WHO: Thirst Band
WHEN: 10th Aug 2001
INTERVIEWED BY: Paul | getanightlife

Well we rang around a bit and managed to catch up with the great hit band Thirst before their headlining appearance at the Southsea Music Festival, Vertigo on 18 August 2001.

Okay Thirst, first thing's Thirst - what's your name all about? Is it a thirst for life? A thirst for music? Let us in on this one!

It's one of those names that's quite indirect in terms of meaning – which we like. At the time when we picked it 'one word' band names were the fashion so we kinda went for a word that would convey a sense of 'needing' and 'craving'. The name of a band is fairly irrelevant though, it's the band that make the name, not the other way around. You can have a stunningly wicked name and still be a pile of camel dung – and if that's the case then no one would wanna know about your name anyway.

The getanightlife crew have been doing their research and when we mention 'Thirst' the reply we get always includes the word 'Grunge'. So is this good or bad? What exactly is grunge? You seem to be the Kings of it!

Oh jeez, that's just people being f**king lazy... I guess our first album had it's 'grunge' moments but if people really bother to listen properly to what we're doing, especially in the new stuff, then they'll hear that we've taken elements of a wide variety of music (including grunge) and we've taken the sound somewhere new. Anyone who thinks we're just grunge is just not listening.

Shamelessly plug your new single 'Collapse' in no more than twenty words! Also make sure you don't mention it's from your album 'From Mouth To Skin' as that would be too much of a plug!

OK, this is said in an OTT American accent...

"3.5mins of glorious 'in-your-face' melody, served on a bed of ballbreaking musical backbone, and one of the lyrics patronises the ignorant listener."

So how has Collapse been received in the UK? You must have your fingers crossed that it does anything but collapse!

Well, it's sold out of it's initial pressing, Steve Lamacq (Radio 1) loves it, kerrang gave it KKKK and made it single of the week, rocksound gave it 4/5 and fanzines hail it as the best thing we've ever done. I think the UK seem fairly partial to it :-).

Got any 'groupies' yet? If so where? Do you wanna be big in the UK or do foreign shores appeal more?

Oh, we've met some very beautiful people along the way, though I don't like the term 'groupie' - I prefer 'intimate friend' - and we're very lucky – we have a lot of those. As far as being big in the UK or abroad – as long as people are 'getting' it we gonna 'give' it, geography doesn't come into the equation.

MTV loves you, what makes you so special then? What type of music do you play and why does it appeal?

Our music is soulful, dangerous, passionate and emotionally open. We use hard sounds and soft sounds to create our own identity. You won't be bullshitted by this band – we're honest and true to the colour we're creating. We're not going to succumb to the latest fad (ska-punk, nu-metal) just to get a crowd. We've got longevity and we’re still gonna be making music long after the latest fads fade away.

You've appeared with Bush, Feeder and My Vitriol! Very impressive... we caught up with Feeder at T In The Park and they’re good guys! So how long before we see you at festivals such as T?

Oh we're ready to be playing those festivals now, we're just waiting for the people who 'work our corner' to get their arses in gear and sort it out. Unfortunately it's no longer just about being a good band with a good following – you have to have seen certain ceilings – (if you know what I mean).

Ever been to Southsea before? Is it a whistlestop tour or will you be sampling the local pubs and clubs during your visit? Not sure where plays grunge but Route 66 may just serve up some 'Teenage Dirtbag' for you!

As it happens we practically live in southsea, it's about 10mins walk away, so we regularly sample the local pubs and clubs. Though I think on the night of the festival we'll be looking a lot close to the main stage for our entertainment – the best things in life are free right? :-)

Have a great festival and good luck with the single guys!

Thirst || Cheers xxx

Well that's all from Chris Perrin and the rest of the Thirst band, but don't forget if you want to hear more of their music get yourself down to Castle Field Southsea, Portsmouth on 18 August 2001 or of course you can check out their website www.thirst.net.

Interview by Paul | getanightlife