LH: Hi there! First up, I would like to say how much I enjoyed your album ‘Malice In Wonderland’ – I have been playing it almost non-stop since it arrived and already I’m thinking it will be appearing in my top 10 albums of 2009! Have you had much response to the album yet – I was surprised to find hardly any interviews with you guys on the web!

Dean: Thank you so much, it’s always good to hear when someone ‘gets us’. We have actually done quite a lot of online interviews but most of these have been in European webzines. Our press in the UK has been mostly in the Gothic publications.

Lucas: And in the UK, at least, most of these were done over a year ago now. We’ve also had reviews turn up in some of the metal/rock magazines, such as Kerrang, Metal Hammer, Terrorizer, Powerplay, etc, but now that our label has secured new distro territory we’ve sparked some further interest in our home country!

LH: According to your website the album came out in March 2008, which I must admit shocked me seeing as it only just made it through my letterbox almost a year later! I’m guessing there has been some kind of delays on the business end of things, such as lack of distribution when it originally was released. Could you shed a bit of light on this?

Dean: The album was originally a ‘self release’ here in the UK in November 2007 on our own Uninvited Music label. Maddening Media heard a few tracks from it on our MySpace page and released the album in Europe in March 2008. The reason you have only just received it is because Maddening Media have only just acquired UK distribution.

LH: As far as labels go, Maddening Media really seems to fit your oeuvre perfectly, giving that they place such importance on creativity and uniqueness. How did you come to work with the label, and how has your experience been with them so far?

Lucas: Following a few a listens to our tracks on MySpace they sent us a very long email expressing admiration for our material and offered us a deal. After a few more emails back and forth, we realised just how right they were for us. As you rightly noted, they focus heavily on artistic uniqueness, the somewhat avant-garde, or to use their own slogan: "excellence & innovation. - emotion & art." But that aside, our label manager is just such a great guy to work with too - hardworking, honest, flexible and reliable. We are very happy indeed to be on the label!

LH: I love the artwork for the CD; it is really striking and yet quite simplistic. It was designed by Lucas Swann; did you go to him with a definite idea of what you wanted, or did you give him quite a lot of scope to play around with it?

Lucas: That’ll be me! It’s kinda handy having a designer in the band I guess! Concept wise, Dean and I had plentiful discussions about the artwork before anything was produced. Since I’m obviously so in-tune with our music, the artwork and design just came naturally really. But we must also thank our photographer, Sebastian Migill, whose vision and style greatly contributed to the cover too. After we saw his photographs the three of us sat down and worked out an order to the booklet, working with the surrounds of each piece and the intention to make it almost like a fairly-tale book. The artwork came from this initial stage mapping really, I just put the details in and made it more colourful and extravagant!

LH: Well it didn’t take much to figure that the album title is a play on the tale Alice In Wonderland, which just seems to fit the album content nicely. As stated in the PR blurb, it represents the juxtaposition of “Malice” (reality, the human race, etc.) and “Wonderland” (joys and fantasy), but I also see that this is done with a very child-like feel. Was this something that was intentional, and if so, what attracted you to do the album in this way? I guess it is your inner children coming out to play!

Dean: You really seem to have understood where we are coming from, haha! Yes, we wanted an adult fairytale-like theme to the album, like a collection of stories with a linear thread. ‘Malice In Wonderland’ summed this up nicely.

LH: The album has some real entertaining moments such as ‘Strange Gothic Romance,’ but also the album tackles some incredibly serious lyrical themes that force us to take a good, harsh look at reality, albeit in a somewhat playful manner. The lyrics to ‘Abigail’ are so clear in the song that it is almost quite uncomfortable to listen to, in a similar way as watching a documentary on child abuse feels a little pervasive. It’s hardly an untouched area for bands to sing about, but often the lyrics seem kind of secondary and don’t leap out with quite so much poignancy. Was this something that you intentionally wanted to do?

