TheBootsGirl meets Six.Point.Five - One Year On.

Last year, TBG met up with local band Six.Point.Five, and “one year and one week” on, (according to vocalist and guitarist James), a lot has happened...

TBG – Right, you ready?
Six.Point.Five – Yeah.
Simon: Are we missing someone..?
Noddy (Fell Silent) : Shit, am I in your interview?
Six.Point.Five- DAVE!!

*some time later*

TBG – Right guys, it’s been about a year… over a year since I last talked to you guys
Jim – A year and ONE WEEK
TBG – What? You kept the date?
*silence*
*laughter*
TBG – I know it meant a lot *nods*

So who am I with and what do you do?

Simon – I’m Simon, I play bass
James- I’m James and I play guitar and sing
Max - I’m James and I also play guitar and sing
Rob - I KNEW IT WASN’T GONNA GET ROUND
Dave – I’m Dave … and I bang things.
*laughter*
Muzz- I’m Ewan, I play sax
Rob – I'm Rob, I play sax, vocals, and also stage entertainment
Ewan – And I’m Muzz and I play err… the trumpet

Okay – someone give me a brief lowdown of what you’ve done I the past year. I know you’ve done a lot so.... hit me. Something standard textbook maybe?

*everyone looks to James*

JAMES - Well, we’ve done loads of gigs, we recorded a new 4-track CD, well –half of it and then we blew the PC up..
MUZZ – We recorded at Abbey Road mate!
ROB – We’ve lost like half our body weight in sweat and tears and -
SIMON- We HAVEN’T recorded at Abbey Road since a year ago Murray
*general consent*
Dave – Yeah, we’d already done that
MUZZ – Ah yeah, shit, sorry.
James – Do we really need to talk about this whilst we’re being interviewed?
*laughs*

TBG- But lets talk about Abbey Road – I mean, technically, Abbey Road is like one of the most famous recording studios in the world. That’s got to feel good right?

Six.Point.Five- Uh huuuuh
James – It feels daaaamn good.
Muzz- ….*continues* actually, but we hadn’t already recorded at Abbey Road – cos it was my birthday and then
James – Murray. Shut the fuck up man!
*general shouting at Muzz*
*confusion on tape*
Dave – Oh wait! Wait… yeah, he’s right! Do you wanna start again?
*laughs*

TBG – Did you meet anyone famous

Rob- Yeahhh – shook Paul McCartney’s hand, in the garden
James – We met Ally and Sharleen Spiteri from Texas and I met Fran Healy – got some photos taken with him :)
Rob – But did you shake Paul McCartney’s hand James?
James – I did.
Rob - …but was it this hand? *licks his hand*
James - *silence* … well at least I haven’t got a small penis.
*laughs*

TBG – What was the experience like for you – I mean, walking in the space where the Beatles recorded?

Rob – Yeah, the best thing about being at Abbey Road is the fact that you were treated and you behaved and you acted like professional musicians – for an entire week, we were living, this amazing lifestyle. Getting up, taking a 5 minute stroll to Abbey Road and then staying there til 10 o clock at night.
We were living like rock n roll stars!
Max – No we were living like POP STARS.

*Dave’s phone rings*
TBG – Real professional Dave
Ewan – He picked it up when we were playing a gig!
TBG- Really?
Ewan – Yeah, in between songs, he picked it up and started talking.

TBG- So have you guys been on like a tour?

Rob – Yeah well at the moment we’re doing like a little mini-tour, we’re going places like Northampton – where else did we do?
Ewan – Purple Turtle, Camden
Rob – Pretty much the south of England and we’re going to Weymouth, Bridgewater
*Dave is now off the phone*
Dave – No, Weymouth
Simon – ..We did St Albans the other day to two men.


TBG – Have you got stories from other venues – what are those venues like compared to The Pitz. Are they as good as The Pitz?

Six.Point.Five – Nahhhhhh!
*laughs*
Dave – They’re not as reliable. And you can’t guarantee there’s gonna be people there.
James- But that’s cos it’s not our hometown.
Rob- The thing about The Pitz is – I think we’re spoilt
James – Wait wait wait, the thing about The Pitz is err – sorry, I like to interrupt sometimes...
Rob - I think we’re spoilt having Milton Keynes as our home venue. We go to London and it’s a tiny smelly little venue with no backstage. This backstage… it’s.. *points* we got our own showers, *points* we got our own toilet, we got our own er... bench!

