Dead IDentities

"…hooky as shit!" OCTOBER 2006 issue.

Billy Talent reviews Dead IDentities single, 'Going Down' - Big Cheese Magazine

"…incredbly well put together songs, every nook and cranny has been seen to with rampant youthful lust, ‘Hangin' Around' must rank amongst the most perfect summer punk anthems that The Wildhearts never recorded, with a chorus that would make Mick Jones nostalgic for the days when he knocked out tunes with a temerity that seems to have passed to these guys somewhere along the way."

www.sleazegrinder.com - Sleazegrinder

This UK four piece know how to make a noise, catchy hard hitting anthems galore, these four tracks are a preview of a soon to be released album. Mixing powerful rock with good old punk rock to come up with an enjoyable sound that you will be singing along to in no time. Big sounding production with a great raw vibe to it all. A name to definatly keep an eye out for. Highlight track would be the closer on this preview disc, "Not My Country", with it's balls out introduction that flows really well throughout the whole song setting the mood and then a big gang vocal singalong chorus, high energy punk rock from start to finish with their own unique sound standing out.

http://www.bombshellzine.com/lowdowns/archive/240706.htm - bombshellzine.com

Do you have specific goals that you have set as a band?

Our goal mainly is to make sure people have a great time at our shows. If we get people enjoying it it makes us enjoy it and as long as we’re enjoying it nothing else matters.

When you were growing up, which bands inspired you? Do you still like them today?

When I was growing up I was listening to all sorts of stuff. Mainly Aerosmith, the Beatles and The Toy Dolls. The first song I ever sang in front of an audience was Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith at a Karaoke bar in Tenerife. And yes I still love them today.

What was your recording process like on your recent singles / EP and how did it differ from previous recordings?

We basically recorded the album first in one go. We’re just starting to release singles from it now. The recording process was fun. We all stayed in Wales and got very cold, very wet and very drunk. The difference to previous recording was the fact we were away from home and living together, which a great manly bonding session considering Tobes had only just joined. Glad we didn’t scare him off haha.

With the release of your new single, “Going Down”, what kind of expectations do you have in terms of exposure and commercial success?

Commercial success? What’s that?  Seriously, I don’t imagine we’ll be knocking on the door of the top 10 with this one considering it’s our first official release and it’s only available on itunes. But we are hoping to gain a few new fans as a result of it.

Where do you write most of your material? Do you make a point of sitting down to do it or do you just write whenever you’re inspired by something?

Yeah I guess whenever really. Best time for me is usually first thing in the morning. For some reason that’s when I have the most ideas, I blame it on the caffeine.

Do you think a punk band can have chart success without selling themselves out?

I guess so, but define selling out. These days it usually means just signing to a major label, and if a major label came up to me and offered me a million quid to record an album then call me Mr. Sellout.

Your booking and press is handled by Canadian upstart label Soundstreet. Being based in the UK, how did this relationship come about?

To be honest I have absolutely no idea! They just appeared like angels from heaven haha I’m presuming they might have seen our myspace site and got hold of us through that.

If wishes came true, what venue would you guys always be performing in and with what bands?

Personally it would have to be the Astoria in London. It’s such a dive but so prestigious. I would love to play there and it would be as support to The Wildhearts and The Toy Dolls.

North America has probably the biggest punk scene in the world. Are you targeting this market, and if so, what are you doing to get your name out there?

Hell yeah we’re targeting every market. We’re hoping to tour North America pretty soon and are hoping our nice new buddies at soundstreet are on the case.

Since joining the band, what new ideas has Toby Retallick brought along with him? How did he find his way into the band anyway?

He’s totally changed our sound and the way play. It’s such a relief not having to play lead guitar live. I’m pretty crap really haha. He added so much when we recorded the album, he put new licks over things I wouldn’t have dreamed of and changed the songs for the better. He’ also started writing some tunes as well. Toby rules dude. He came to be in the band through Jimmy. He used to play in a band with him when they lived in New Zealand.

Are you planning on playing any festivals in the future? Is that kind of thing a goal or do you just go with the flow?

We’ve played a couple of uk ones already that were a blast. We’d love to play the major festivals though that would be awesome. Any fest out there that asks us we will play.

At the moment you’re trying to organise a tour of Australia. What cities would you like to visit and have any of you been out here before?

Really looking forward to visiting Sydney. I have family out there, some I’ve never met before so would be great to see them. I’ve never been to Australia before personally but Tobes and Jimmy have ‘cause they used to live in New Zealand so they couldn’t really avoid it.

Do you have any funny stories from life as a punk band?

We love to wind up Jimmy. It’s so easy. Our recent trick is whilst on tour to let down Jimmy’s airbed which he’s just spent half an hour blowing up, then see him totally lose it to the point of near breakdown. Then insisting it must have a puncture. He still doesn’t realize it was us…until now. Sorry Jimmy.

What do you say to anyone who tries to pigeon-hole you guys as a pop punk band?

As long as people enjoy our music, come to the shows and buy are stuff, they can call us what the hell they like.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, and best of luck in the future!

Thank you very much.

http://ww - punkunited.com

It's very rare that I receive a new band's three track demo and think 'ooh, this is actually pretty good' - but fuck me, this is actually really good. Dead Identities only played their first gig two weeks ago, but the three songs here are fast, furious and catchy as hell blasts of punk rock with a real UK twist. Imagine Vanilla Pod or Fletcher with songs extra catchy and you're half way to hearing how good this band are. Opener 'Long Way Out' switches from a glorious slab of melodic pop-punk to a thudding breakdown which references bands like Screeching Weasel as well as the aforementioned UK acts.

'Sally Grew Up' is faster and not quite as good - it reminds me of Bad Religion for some reason - while 'Got It Good' sounds like Lookout-era Green Day; all polished hooks and dirty guitar riffs that get stuck inside your head. For me it's the emphasis the band place on song structures and hitting some of the catchiest choruses from a UK band I've heard in ages that make this stand out. Check these guys out; they remind me of the bands I first started getting into seven or eight years ago and while that shouldn't make these guys refershingly different, in a world where everyone's seemingly pissed off at their parents, this is something to cherish.

http://www.punktastic.com/reviews/1582 - punktastic.com