O. Children

O.Children are a London based band that are getting a lot of airtime here at MF.

Self described as a “sometimes noisy, sometimes melodic post punk noisy pop band with a deep voice”, these guys are definitely worth checking out… that’s if you haven’t already done so.

After recent performances on BBC Radio 1, gigs at London’s Fabric and Koko, and a festival slot at this summer’s Offset, O.Children are heading in the right direction.

Their debut single, ‘Dead Disco Dancer’, is out now, and is available to download here.

MF recently caught up with bassist Harry James for a chat…

Can you give our readers some background on O.Children. How you guys met etc?

We all met in london, we’re from different areas around the world, and met through parties, friends etc, Our singer Toby made some demos, and needed some band members, and it all just went from there really.

You’re now signed to Deadly right? How’s that going? Were there many other offers on the table from different labels?

The label is great, feels like a family. It’s a great label because they love music, and give us the creative freedom to do what we want to do, there very well connected to, as the owner of Deadly, Phil, was the founder of Modular records.

At first you were getting a lot of Joy Division comparisons. What do you say to that? And who/what influences the music you guys make?

I think the joy division comparison is just lazy journalism, I think the only resemblance is a barratone voice, we much more inspired by acts like Bauhaus, Deerhunter, Queens Of The Stone Age, Depeche Mode…..

What has the reaction been like to your debut single ‘Dead Disco Dancer’? Are you happy with the way it’s been received?

It’s been great, as far as a first single goes I don’t think we could have done any better, do get airplay on MTV, Radio 1, XFM etc is incredible at this early stage, i’m also pleased with our good friends who did the video, I think that really helped.

What are your plans for the album? Can you tell us what the next single will be?

I can’t tell you just yet what the next single is, but we are going into the studio in 2 weeks with Jaz from Simian Mobile Disco, so we should have some news for you soon. As far as the album goes, it will be sometime in 2010.

It looks like you’ve been playing a few shows around the UK. How’s that going? What’s the best venue you’ve played?

For me the 2 best venues we have played were Koko & Fabric, there such huge clubbing institutions in London it was an honor to play , plus the sound system in both venues was ridiculously good.

Are there any plans for a full tour? Anything overseas?

Due to strange circumstances we can’t play any thing outside the Uk just yet, but expect a UK tour in 2010.

You’ve got a decent following over here in Japan since your release with S.C.U.M last year. How would you feel playing somewhere like Tokyo? Is there any one place or venue that you’d love to play?

We’ve had offers, just bear with us for the time being, Tokyo is one of the cities im really excited about visiting.

Are you guy’s friendly (or unfriendly!) with any other bands? Who, out of the current crop, would you most like to share the bill with?

We are very friendly, if you ever see us, come have a drink. In London right now, I personally really like Wild Palms & Demontre, everyone should go check them out.

Recently you’ve been featured on one o f the charity ‘Ben Sherman VIP Plectrums’, up for auction alongside well established bands and artists such as The Cribs, Pete Doherty and Paul Weller (to name a few!). How’s the auction going…outselling any big names? And how does it feel to be involved in something like that?

It was great to be involved, and we got some great free clothes with it too. I think our plectrum got sold for around £90 which is cool.

What has been the best moment so far with O.Children?

Playing Koko to a gazillion people

What’s next? Anything big for you guys coming up?

Just excited about going into the studio, and hopefully lots more releases for 2010.

As well as being bassist in O.Children, you also DJ and promote nights in London right? Tell us a bit about that. Played any big nights recently?

I love djing, I set up snap crackle & pop around 2 years ago and it’s just progressed from there. I recently played a huge Ed Banger records night, that was pretty special, I guess you could call that a life long achievement.

How would you describe your DJ style? Who are your favorite DJs and producers?

My DJ style varies often between House & electro music, depending where i’m playing and who with. My favourite producers at the moment are Noob, Claude Von Stroke, Tom Flynn & Daniel Steinberg.

What bands are you listening to these days?

New Stuff – Wild Palms, Lord Auch, Django Django, The XX

Old Stuff – The Clash, 13 Floor Elevator, New Order, Kevin Saunderson

Aside from making music and doing something you love, what has been the biggest perk of being in a band? Met many famous people? Get a load of freebies?

The freebies are great, especially the clothes, Drinks & substances can be quite warmly received too.

How would you describe your personal style? What do you wear (brands/style/shops etc)?

Let’s be honest, you can’t really beat the big guns like Christian Dior, other than that simply looking through vintage shops, living in London you don’t really need to fork out for big brands.

Finally, please recommend a new band, artist or DJ to our readers.

WILD PALM S!

Thanks a lot Harry, and all the best with O.Children. We’re looking forward to the debut album and future releases. Keep up the good work, and we hope to see you in Japan soon! MF x

Stay up to date with O.Children via their myspace, twitter and facebook pages.