Max – Check out this sofa! (referring to the small table he is sitting on)

Simon – Dave’s got specially designed showers
Rob – The Pitz is amazing.
James – Yeah, we are spoilt! Obviously there are a lot of good venues out there but …. This one’s the best.
*laughs*

TBG –Muzz, I’m going to pick on you – you haven’t said anything. If you had a dream venue – where would you play?

Muzz - … The Pitz?
*laughs*
TBG – I’m not even in a band and I know where I would play. Carling Weekend. Reading Mainstage. That’s where I would do it.
James – That would be pretty cool - I would prefer the Concrete Jungle stage
Dave – I mean, even the NEW BAND stage!
James – The sound’s shit on the main stage – I’d do Wembley though!
Simon – Yeah Wembley!
Dave – HEADLINING WEMBLEY
TBG – It’ll be good this year – Capdown, Adequate 7, Captain Everything..
James – Lightyear! Last ever gig. Again.
Max – Their second “last ever” gig
Dave – They’re copying Desperate Cycle.
*laughs*
Rob – Yeah, we were gonna split up last week and have a come back gig - bit of marketing spin!


TBG – This time last year – did you ever see yourself being in this position now? Like, having recorded at Abbey Road and gone and done gigs in places OTHER than Milton Keynes?
James- Not really no
Rob - These two buggered off around the world (referring to Muzz and Simon)
Dave- We thought it would all come to a stop, having lost two members and playing with five people – it’s a totally different sound.
James - *answers phone* Sorry, I gotta take this.… Hello.... MURRAY? For fucks sake man!
*laughter*

Ewan – And I wasn’t in the band this time last year.
TBG – So Ewan how has the past year been for you?
Ewan – Erm well it’s very different
Simon – This time last year, he was a sad lonely soul
Ewan – Yeah sitting in my basement with my bottle of whisky… nights blended into days ..
TBG – Are you glad that you joined this band in particular?
Ewan – Hell yeah – this band is wicked. Plus there aren’t many bands that use sax locally anyway
Simon – If he wasn’t in this band he couldn’t go – (*the infamous intro to Hassle* ) duh na duh na duh, duh
Six.Point.Five- … brawwwr

TBG – This summer we’ve got Band Blitz and you guys probably had the most success cos you won your Band Blitz and then went on from there so … who have you got your eye on this year?
Six.Point.Five – (without hesitation) – 2FT HIGH!
TBG – *laughs* I THOUGHT that was gonna come up.
Rob- Have you seen their picture actually? It’s well funny cos-
James – I don’t CARE about their picture – we’re doing an INTERVIEW.
*more discussion about 2ft High*

TBG – As they’re quite young, seeing them, do you see yourselves back when you were their age?
James – We were talking about that recently and we find it weird that like, whereas before, when we were just starting out and travelling to play gigs we were always like...quite young. And now, I’m not saying we’re OLD but, we definitely have noticed the young generation coming through and … we feel quite old now.

TBG – It’s kind of a success, when you think about it, because not a lot of bands have stayed together for so long. I mean, last year – you said Phema were fucking veterans right? And in a way, that’s kind of you guys now. How does that make you feel?
James- OH MY GOD!
Dave – We don’t see ourselves like that. We just see ourselves as several guys just having a laugh. Fair enough we have people who watch us and like our music but..
James- At the end of day right, in MK, you may consider us part of the older generation
TBG – But outside of the pond?
James- ... outside of MK, it’s like we start anew every time. On the grand scale of everything, we’re still at the complete beginning of our careers. Even though we’ve been doing it for like 3 years, which is quite a while –but considering we want to do this for the rest of our lives – it’s nothing.
SIMON – The experience of the last 3 years really comes in handy
Dave- The past 3 years has been learning from the experiences we’ve had and now, we’re like starting again, using what we know.
*James phone rings again – it’s a twinkly ringtone*

