Fish Bowl' is the cause of morning wood for every fan of blues driven rock, we travelled to Portsmouth’s Havana Bar to meet the Bovver Boys, they had a an act they wanted us to see, and thank fuck they had asked us to come.

Entering the venue you could hear Higgy practicing, throwing out some of their material and laying down some of the dirtiest and bluesy Black Keys riffs. We were greeted by the Bovver Boys, promoters for the event who took us under their wing and introduced Higgy (guitar and vocals), he carried on playing as we shook his hand and Ztix (drums, backing vocals) who when we shook hands my quiff entangled with her pink Mohawk.

Before the interview had even begun lager was being thrown between the two, a sofa soaked, my notes pretty fucked and my camera man begun to look concerned for his equipment.

After a few punches were thrown and more lager spilt we began the interview.

Higgy - Right fire away, shit your notes are soaked, sorry
Ztix – Sorry about that
Good Blades – No problem, so how’d the band form?
H – There was this Turnip that spoke to us both
Z - Yeah, my mate Turnip
H – she called us the name and we went to a day care centre where we used to help people in need, she had a really beaten up drum kit and I was just playing on guitar, we were in a day are centre, where they juggle and stuff and we thought we would practice. There was no limitations we could just jam, did some white stripes type stuff. We had to cover a spot in a festival and it was really fun so we carried on.

GB – Who do you count as your influences?
H – She (Ztix) is into her Punk and weird music
Z – Stiller’s, Specials
*Alf (brother of Ztix makes inaudible noise*
H – were surrounded by musicians, especially Alf who plays in loads of bands and is her brother (nods to Ztix), I like weird music, my experimental music, [Z – interrupts ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’s], people that weren’t there to make lots of money, they were there because they loved the music, its mad, the Black Keys for example there’s two of them, and obviously the White Stripes which were based on, well not based on but compared to. There’s the kills, Death from Above, Giant Drag. The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s we love them they’ve got one guitar, one drums, one singers [editorial note, not a misspelling, just he was a bit pissed, had been drinking since 11AM]. You don’t need all those people in the band; she can play anything I want her to play, she’s a human drum machine (Ztix nods). So our influences are everything, just not what’s on the radio …
Z - … except from Gossip
H – Yeah Gossip … You got your Stones, your original Hippies, you got your Hendrix, we love the Hendrix, your 60’s 70’s rock, I mean they were all on the drugs, its good inspiration, if they’re going to do what they want we should do what they want … and what we want.

GB - How would you describe your performance on stage?
H – Unplanned, not rehearsed
Z – Spontaneous
H – very spontaneous, normally we mess up or we cross paths and I go one way and she goes the other and then we kind of think what are we doing and she throws a drumstick at me or something
Z - There’s usually a full on fight on stage.
H - At the end it looks like I’m jumping into the drum kit but I’m actually trying to punch her in the face. Our performance is live and raw, it’s nothing pretty, as you’ll find out, it’s beautifully ugly.
Z – Yup

GB– How did you come up with the band name?
Z – Turnip
H – She has this thing for green, she was taking a lot of drugs at the time and thinking what is multicoloured green…
[Editorial note - What follows is a deep description of greens and puddles, they then blame it on magic juice, which is formed from lots of juices, and they eventually arrive back at a point. The multitude of green is like the multitude of styles and influences in their work.] … its a Multicoloured Green, that’s what its about … your going to get some more Stella over you (to Ztix)
Z – Fuck off
H – Don’t swear
Z - Yes, naughty word

GB- What’s been your best gig yet?
H – *makes a manly, we’ve had some awesome gigs grunt* we had a good experience here last time, and the time before, this night has been really good for us.
Z –It’s the best place ever to be.
H – and tonight we’ve brought our own lights, candles and stage lights [editor note he means normal lamps I think, drunk you see], low budget psychedelic show, we don’t want house lights.
Z – Lamps.
H – It’s my idea
Z – I know
H – My idea.

We don’t want it to be pretty we want it to be ugly and dirty, its going to reflect everything we love, everything special.

GB – What’s the plans for the band?
H – um … to do so much that we don’t have to get jobs *looks disapprovingly at photographer* our future is recording in an ambulance, we’ve got an ambulance
Z – it’s our tour bus, with pink fluffy seats
H – Were gonna go mad in there, she loves her weird stuff, punk, even jazz rock ska, and I’m in to my psychedelic stuff so its gonna be whatever comes out of there.

GB – Any possibility of a tour?
H – Were always touring, I live in London she lives in Portsmouth
Z –basically every gig is a tour
H – We’ve played Liverpool, Portsmouth, Bristol, where they have lovely accents, lovely people, lovely people who play after us …
Z – and are twats
H – Shh
Z - *makes hand movements and puts on deep voice* you don’t play it like this you play it like this.
H – We get lots of people telling us what to do because were obviously a young band. Lots of older musicians and failed musicians who say were like the White Stripes purely because were a two piece
Z – God I hope I don’t drum like Meg White
H – Yes, hey she can keep a beat, I heard she’s good in … yeah, but touring, I get a different phone all everyday from our manager telling me where were gonna be playing. Were just trying to keep it to what we want to do rather than what people want us to do. *Higgy pushes himself up on the chair almost spilling Ztix’s pint*
Z – you had better not do that again.

GB – You have been compared to the White Stripes, Black Keys and The Kings of Leon, how do you feel about that?
H – love those bands, that’s a compliment to me
Z- I prefer the White Stripes earlier stuff
H – Yeah me too. They’re so successful, Jack White the craziest white guy I’ve ever seen, looks like Michael Jackson gone into Alien … being attacked … and we’ve got the same amp. I love The Kings of Leon I mean they have a Number 1 album, people have also said I sound like Neil Young but I haven’t really heard any of his stuff but I take it as a compliment.

GB – What’s your view on pop culture?
H – Its shit, everywhere
Z – Yeah
H - You like it because it’s nice in your ears but there’s a lot more to music, so yeah the current state of pop culture is shit. I doubt we’ll ever make it to pop culture or be that commercial. Were not nice on the ears.

GB – Can you tell us what the song Little Secret Fish Bowl is about?
*cheer from those around us*
H – the fish bowl bit is just a bit of repetitive with the vocals and we’ll double on it, and we said ‘dropped it in the fish bowl’ as a start and it stuck, little secret is the secret to success which I should tell you
Z *laughs*
H – it was three songs merged to one its crazy and its good fun.

As for playing live, they blew my mind, best drumming I’ve ever seen, guitar work which made my eyes bleed, vocals which sounded like a mix of Caleb Followill and the devil. They smashed instruments, they played through the pain and rocked the venue, one woman behind tapped me on the shoulder and said what sounded like ‘fancy a fuck?’ half way through ‘Little Secret Fish Bowl’ to which I replied ‘um, maybe after this song’ that’s how epic that song and their performance overall is, the ultimate live gig. Make way for true new music, you can shove Nu Rave up your glow stick abused arse, heavy blues rock has a new youthful duo to reclaim the throne of British music.