Dean: Absolutely, as an adult I feel I can handle such subjects, and I try very hard to handle them in a direct but sensitive way. Music is my forum, it is where I have my say, and I get tired of the repetition in the themes of popular music. Surely child abuse is a more important issue than “oh, my girlfriend has snogged another guy, blah, blah”. I have received emails from people who have suffered in the way Abigail has, thanking me for addressing the issue; such feedback reassures me that I did the right thing in writing that lyric.

LH: Another track that I find particularly moving is ‘The Law of the Playground;’ by no means a fantastical theme, and I’m sure many people are able to relate to this song in some way or another. I was wondering if this, or in fact, any of the songs on this album are in any way autobiographical, or written about someone you know?

Dean; Yes, I was bullied at school, although my reason for writing this song was more to do with the fact that it continually goes on rather than the fact that I suffered it to a degree. Quite a lot of my lyrics are written from my personal experience, I’ll leave it to the reader to figure out which, hehe!

LH: The song essentially deals with a boy who commits suicide to escape the torments of his peers. As I point out in my review, over the years we have seen a number of bands, from Judas Priest to Marilyn Manson, lambasted by the popular press for allegedly promoting suicide. I know I personally find it infuriating that certain parts of the press and society can use music as a scapegoat in the way they do, when so often it is what keeps people going through the tough times. Does it concern you at all that some people may interpret this song in this way, and do you have any views on this?

Dean: It doesn’t concern me in the slightest. If anyone should consider this song as a ‘celebration’ of or an ‘incentive’ to suicide, then I think it is they who should worry not I.

LH: On a similar theme, I did manage to fall upon one interview done at a festival in Leeds with Inkubus Sukkubus a couple of years ago, which was a benefit concert organised for S.O.P.H.I.E. where you vaguely mentioned that you support what they are doing. There is so much intolerance in our society towards those who are seen to be different, whether in the way they dress, the music they listen to or because they don’t act a certain way and I would personally like to see less of this intolerance, and a realisation that those who do not quite fit the norm should not be discriminated against, in the same way that they should not on the grounds of race or gender. I was wondering if you have any opinions on the matter.

Dean: I agree with you totally, actually, there are two songs on our first album ‘Faith In Oblivion’, titled ‘Beautiful Orchid’ and ‘The Devil’s Toybox’ which approach this subject directly. We are firm believers in not following the crowd, in being ourselves, society is full of sheep…..it’s boring, unless you’ve got some mint sauce hehe! Seriously though, I have written a song about Sophie Lancaster called ‘Death of an Angel (Sophie’s Song)’. Hopefully we will be releasing it on a single towards the summer.

LH: My other half commented on ‘Human,’ saying that the lyrics were a bit close to the bone. I see this as a very accurate portrayal of how religion has caused so many pointless wars and there is so much hatred that goes on in the name of God/Allah or whoever. It’s refreshing to see such a considered view against religion, but I was wondering exactly where you stand on such matters? Do you think the world would be a better place without religion, and do you think it holds any positive value in this day and age?

Dean: My views on religion are well documented. A large part of our first album ‘Faith In Oblivion’ addresses this issue. I admit it has its place; it can be a comfort for people in difficult times. However, it is clearly a fiction and I gave up having imaginary friends when I was eight. There is no tangible evidence to support the existence of any ‘god’ and the trouble and pain the idea causes is massive…..it is also the convenient backbone to bigoted ideologies. In my opinion it’s nonsense!

LH: You seem to have a very eclectic range of influences mixed into your sound; not only from Goth and metal genres. I pick up on strong classical vibes, jazz…and ‘Jack Dandy’ seems to almost have a theatrical Broadway feel to it…and of course the kazoo! Do any of you have any background in any of these styles of music? I can’t see it being too easy to achieve without some real musical training of some description.

Dean: I do have a theatrical background yes…and I do think it shows, haha! You certainly have digested us well…thank you! As for other musical genres, I listen to almost everything, and I feel it gives us the freedom to express ourselves outside of any particular box.

Lucas: I was classically trained on the piano in my early days and then later taught to improvise by a Jazz pianist. I’ve been a huge fan of Jazz all my life in fact, alongside the more alternative musical genres. It’s a part of me and luckily Uninvited Guest is all about being true to ourselves in our creativity. Our backgrounds certainly show in the music and I greatly believe this attributes to something of its quality.

