1.   So Jen tell us a little bit about your musical history/career so far and the two bands in which you currently dwell namely Thracia and Mispelt 2.0.  If you can mention Spider Monkeys in the answer then five black bananas' are yours!

Well When I was a youngster, I was in a metal band called Defenestration, we had a great time recording albums, touring and playing some really cool and big gigs, I did it professionally for a time but got royally fucked over by a record company so never made a penny, not that I'd change it for the world! Anyway, those lads got
fed up with not being "cool" so decided to quit and go emo and I didn't fit that mould, thank the god of spider monkeys! Anyway, I formed Thracia, over 5 years ago and with a few line up changes, we settled on the one we've got (after nicking Mispelt's drummer Kev). I joined Mispelt 3ish years ago as they were thinking about shaking things up a bit, they were actually my fave Northampton band anyway, so it was really cool to join. I might not be touring Europe or having my face in Kerrang magazine every week but I'm happier in my music than ever and I kept my integrity!
 
2.   Dabbling in both punk and rock I'd like you to tell us what comparisons can be made and which crowds to you find most rewarding to play to.

I much prefer punk crowds. end of. I used to play to metal crowds with metal bands and it is a terribly macho and sexist scene to be in. Punks just don't care if you're a girl, it's ace! I think with Thracia, we get a strange reaction with metallers and rock crowds, and even some punks.. cos we're a bit odd I guess, but it's so much fun and I like it and to be honest that's all that matters! So in answer to the question, its most rewarding playing to anyone who wants to come along, enjoy some music and have some fun! (and not be sexist about it!)
 
3.  I remember not long back that you fell victim to a bout of nerves at your first Mispelt show and yet still knocked out a crackin' performance.  How do nerves affect you and what motivates you to get up there and sing away?

I ALWAYS get nervous! always have! I think its cos I'm not naturally a forward person and to get up and do what I do, means I have to work myself up a bit. I know all about fight and flight and autonomic responses from my psychology studies, I'm textbook really, not pleasant at times but I always enjoy it when I do it, so its worth the unpleasantness..
 
4.  I have a confession to make which many may be shocked by!  I had an 11 year affair with Eric the Chimp who starred in numerous Tetley Tea bag adverts of yesteryear.  Yes I know Eric was living with Homo-primate Orifice the Orang-utan but the sex was superb and the way he used to manipulate the old Fife banana was electric.  The question however is this - are there any chimpanzees in the world that you love (in a sexual kind of way) and would you start a family inside a tea bag and rear thy young on the succulent leaves found therein.  If you could mention Jeremy Thorpe in the answer I would be most impressed and, to my own disgust, aroused!

I am not sexually attracted to any chimps, no but I am very in touch with the chimp within..It escapes sometimes, unpredictably, sometimes in the middle of the night..I would prefer a chimpy baby than a human baby..but babies are well out of the question at the moment! I think everyone should be in touch with their inner chimp, as Jeremy Thorpe
once said "the chimp is better out than in" and you can take that how you want really, sexual or not.
 
5.  The best Thracia and Mispelt songs to date and what makes them so special?

Live I like doing Sea of Tediocrity by Thracia, I think the song is bouncy and the lyrics sum us up brilliantly. We have some new ones on the go too which I've written about my job and stuff that really annoys me, its like my therapy. Mispelt hmm I like Alien, cos I have often felt like that myself. Its one of the songs that I used to love before
I was in the band. I also like Something for The Weekend, cos I get to start it and I like being in charge!
 
6.   Influences in life and music as well as your personal heroes and zeroes?

I don't have any influences on purpose when it comes to my singing, I think that's because 1. When I started, I was far to naive to be influenced and 2. however much I try I can't sound like anyone other than me! I really admire Skin from Skunk Anansie, Debbie Harry and Ronnie Spector. In life, My Nan and my Gran are my heroes, so strong
and brave. Zeroes are stupid little groupie girls that make my job harder as a female in a band trying to be taken seriously!
 
7.  Tell us about your best and worst experiences in the noisy arena.  Be honest now and brutally realistic.

Having hopes and dreams is the best experience and having them ripped from you the worst! But thats the music business all over! DIY all the way!
 
