We put a few questions to Nick of Cut Off Your Hands on the eve of the release of their debut album You and I.
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Been around since?
Jan 2006
Current line up?
Nick, Brent, Mike, Phil
Where are you based?
Where ever we end up each night pretty much. We've got a house in Hackney
East London, but have been away for over a month, and aren't likely to be
staying put anywhere for the next 18 months as we tour this record we just
finished….
Musical history?
Started going to hardcore and punk shows when i left school, and met some
friends through some friends of friends who knew some guys who wanted to
start a band along the lines of DC groups like Fugazi and Q and Not U. That
interested me and I roped in some old friends (Brent and Mike) to join, and
that slowly morphed into this band.
What were you listening to back in high school?
Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, classic 90's really,
What are you currently listening to?
The caretaker, Stealin an Thievin, Paul Simon van Damme, Ariel Pink, John
Maus, Joe Meek, Braniac.
The state of music in NZ is…?
Overseas, that’s where all our friends who were in bands that we played with
in Auckland and Wellington are. Ive got little idea as to how the scene is in NZ
as we've spent the last year and a half away pretty much. But i hear that
venues are shutting down and decent live shows are few and far
between...the bands that we played with in Auckland recently were great
though, particularly brand new math.
What’s your favorite place to play?
Hamilton or Christchurch if i have to choose in NZ, otherwise Melbourne,
Sydney or Adelaide, New York, London.
What was your favourite show?
We just played in tokyo at summersonic festival, that was great, or iceland for
airwaves festival last october...its always fun the first time you go to an
exciting city...CMJ in New York last october was a fun time, we were
interviewed in the New York times for playing the most shows of anyone at
the festival. I think we played 8 or 9 in 3 days. Or the Les Savy Fav show in
London when they invited us on stage to play a song was good fun too!
This is album no?
1
What is your recording process?
Play instruments and press record
What's been your best recording experience?
This last one
What’s been your worst recording experience?
They’ve all been great,
Biggest achievement thus far?
Getting recognised at customs when i got home yesterday.
Favourite radio show/station?
RDU in ChCh, Triple J in Aus, they've supported us the most those 2.
The Future holds…?
Stacks of touring and the release of our record in NZ/Aust in October, and the
rest of the world in Jan 09.
