Animal Kingdom: thecheappop interview

Chalk Stars

Animal Kingdom | MySpace Video
This UK outfit (it’s a band not an actual outfit” are pretty awesome. I spoke with them collaboratively as a band. Here it go… here it go again.

Where did you get your name from?
We have these weird pasta shapes in the UK called Alphabeti Spagetti which is pasta shaped like letters. One night after a big bowl of the stuff and a few too many tequilas, Wayne was sick on his amp and it spelt ‘ a n i m l ki nd on ‘ . It was a sign.

Where are you based?
We have a little studio in a church in North London where we ve written for the last couple of years.

How would you describe your sound?
The album s a bit of a mix, our natural tendency is to go dark but hopefully the record has lots of light and shade.

Who were your biggest influences?
We re seeing DJ Shadow’s ‘entroducing’ album performed live this weekend – that record was pretty influential at the time but also a lot of traditional singer songwriters – Neil Young, Lennon, Thom Yorke etc. all float our boat.

What was your strangest halloween costumes?
(Hamish) I dressed up as one of the Spice Girls one year back in college in Illinois and a frat boy hit on me. Scary.

Have you have ever been to Disney’s Animal Kingdom?
Geoff goes every summer, he loves the ride that goes up and down.

What do you make of the music industry and where it’s heading?
It’s obviously in a bit of a bad way but there s still a ton of cool bands willing to do their thing despite what s happening out there.