TBG – For an MK band you guys have stayed together for quite a long time, so what is it that has made you stick together where other bands have split up?
Rob – It’s the fact that we don’t like each other, we hate each other. Quite formally.
James – *announces* By the way Murray’s car has just broken down.
Dave- He’s only just pulled out of The Pitz!
Rob – I think the thing about running a big band is good communication. When Dave was in Guildford, we really struggled. Having a drummer in a different town was hard cos you need him when writing new songs. It almost broke down a certain number of times didn’t it? Cos there was no communication, people weren’t finding out what was happening, Dave wasn’t finding out what was happening.
Dave- Yeah that was a bad point – there was only a full band rehearsal every couple of months or so.
Max- The main reason though, was just cos it was …fun.
Dave – Yeah – even though we went through all that, with like a year at college – we still pulled through. We were like, we’re gonna keep doing it anyway. It was difficult, and we knew it was gonna be hard for us but we could overcome that cos we wanted to keep playin the music.
Rob- If you’re having fun, why stop? That’s the key to a good band
TBG – Is that like your advice to younger bands?
Dave – Yeah – if you want it that bad, keep going, you’ll get there eventually. Even in 20 years time you’ll be somewhere further than you were 20 years ago..
Simon – We’ll be 65 years old… with our first number one..
*some improv. jazz singing*
Rob – People say that everything in life worth having is harder to achieve. I apply to everything, music, work.
Dave – Especially Music.
Rob- You gotta sweat on the road - Like we were sitting in traffic jams all of last week..
TBG – In that heatwave..
Rob – Boxed in, that middle lane- stuck in like a little train of cars.
Dave- But you forget about all that – and you think, it’s a good venue, might be a good night
Rob – Yeah, you get to the gig and play.
Dave- Unless it’s a shit venue! Or if there’s like no people outside and you know there’s only like 7 people watching you.
Simon – Better seven people than none
TBG – Very optimistic Simon
Rob – Good boy Simon!

TBG- Okay, we talked about last year, what about next year and the year to come? What are your plans?
Ewan – World domination.
TBG – You getting a new bass player?
Simon – We have one
Max – (*whispers*) Unfortunately
Rob- Simon’s gonna learn the keyboards..
Simon – He’s ginger and his names Rory. And he’s WICKED.
TBG – Oh I get it, the Gingy Ror!
Dave – He’s a legend – I
Simon – I don’t think he really IS ginger actually. James just nicknamed..
Max – Dave’s telling a story!
TBG – Sorry Dave, carry on.
Dave- I met him at college when I played in down there in some bands and I stayed in contact with him when I moved back down. So he’s moved in with me now and he’s practicing with us every now and again. And he’s waiting to take over.

TBG- So basically, you’re readjusting your line-up?
Rob – Yeah well Ewan (tenor sax) and Muzz (trumpet) are off to Uni so we’re going to get some new horns in, we’re thinking maybe trombones, trumpets, tenor saxes, we’re going to keep it open. It might change the sound a bit but we’ll still be playing the same songs, writing the same sort of stuff
Dave – But if anything, better.
Rob – It’s just that people go away, people change, people make decisions to go to Uni.

TBG –Is it still no girls?
*at this point Jim walks back in*
*laughs*
Simon – Why are you back – hasn’t Murray’s car broken down?
James –Nahhh, I fixed it ;)
TBG – Jim’ll fix it.
Simon – I know how you fix things – you just kick em
*laughs*

James – Right, it’s not that we’re a sexist band. Well, I guess we are a sexist band but..
Rob – You CAN’T Say – “we’re a sexist band”
*laughs*
Dave – Well I’ve been in bands with girls and it’s just .. difficult. The way they think. At the end of the day, it all depends on the situation.
James – We’ll end up all fighting over who wants to bang her.
Dave – No. It’d be who’s going to go first.
Simon – That was the answer last time.
*laughter*

TBG – So what about recording? You got ay plans for recording coming up?
James – We’ve got about an album and a half’s worth of new tracks
Max – But they’re not good enough
Simon – Shut up Max – we’re doing an interview!!
James – The thing is we wanna record a new album and we got 15-20 songs to pick from but it costs a lot to do a good album so we’re like, biding our time.
Rob – We’ve done a 4 track EP with a local guy – Ande from Aurora
TBG – You got a name for it yet?
James – We haven’t even thought of a name for it yet
Rob – Yeah- if any of the listeners can think of a good name for the CD – let us know!!
Dave – We haven’t actually finished it yet though.
Max – I think we should say thanks to Ande. And his mum.
Six.Point.Five – Yeah his mum!!
Dave- The best food!
Rob – It was wicked – we walked down for lunch and his mum had laid down sandwiches and Dr Pepper and Sprite..
James- Ahhh those snack sandwiches – like salami, with tomatoes and peppers
Rob – And they don’t drink tap water – if you ask for a glass of water – they give you bottled, from the fridge – it’s class!
Simon – Pure service
Rob- They should run a hotel!
Max – Mini Cornish pasties!!
Rob – Yeah they were good!
James – The best man!