8.   Dunk the Spunk whom twangs strings in thy band apparently has a fetish for the rear ends off those purple arsed primates whom he says he likes to visualise whenever he 'flings one off the old arthritic wrist'.  We all know that Dunk is mentally crippled, is possessed by the demons of the dick and has a collection of dried gorilla gonads second to none.  The point is the man is evil and all I ask you to do is tell us 5 deviant things this man has been involved with.  We need to clear the air and corrupt cretins such as this need exposing!

1.Once we were playing a really big gig and our stage time came but we couldn't find Dunk, when we did, he was eating cocktail sausages out of a big bowl, I told him to hurry up but he wouldn't stop and he just said "but they're free" We missed our important slot...this is really true but only I saw it happen and I was asleep.

2.We play a lot of gigs with a band called Born to Destruct, Dunk is forever fantasising about Moose Man and Woodstock, he once disappeared round the back of a venue with them and I popped out to the car and I saw it..its painful.. the three of them... with mankinis...It has truly traumatised me.

3.Dunk has a pet meerkat that he keeps under his hat, he calls it Boris. Boris also wears a mankini..but not by choice. Sometimes Boris tries to escape, but all he manages to do is lift the hat up a bit.You can see this in the Junkfood Generation video, if you don't believe me, watch the hat.

4. He keeps a picture of Dave FungalPunk in his wallet wearing a
mankini, I think he photoshopped it but I'm not sure...?

5. Anything else would really push the boundaries of repulsiveness, so I can't bear to mention them and if I do, Dunk might put his finger in my ear again while I'm asleep in the car, he told me it was his finger...I hope it was his finger!! aaaaagggggh!
 
9.   What are your ambitions as a musician and have you ever tried to play a musical instrument.

I played the Ocarina at primary school, i can play the Recorder and I played the Oboe in the wind band at school, Singing is my main thing though, I'm hopeless on guitar.
 
10.  Some primates live in trees, some don't and prefer to live in 5 star villas, some gibbons smoke cigars, some are on the pipe - oh what funky monkey facts.   Tell us five monkey facts one of which must concern the sexual prowess of John Craven and one which must involve clothes pegs.  Failure to come up with five facts will result in the immediate explosion of your buttocks and the rest of your body breaking out in 4 cornered bubo's!

1.A small blue monkey from Bavaria will be running the world in 5 years
time.

2.John Craven has a monkey brothel in Slough, where he trains and grooms monkeys to perform sexual acts, he has recently completed a Masters degree in Evolutionary Fornication.

3.A chimpanzee called Yoyo first invented the clothes peg when trying to solve the problem of wet chimpanzee cubs after she had spilt her PG tips.

4.The name of the first chimp in space was Ham.

5.I have Cheeta the chimp's Autobiography "Me Cheeta"
 
11.   Tell us about your local scene - faces, places, disgraces etc!

Sawyers was an awesome venue but sadly closed down due to lack of support from Kettering yokels. There is a serious lack of people willing to put on gigs, local places to Northampton are the Roadmender (which you can play if you are either indie wank or are prepared to sell your soul to the owner). The Racehorse, where Northampton Punks Picnic took place, organised by Jemma from Rotten Agenda, a brilliantly traditional punk band, we have Black Skull Squadron-hardcore punk, Atrocity Exhibit-Fast-slow Grind, Pretty Deadgirls-Sleazy Rock n Roll.. There are a load of indie bands and emo kids but the aforementioned ones are the ones that stick together and make the local scene for me.
 
 12.  And lastly - peddle thy bands - go. go, go and get everyone's curiosity roused.

Mispelt: We are ace! really good! honest! I'm rubbish at this! he, he, We have a new CD out, National Insecurity, which is apparently quite good, you should come and see us live too, cos we put on show and we're very loud!

Thracia: We are a bit strange but endearing, we have a new CD out, Sea of Tediocrity, which has monkeys all over it and is jolly good! you should come and see Thracia live cos we are unique and raucous!

BACK