“One dark night in the dingy upstairs of a London pub, Grundy le Zimbra and Simon Mastrantone conducted an experiment in harmony, handclaps and distortion. By flickering candlelight something melodious and monstrous was created, a handful of spectators the only witnesses to the birth of the beast.”
After reading only the first line of their press release, we had to find out what the band were all about and spoke to Simon Mastrantone to find out more!
The formation of the band is an interesting story, could you tell us more about it?
Grundy and I spent a few years moping around playing solo before The Woe Betides and were friends for a good while before forming the band. Along with our friend Jeremy (Summer Camp) we set up a sort of modern day cabaret night for other solo artists, poets and comedians with an interesting or unusual act. We used to play our own solo sets but one night decided to try and play together; the chemistry was instant and we never looked back! We’d been slogging away on our blinkered little paths not noticing what was right in front of us! Or standing slightly to the right of me doing the sound, as it was in my case.
What initially gave you the ‘feeling’ that the band would work?
At our first rehearsal we had a little break and Grundy didn’t mind me putting on some episodes of The Real Ghostbusters. It was meant to be! Other than that, it was so much easier than any other band we had been in before. We just gave each other demos of our songs and turned up at the next practice able to play them fully formed. It was awesome! We just plugged in, played and then sort of looked at each other in silence; smiling and nodding a little.
What is your favourite track of your EP ‘Play Dead’?
It’s a tough one, but just because of what it meant to me I would say “Under the Sand”. It was the first idea of Grundy’s we worked on. I remember listening to the early demos and getting really excited about all these ideas for vocal parts and bass lines. I was a bit worried he’d think some of them were a bit silly but straight away he liked them and it set the standard for our songwriting process.
Who made the decision of introducing a 3rd member to the band?
Both of us dithered about where to go next after the ‘Play Dead’ EP. We were playing live shows as a two-piece and some days felt like we needed more and other days felt like we didn’t. Once we jammed with the Colonel though it all fell into place and felt very natural indeed.
How did it feel co-producing with Ash Gardner?
Ash is a talented and brilliant bloke. So we were honoured and chuffed that we were able to work with him again on the album after the great job he did with our EP. The House of Strange is like a massive commune for artists so just hanging out there is a pleasure. There is always an aggressive game of ping pong or interesting discussion about Return to Oz to be had with someone. When you wander upstairs after recording you never know who you might meet! Interesting fact: the House of Strange was used in an episode of Peep Show!
What bands were the influence for your album ‘Never Sleep’?
There were no specific bands that influenced us particularly on this album, a lot of the ideas on it have been simmering away for a few years so lots of stuff has gone into the creative pot. As it is our first album we have really just put into it everything we know. All three of us listen to a variety of music and argue a lot about it too! Any of the following has been on our stereo recently: Bad Religion, Anna Calvi, Doves, Dizzee Rascal, The Bug…
How does it feel to be playing this years In The City…?
Great actually! It feels like a right of passage and a good time to be playing with the album coming out so soon after. We have played some nice shows in Manchester its a brilliant way to start our tour.
What can we expect in the future from The Woe Betides?
After the tour we plan to get a small amount of sleep – then its back to songwriting and working on the next album! Back in the day record labels used to get bands releasing two records within a year. There was no big “second album” pressure, you had five albums or so to build a career. As we have our own label we want to go back to those old days of putting lots of stuff out and taking a few risks in the process.
You can check out The Woe Betides on their MySpace page.
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