9 o’clock Nasty
9 o’clock Nasty formed in 2021 from the ruined fragments and broken dreams of other bands that went before. They are the world’s first Anti-Ga group, left-field, eager to please and driven to delight and perplex in equal measure. They narrate their grinding creative process from www.9nasty.com and are probably going to play at a venue near you one day. They are based in Leicester, UK.
Unspool my heart
Was ich an 9 o’clock Nasty wirklich schätze ist, da wird nicht lange herumgespielt, man kommt sofort zur Sache. Unspool my heart steigt sofort ein, quasi beginnt mit dem Refrain, ein Refrain im 60s Sound, gewürzt mit Psychedelica, einer Brise Rock und Sixties Harmonien. Der Sound sehr erdig und roh was für dieses Genre absolut passend ist. Die Vocals bringen einen nochmal näher an diese musikalische Dekade. Originell und mehr als nur gut, zwingen sie einen fasst zum Mitsingen. Hört man den Rest ihrer EP "Dry" wird aber schnell klar dass sie sich nicht auf diesen Stil allein konzentrieren oder festnageln lassen. Gespannt warten wir bereits auf ihre nächste EP die bald erscheinen wird.
The Interview
9 o'clock Nasty are...?
We formed 9 o’clock Nasty during the lockdown. We’ve all been in different bands and known each other as musicians for a while. On paper it shouldn’t work, we’re two bass players and a drummer, but we can all turn our hands to most things. One night, after one drink too many, the ideas for a band started to flow. We filled the back of an envelope with ideas for song titles and recorded our first song “Big Fish in a Small Pool” (which will be on the next EP “Growl” in August) the next day.
We use a tiny studio, it is only big enough for two people at a time, and only one person when the drum kit is in there, but it is a tremendously creative place. When we have guest musicians in to record we have to make them stand a long way away to be small enough to fit inside.
For Unspool My Heart, Ted had to do the vocals curled up under the table, and enjoyed it so much that it’s now become his favourite place. We’re lucky to have it. Coldplay recorded some songs there, so it’s in demand but DJ Dirty Boy, lets us work there for free provided we pander to his fragile ego.
Sometimes, when you go out, there is that moment when you realise things are about to get messy. You could go home but you won’t. You could say no to one more drink, but you don’t. You know it is going to happen and you choose to just let go and follow the flow. We call that the Nine O’Clock Nasty, that’s where the band’s name comes from.
Who inspired you to make music in general?
We’ve all been in bands for as long as we remember. Pete was actually in a children’s band that used to tour small clubs singing ABBA songs to crying mothers and desperate Uncles. Syd played in a marching band at the circus. Ted was banned by his parents from playing music and had to form an imaginary band through his teenage years. We’ve played punk, indie, alternative music and polka. Each of us had some success at different times. 9 o’clock Nasty is a chance to experiment and try out many different styles.
You’ll notice that although all the songs share many features, they all take a different space on the music-carpet. We love lots of kinds of music and like to play with different forms.
...and especially to the song "Unspool my heart"?
Unspool My Heart began with a conversation. We got talking about lost loves. People we’d had intense relationships with that had ended. We started off saying how we were glad they’d found someone new after we split up. Then we admitted we hated those new partners. The people who were not good enough for our lost-loves. The song rolled out from there. We usually start with a vocal hook and a couple of guitar parts and improvise a rough arrangement from there. Unspool was done in one night and we were laughing out loud at times with joy. The reaction to it has been fantastic.
"Unspool my heart" has this "60s-sound" charm, is it your favourite musical decade?
We love 60’s psychedelia and garage rock. We adore a lot of the bands that took elements of that and modernised it. People like The Cramps. Quite a few of our songs have a 60s guitar sound, and vocal delivery. We also like a song to be short. If we can’t tell the story in two minutes we need to try harder.
That said, anyone hearing “Walkman Walk,” another song from the next EP, would say we were trying to be a 1980’s synth band. Different songs need different treatments.
The EP, “Dry” is varied. There is the goth melodrama of “Preach Me Down”, the indie-guitar of “Sick Child” and the sheer-madness trip-hop of “What Time is Nasty?” They are very different, but we think they are all very much united by the group’s identity.
What is your creative process like?
Highly confrontational. We are passionate people and all want to make our mark. We have fought, smashed furniture, tweaked nipples all in the creative struggle. Pete once locked himself in the studio for a day to prevent anyone from altering the guitar part for King of Hackney. I had to cut his strings with wire-cutters once.
If you could change anything in the past, what would it be?
That is difficult to answer because on the one hand we are so lucky with the lives we have how could we change a thing. But… if we could go back in time….
This will be a reference that anyone not from England may struggle to fully appreciate, but if we could go back in time ten years and kick Nigel Farage right up the arse very hard on live TV, that would be on the Top Four list.
How do you feel the Internet (especially Social Media platforms) has impacted the music business?
The ability to reach hundreds of people without playing hundreds of gigs is wonderful. But it has made it much harder for a musician to earn a fair living from their music now. .
Some people will tell you that it used to be great before the internet. There was a really wild live music scene. Bands would play in tiny clubs week after week. They could dream of a record deal.
Anyone that says that should be made to watch Top of the Pops from the 1990s for a week.
What’s next for you?
We’re currently working on a new EP that will come out in August, and then another for September. We will probably release three of four songs each time as that’s a better strategy to reach an audience than doing an LP. We’re also going to record a few cover versions only for people that follow us on social media.
At the same time we’re making videos for the songs that are already released. We’ve done a couple that we really like and have ideas for some more. If anyone likes our music we’d suggest they take a look at the YouTube channel. The City of Leicester are using our latest video (for King of Hackney) for a tourist campaign to encourage people to visit the city, which is incredible.
Finally we want to play live. We didn’t write the music with gigs in mind, and some have more instruments than we can physically play at the same time. So the live dates will have to be very different from the recordings. That should be a good thing though, it will allow the songs to come out to play a bit. We very much want to play live in different places and unusual venues. If any reader can suggest something we’d love to hear from them.