Rick: I’ve been playing and teaching all styles of music for many years now, as well as performing and writing music for theatre and film. Obviously I like all things dark and heavy, but the chance of working with a grade 8 kazooist was a real bonus!!! Certainly seeing something so big and shiny being blown live is amazing!!!

LH: Shawn Cope left the band after recording ‘Malice In Wonderland’ so I believe, and he was replaced by Raze. I notice that he is much more rooted in his heavy metal than the rest of the band who appear more Goth oriented, so do you feel he has brought a slightly different angle to the fold?

Dean: Shaun was actually also a metal guitarist. I think a metal edge is very important to the UG sound, so when Shaun left we actively searched for another metal player. We’re very excited about finding Ricky Raze, I don’t think the UG sound will change…but it will expand.

Rick: I have very eclectic tastes, and the chance to be part of U.G. was just the opportunity I’d been waiting for. Hopefully what I bring to it will only add to what I already see as been my ideal band.

LH: I sometimes think that too much emphasis on image can detract from the musical performance, but with the kind of sound you guys (and gal!) have I think it is nice to have something visual to accompany the music; I can’t imagine your songs coming across quite as well if you were on stage in jeans and t-shirts. How important would you say the image and aesthetics are to the band?

Dean: I think the problem is that it has been known for bands to hide their musical shortcomings with an elaborate image. This is not true of UG. We are dedicated 100% to both the music and the image. Why not have both? Our image is just the wrapping in which to present our music, and as such, it has to represent us in much the same degree.

Rick: To me, each U.G. song is in itself like an epic film. You wouldn’t make a film without costumes or make up!!!

I was reading that your bassist recently went through a sex change. How have fans generally reacted to that; have they been accepting, or has there been much negativity toward it?

Lucas: As we speak in fact she’s in Thailand having the operation, so reactions to this are as yet unknown. To the more gothic inclined audience I really can’t see any negativity arising. Of course, you always come across the odd bigoted sod in the wider alterative scene, but hey, these are the kinds of people we’d rather not have turning up at our gigs! In any case though, Jane has been female in gender terms for quite some time now, so the switch biologically speaking probably won’t even be noticed by a great many!

I can imagine you putting on quite a spectacular show in the live setting. Do you consider yourself more as a live band, or do you prefer being in the studio?

Dean: As much as I love performing I have to say I prefer the studio experience in some ways. I like the creativity of it, and the feeling that you have your dreams realised and that they’re then there for you to digest at your leisure. Having said that, a crowd applauding and singing your lyrics back to you is very humbling and can be very moving at times too!

Rick: For me it’s both. There’s too much within the songs to capture alone in a single medium.

Lucas: Yep, both have their different qualities!

Are there any plans to do any touring soon? It would be really great to see you back in Leeds!

Lucas: Given Jane’s operation and the fact that we’re beginning to write a 3rd album, we won’t be back on the road till the summer. But, I can assure you that Leeds is always at the top of our list! We debuted there and have always enjoyed returning!

Finally, I was wondering how far along you are with your next album? I read somewhere that there are plans to make a concept album. Could you tell us a bit more about this yet? When is it likely to be released?

Dean: It usually takes us about 3 years to write and record an album, so we’re probably looking at 2010 for our next one. As mentioned earlier there will hopefully be a single early summer though! In the meantime, here are a few new song titles to wet your appetite: ‘Death of an Angel (Sophie’s Song)’, ‘The JudderMan’, and ‘I am Your Circus’.

That’s all the questions I have for now! Thanks for the interview and good luck for the future! Feel free to leave us with a few parting words.

Dean: I’d just like to thank you again for your kind review and particularly listening to our album with an open mind, it does show that you understand where we are coming from. To your readers I wish a happy and prosperous 2009…and I hope you enjoy Uninvited Guest.

Rick: Thank you very much. Hope to see you at one of our shows!!!

Lucas: Many thanks!

For more on the band check out http://www.myspace.com/uninvitedguestuk
http://www.uninvitedmusic.com

Interviewed by Luci Herbert

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