TBG – So next year, if you could choose anyone to support, or anyone to support you, who would it be?
Max- Paul Simon.
*laughs*
James- I would love to play a gig with Lightyear
*Six.Point.Five agree*
Dave – Mad Caddies! I’d love that.
Rob – Yeahh, Mad Caddies.
Dave- Streetlight. Love em.
Max – Nahh Streetlight.
Simon – Do you reckon we could get Queen at all?
Rob – Bob Marley. We should support Bob Marley alright?
Ewan – AND Jimi Hendrix
Simon – The BEATLES man.

TBG – This is a hard question, but where do you see yourself “a year and a week” from now?”
Six.Point.Five – Togfest!
*laughs*
James – Sitting in a changing room.. doing an interview?
Max- Hopefully signed?
Rob – Yeah signed!
TBG – Are you looking to be signed this year?
Dave- It’s not something we’re pushing for. It’s not like we wanna be signed but if we get a good deal – we’re not going to turn a good deal away.
Rob – It’s just not the driving force really.
Dave – yeah if something comes up and it’s not what we’re looking for, we’ll be happy to refuse it.
James – I think the main word is SHUNNED.

TBG- What do you want your band to be remembered for?
James – Making people dance.
*Six.Point.Five are in agreement*
Rob – Yeah, making people dance and having a good time
Max – I concur!
James – You need to have a gimmick, to be successful, you need to be ABOUT something. And we’re not really about anything other than enjoying ourselves, making the most out of life and the one thing that we aim to do is, when someone comes to our gigs, make sure they walk out the door - with a massive smile on their face
Rob – And really sweaty.
James- We don’t even care if they remember our music – as long as they had a good time while they were here.
Rob – Every time we go to a different town and play a gig to a new crowd – when people start dancing… it’s the best feeling. Cos they’ve never experienced you before, you’ve never spoken to them before, you’ve never even seen them yet, you’re doing something that you love to do and they love it too.
Ewan – That was a good one Rob.
James – In a years time, I’d love to just be touring all the time – obviously we’ve got next year.

TBG- Have you got any funny stories from the road?
James – None that err…*gestures at voice recorder*
*laughs*
James – The other day we did St Albans topless and in our pants – the hottest day of the year. Lots of naked car journeys.
Ewan – Come back in a week.
James- Most of it happens on stage. Like Dave. Answering his PHONE.
Six.Point.Five – Ohh yeah!
James – We were playing a gig in this pub and there were loads of people around –and the front door opened in the middle of Campinos On Ice – these two ladies were trying to get through and it just so happened that we were at that point where it goes – dedelendundun – and I went STOP! – everybody stopped and I said “….let these two ladies through” and they walked through the middle. You couldn’t have done it better even if you’d have practiced it.
Rob - … that was the PINNACLE of our careers.
James – Yeahh the best thing, I stopped the music and let some women walk in. Wheyyyy
*laughs*

TBG: I suppose, for the future, I suppose you can’t really predict much...

Rob – That’s the thing - I have sat here so many times thinking – what’s next? And I am always surprised by what comes along.
James – Over the next year, it’s going to be hard work replacing Simon and Murray and if Ewan goes to university as well – that’s like half the band. So the main thing is rebuilding the band and practicing. We’ll be writing new songs but we’ll have to play the old ones so it’ll be all about getting tight again and practicing all the time...
*Dave’s phone sings – Shut your f*king face*
Dave: Alright Pooboy?
*laughter*
Dave – You’re on the interview!

TBG - Well, I suppose all I can say now is, I hope next year goes as well for you as it did this year.
Six.Point.Five – Thank you very much.

*Sound clips coming soon.*