Ex Lion Tamers Crack The Whip

The festive bout of obsessive-compulsive “Best Of..” lists has now morphed into countless “One’s To Watch.” tips, like left over turkey, rehashed into all manner of dubious dishes. So DD would like to introduce a new category, “The One You’ve Probably Missed”. The Ex Lion Tamers are a ridiculously talented, hyper inventive, unsigned band from London armed with a sound like a brooding, Anglophile White Demin and early Birthday Party.
 
Dazed Digital: So who are the band?
Lou:  I sing , Darrell Hawkins is on guitar , James Giblin plays drums , Gaz Jones is on bass

DD: There is very distinctive art side to the band. Is there an Ex Lion Tamers art manifesto/concept?
L: there's no manifesto as such, we just try and be as inventive as possible with the tools at our disposal, which is what we do outside of the music as well with Darrell's painting and my writing; Jim and Gaz have got their own stuff going on as well. But creating music in a band, with four people, rather than individually is a whole different ball game.

DD: Last month you played the Under Age Festival at the Scala. Are you all musically wise beyond your years or was it just a great line up that inspired that?
L: Age doesn't come into it. We know eight year olds with better taste than most forty  year olds. Its all relevant.

DD: Your sound is unique and you’re are obviously coming at things from a very different angle than most at the moment..
L: Yeah, we have wide-ranging and varied interests in music individually, but we all have a common interest in Captain Beefheart, Billy Childish, Can, Liquid Liquid, Sonic Youth, Joy Division .. they're the glue.
 
DD: Where did you do the recording and is there an album planned? Anyone in particular you’d love to work with?
L: We recorded at Pinna Studios in Old Street. We recorded, mixed and mastered three songs in two days which is a tall order for anyone so we put in some long hours with the sound engineer. I don't think we've really ever thought of "working with anyone"; what we'd really love to do is get to grips with the equipment ourselves and have complete creative control.

DD: Do you all still work or is being an Ex Lion Tamer a full time, love affair?
L: We all still work. You need money to be in a band, its expensive; its hard-work not hedonistic in the slightest; you do it because you love your art. Being in a band eats up money and time but repays you by giving you an outlet, a cathartic process that allows you release and use the left-side of you brain. Being in Ex lion Tamers is a full-time love affair, but its taxing at points, but nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy to obtain and that what separates the bands that make it and those who don't. And talent: there's a severe lack of talent circulating these days.

DD: So is there a plan for world domination this year ?
L: We've got a nice run of gigs in January, Dice Club on the 11th, then Artrocker Festival with SCUM and Electricty in our Homes on the 15th, and then we're playing at Astoria 2 on the 31st.Apart from that the plan's is to keep making music to the best of our ability and improve that ability. We’ll find a label, record and release.
 
DD: Excellent. Incidentally, how do you tame a lion? A giant ball of string?
L: We weren't very good at it.

Ex Lion Tamers play Dice Club (Hoxton Bar and Kitchen) on the 11th January.