How would you describe USN?
Organised chaos / chaotic organisation well and truly done.
Lettie Winter-Vocals
Stuart Fear-Guitar
Guy Tayler-Bass
Tom Lowe-Electronics
Danny Gaisford-Drums
Heather Steeley Interview
Name of outfit: u.s.n.
A little bit of history: See below
Members taking part in interview: All
1 How did you all meet? 4 members of 'Udder'
(see 25 Records Compilations) decided to use their energetic style
in a new way, found a synth player and somehow became u.s.n.
2 How long have you been together? 11 Months
(4 years including Udder)
3 Has it been a long hard road to fame? You
don't know the half of it.
4 Who's the main song writer? All songs written
by u.s.n.
5 Are there any band squabbles? We argue
about the music constantly but otherwise rarely...
6 What is the 'scene' like in your area?
Thriving, but not helped by apathetic punters and promoters. However,
the best and most inventive bands are not put off by this. Check
out Marshall Peanut, Gas, Squid Inc., Far Cue and promoters Juggluna
and you'll get the general idea.
7 Who or what inspired you to become a musician?
Back to the Future, Madonna, living in a live music pub as a
child, a chance to infuriate and be heard, Somerset.
8 Who are your favourite bands of the moment?
Supercharger, Asian Dub Foundation, Bjork, Howie B., Chumbawamba,
Snuff, Bentley Rhythm Ace (we could go on).
9 What are the highs and lows of being in a band?
Highs: Genuine support from people, playing live, high on adrenaline,
freedom of expression... Lows: Having to find other means to fund
ourselves i.e. 9-5 jobs, the endless hypocrisy dumped on (young)
bands.
10 Do you prefer recording in the studio or playing
live gigs? There's no comparison. What we do live and what we
do in the studio are very different. There are far less limitations
in the studio, but you can't beat the spontaneity of playing a live
gig. There's no business like show business...
11 Do you have any advice for bands just starting
out? We would never be that pretentious.
12 Sum up your music in three words. Utopian/Shopping/Network
25 Records Questionnaire
1 Who are u.s.n?
Danny Gaisford - Drums and backing vocals
Stuart Fear - Guitar
Tom Lowe - Electronics
Guy Tayler - Bass
Lettie Winter - Vocals
2 How would you describe your music? Organised
chaos / chaotic organisation well and truly done
3 What are your releases so far?
" Don't follow me don't follow anyone "
(3 track tape June '95)
" Sour Power " (7" 25 Records November
'94)
" Nine Ninety Nine " (25 Records compilation
December '95)
" The Score, Nuts & Bolts of Industry,
Cotton Wool Kid, Mondayn " (25 Records compilation " 15
Minutes " Jan. '97)
" In-Store Demonstration " (6 track E.P.
December '97)
4 Can you give us a short history of u.s.n?
11 months, gigs, festivals, E.P.s, new ideas and plenty more to
come.
5 What's the success story so far? Thank
you
6 Have you played any important gigs? We've
never played an unimportant one. Highlights in '97 included One
World and Ashton Court festivals.
7 What do you consider the high points of your
career? First London gig, when we listened back to the results
of our latest recording and watching people going apeshit at our
gigs.
8 What do you think about the current U.K. music
scene and do you think you will change it's face? A few hyped
bands get all the exposure but some lesser known bands manage to
slip through... who knows?
9 Which bands influence your sound? PWEI,
Compulsion, Snuff, Culture Shock, Bjork, Eat Static.
10 What's your fave records of all time and why
did you choose them? B52's - Dance this Mess Around (puts you
in a party mood) Dead Kennedys - Plastic Surgery Disasters (vicious
but humorous) Adam and the Ants - Stand and Deliver (early 80's
pre-teen revolution)
Snuff - Demamusabebonk (sort of multi-mood record)
Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Freaky Styley (Jump around)
11 What are your plans for the future? To
be able to spend all of our time on the band, and to make the rules,
rather than follow them.
12 Strange but true...We hold the official
record for being the best unsigned band around (damn it).
USN in it's current form began in December 94, with
a string of successful gigs, both supporting and headlining different
events. Constant gigging and growing public support culminated in
the band preforming at the Bath Mole Club as part of a triple headline
showcase event, also featuring Regicide and Gel, which received
a lengthy review in "Venue" magazine.
As a result of this exposure and growing interest
from promoters and record companies , USN landed a gig at Newport
TJs supporting Distorshaus, where an energetic performance confirmed
USN's reputation as an exhilarating and original live act.
As a result of the bands success at the Moles showcase
event, and because of USN's live energy, Prolapse were eager to
offer the band a support slot at Moles which helped the band reach
a bigger audience.
In late spring, USN took a short break from gigging
to record their first demo at Mindgate Studios near Bath. The three
track tape, entitled " Don't Follow Me.... Don't Follow Anyone"
was well received and quickly sold out. the tape also attracted
interest from "happy valley Music Co." in Yorkshire, who
wanted USN to appear on a promotional CD and offered to arrange
gigs and set up meetings with record companies, A&R people etc.
However, this fell through because of financial difficulties on
their part.
Despite this setback the band was approached by
"25 records" who were also impressed by the tape and wanted
USN to appear on their next release.
USN finished a busy six months with their London
debut and their most successful gig to date. the gig , at the "George
Robey" in Finsbury Park, resulted in a management deal being
set up, the offer of more gigs in London and the band being approached
for an article in leading London fanzine, "Ripcord".
Feel free to contact the 25 Records anytime
for interviews/Band features/ gig info etc. at: PO Box 3006, Poole,
Dorset, BH12 2HU. write
to us
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USN's latest offering can be heard on '15 minutes' which
four of their best songs (to date), 'The score', 'The cotton
wool kid', 'The nuts and bolts of industry, and 'Mondayn'.
This CD would provide a good insight in to the world of USN.
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