WHEEL ME OUT

Imagine if you will, the resonating sound from an army of drum machines marching steadily through a droning synthesiser fog, before plunging headlong into an ocean of reverb. Forget Bachelor of Chemistry, British Columbia and Before Christ, B•C really stands for Psychedelic Doom.

Wheel joined band members B, C and 9 for a picnic in a Lewisham park, where they revealed that beneath all the electronic clamour lurks simple, tender love songs.

By Michael Garrad

Who would like your music?

C - Victorians would like it, especially those involved in the cholera epidemic of 1851 that John Snow eventually eradicated. He would be the biggest fan of B•C.

B - Lonely people would like it.

C - Lonely white men. Men wearing rucksacks and beards made out of shredded issues of the Wire magazine. Shoegazers or ravers. Shoeravers.

B - Ravegazers.

What is your music?

C - B•C suits any situation with tragic circumstances. We started making music that was horrible and dark and doomful.

B - Music that’s horrible for the sake of it is boring. We want to make something transcendental.

C - People come up to us and go “that was great, really crazy” whereas they’re straightforward, simple songs. Our lyrics are all about love. The lyric for Volcano Blues is “Millwall, Millwall, Millwall, I love you, I love you, I love you.” I told a Millwall fan at one of our gigs afterwards and… he didn’t cry but he was happy.

B - I only sing one song –

C - called Beach Murder, which sounds terrible but your lyrics for that are amazing. Say them now.

B - They’re based on the idea of… Beach Murder. Yeah – like blood and sand. We use the vocals as an instrument. Abstracted.

C - [The vocals] are inspired by Cocteau Twins and Kaleidoscope – the American Kaleidoscope. The singer would say a word for as long as he possibly could.

B - Blind Trumpet Player has C playing the trumpet. You bought that drunk didn’t you?

C - Yeah I bought a trumpet just off Denmark St when I was really drunk one day. I’d just got a bonus at work. I said “I’ll have your cheapest beginner’s trumpet.” The only time I’ve ever played it is on Blind Trumpet Player.

B - That’s a good song though. It’s miserable. I love that title. It’s pathetic.

C - We’ve got all these blind musicians who know where all the keys are on the piano and there’s some people who might just be really inept as well as being blind. That song is for all those people.

Tell us about your live shows.

9 - We’re the least experimental band at an experimental night but the most experimental band at an indie night.

B - The problem with playing live is people don’t listen to us [beforehand], then they offer us a gig and have us playing next to a ska band. I’d rather die.

C - We did a gig with PNAK in a pub in Luton –

B - to about 20 people. The guy who ran it loved us. He said we were one of the best things he’s ever put on… but he was deaf! He could feel the bass. He had his deaf aids turned up to eleven. He’s trying to do something good – it’s just a shit town.

How do you make music?

B - We jam for hours. It’s good to record stuff that’s played live.

9 - I chop it up, take the best bits.

C - It is lovely when you’re just doing that for ages and not caring about what’s coming and then something nice comes and you look at each other and fall in love all over.

What have you got planned next?

B - Make an album.

9 - We want to make the record really good.

B - We want to make a very good record. I don’t think that any other band has ever wanted that as much as we do. We want to make a thousand albums. That’s our aim. A thousand albums. WMO

B•C are currently recording the first of their thousand albums and have an EP available

www.myspace.com/bcselondon

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