Phillip Hong
June 19, 2010

 

Independent music is definitely full of many different and diverse bands and artists, and in my experience with listening to indie, there is a huge variance in the quality of music. Sometimes I'll find someone that sounds worse than me, singing in the shower. I don't personally sing too badly, but you wouldn't want to hear me there.

 

But my point is, once in a while I find a wonderful gem that I would actually listen to in real life, instead of some of those professional acts out there. Slashed Seat Affair provides a form of music that's rare for its genre - pop rock that is passionate, comfortably brash, genuine, and unashamed.

 

So it's time to hit the road, forget my above introduction and talk to Ellie and Rob, two of this amazingly impressive group.

 

PHIL: You've created a uniquely uniform, passionate form of rock. What do you believe your fans enjoy the most about the band?

 

ELLIE: Hmmm, well, I don't know about the fans, but I know I enjoy the live side the most, so I guess it would be the same for them. As with any band you're in love with, you want and have to see them play, to get close to them and to really see what they're about.

 

ROB: If you are passionate about playing music, it rubs off on an audience. Performing music together is such a great thing to do and we love to entertain! We give our fans good value for money!

 

PHIL: How did you get into music, and how was the band formed?

 

ELLIE: I saw Queen on Terry Wogan (a chat show on British television) performing "Radio GaGa" and I fell in love with music from that moment. I must have been about 5 years old.

 

ROB: Us boys grew up together in North London, Ellie completed the jigsaw.

 

PHIL: Some of your songs have become very creative music videos. What do you enjoy most about filming them, and do you believe the meaning of the song has been expressed effectively in this visual form?

 

ELLIE: We love doing the vids, it's always a good laugh. We mostly let the video experts decide on what should be in the video. We just show up and look pretty.

 

ROB: I enjoy a day out together! There was plenty of planning to prepare a framework and schedule and we got to be creative on the day. The videos are for people to get a good look at us as well as to tell a story of the song.

 

"No More Lies" portrays a girl who's redisovering herself and looking for a fresh start. We are a London-based band so we wanted to show this, Buckingham Palace were not receptive to the idea of a rock band performing in the lobby so we went with a good old Routemaster bus!

 

PHIL: How is the audience reaction to your concerts? Is it alright to "head bang" to the music?

 

ELLIE: They sing along, they stuff money in my garter, they get involved. Head banging? Why of course, darling.

 

ROB: Head banging, stage diving, crowd surfing and total anarchy. Quite a muted response really!

 

PHIL: Do you have any plans to tour in North America? There is certainly an interested audience here.

 

ELLIE: We would LOVE to. It's our dream.

 

ROB: Our focus for the rest of 2010 is to increase our visibility in North America. We have had such a positive response from American fans that we want to make a tour of the US our main goal. We have to lay the foundations down now by getting in peoples faces and getting our music on the radio and then a tour will follow.

 

PHIL: Which track did you enjoy performing the most?

 

ELLIE: "Mr Millionaire". And if you ever get down to a gig, bring all your monopoly money. It's legal tender at the SSA bar.

 

ROB: "Happy" makes me happy the most. It just feels good from a drummers perspective, it flows well! They are all a pleasure quite honestly.

 

Phillip Hong is a presenter on AMPM, combining some great indie music with quotes and interviews.