One on One with // Daystar

Your album is out now – are you proud of it?

Yes, we’re all very proud of it – some of the sounds we created on the album are fantastic. It was a bit of a learning curve for us at the time, but now we aim to come back with the second album and create something that Syd Barrett would have got off his face to.

You’ve just played a session for The Sun and some instores for Pretty Green – did you enjoy them?

The Pretty Green gigs we did were fantastic and an excellent chance for us to show our diversity by performing renditions of our songs in an acoustic light. We got a top response at the Pretty Green stores AND a free item of clothing!

What do you hope to do before the end of 2012?

Pete: Start a religion called Cosmic Love Cadets.
Ste: Complete the things I should’ve completed by the end of 2011.
Tom: Get lots of good gigs & festivals lined up.

How would you describe your music for people who don’t know you?

If we were to base it on what we’ve been writing recently it would be Colourful, Atmospheric, Shoegaze.

Which song do you wish you had written?

Pete: Already There by The Verve…
Budgie: The Stone Roses – Song For My Sugar Spun Sister.

Who is your ultimate icon and how have they inspired you?

Ste: Mani. He just goes out there, happy to stand at the back and keep his head down and just belt out these amazing basslines.
Ryan: Jim Morrison ‘cus he’s very dissident in his approach to music, Johnny Marr ‘cus he’s a wizard and Jarvis Cocker because of his wit.

What’s your favourite track on the album and why?

We all have a different favourite from the first album, but the two standout tracks for us all are Paralysing and Don’t Need This. When we perform songs from the album live it’s always a different song that the audience favours – you can never judge what to play! We’ve started playing a few new songs live and the crowds seem to like them, so I suppose that’s always a good place to start with the next one!

What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to the band?

The first thing that springs to mind involves our drummer Tom. We got asked to play a charity football match with loads of bands like Two Door Cinema Club, The Twang, Little Comets, and a load more. It was down at Leyton Orient FC and Tom didn’t really wanna play. In the first game he comes on as a substitute and gets well and truly stuck into this big dopey twat from some other band… Little did he know there were another two players (one of them being on our team) coming up either side of him for the same challenge. One takes his thigh, the other takes his shin, and our Tom gets absolutely crunched and goes down in a heap with his knee cap around the back of his leg. That wasn’t a nice experience. The absolute trooper came back a few hours later and got straight on the Guinness with a huge round of applause from all the bands. Absolute soldier.

Describe yourself in three words?

Ste: Really shit at Maths.
Budgie: Wet, moist and dripping.