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New Rhodes

It would seem that the four lads from Bristol find their main inspiration from two rather less obvious influences.

Posted 2nd March 2006, 7:18pm in Interviews, by Fiona McKinlay
New Rhodes The Strokes, The Smiths and Interpol are the names that tend to be flung around by lazy journalists trying to sum up fresh-faced electric guitar-wielding indie-pop quartet New Rhodes in as few words as possible, but it would seem that the four lads from Bristol find their main inspiration from two rather less obvious influences.

"We always end up arguing in the bus over who's better, Queen or The Police," bassist Jack Ashdown tells us.

"It's definitely Queen." Frontman James Williams responds, "Queen are a massive influence. Until 1997, I didn't listen to anything but Queen, The Beatles and the Beach Boys."

So what do they actually sound like?

"I think basically it's just pop music. They're just classic songs. We're not trying to be up our own arses by making something completely arty. We're not reinventing the wheel, but then we never said we were going to reinvent the wheel. Not at the moment, anyway. We'll start off by writing these, and then if we ever want to reinvent the wheel, we will." James explains, "and we'll make it triangular."

Their second single 'You've Given Me Something That I Can't Give Back' is out now, over six months after their debut single 'I Wish I Was You' pleasantly surprised them by charting at number 63.

"I didn't expect anyone to buy it, because we're not smoking crack," James says wryly.

The London crack scene is something of a sore point with New Rhodes, who are much more the kind of nice band you could take home to meet your parents than the kind you'd find lying in the gutter the next morning.

Couple this good behaviour with accents that could make Prince William seem like a bit of a chav, and it's no wonder New Rhodes recently found themselves branded 'posher than Keane'.

"It's ridiculous!" Jack exclaims. "James grew up on the outskirts of Bristol, and I grew up in quite a studenty area, so I've got a mongrel of all accents. [Steve]'s got a Canadian accent, and Joe's..."

"I just sound stupid," guitarist Joe Gascoigne adds. "That's my accent."

Drummer Steve Bishop answers, "I think it's just that we're polite and we've got manners."

"The funny thing is," Jack adds, "if we'd gone in to that hotel room and smashed up a table and called him a cunt and threw a beer in his face, he'd probably think we were the coolest band in the world."

In honour of the song 'I Wish I Was You', it seems only appropriate to ask who New Rhodes wish they were.

After a few moments of thought, Steve decides, "J.Lo. So I could look at my ass in the mirror all day."

James has rather different wishes. "I'd like to be a cat. I wouldn't like to be a person, because people are rubbish. But cats, you just get to sit around and purr. It's amazing. I'd only want to be a kitten though, because I don't want to grow old."

"I'd like to be an alien, because then you'd know if aliens existed." Steve adds.

So with the new single being about being given something (that you can't give back), what did New Rhodes get for Christmas?

"I got a plate-spinning set and a gnome." Joe answers.

"I got drunk." adds James.

When New Rhodes reach 40, will they change their name to Old Rhodes?

"Nah, we'll just get younger girlfriends," Steve jokes.

"Hopefully when we're 40 we'll have enough cash that we can keep on replacing all the old bits of our bodies." James muses, "I can get a new face and new hips and new everything."

Finally, can you tell us a joke, New Rhodes?

"I can tell you something funny I learnt the other day." Joe responds, "the words 'kung fu' actually means 'leisure time'."
Steve adds, "What's Kung Pao chicken then?"

"Leisure chicken?" Joe replies.

After lots of thinking and secretive discussion, the band urge Steve to retell a joke he told a few days previously.

"Speaking of bands who have albums released after they die, have you ever heard of Chick Pea?" Steve asks. "He had lots of post-hummus releases."
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