Band Interview: Venus Fly Trap

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are pleased to bring you an interview with eclectic cult rock and roll band, Venus Fly Trap.

1. How did you get started as a band?

I just finished being in ATTRITION who were based in London at the time,I had done an album “SMILING AT THE HYPOGONDER CLUB” and toured Holland (my first sojourn abroad with a band). Decided to move back to my native Northampton(famous for BAUHAUS/ALAN MOORE) hooked up with my brother JOHN NOVAK(ISAWS/WHERES LISSE) and TONY BOOKER an x-art school student(I also had studied at art school).

This was my own project as opposed to being in someone else’s band,my idea was to get back to basics garage/rock n roll mixed with thumping drum machine beat,with dark vox and gothy atmospherics. For any new band you want to get out and play asap,but we recorded demo tracks quickly as the plan was to get a record deal. These things happened very quickly for us,we had a release out within a year of forming.

2. How would you describe your sound?

We have been described as “bladerunner rock n roll with dark acidic shades”, dark sonics for films in your mind. We are situated in the post punk genre (which is quite a wide term) melded with electronica. Think of Joy Division/Doors/Chemical Brothers and it gives you a rough idea of where we are coming from.

3. What bands/artists would you say have influenced your style of music?

Art/music is not made in a vacuum, we are all influenced by others, the trick is to take these elements and arrange them into something original, never wanted to sound exactly like another band, always striving to do something unique.

4. Has the rise of YouTube & music streaming helped or hindered you as a band?

YouTube is cool, good to see the visuals that go along side the music. Streaming is another format to go with CD/LP/DL/cassette….but I do like tangible objects, but you can have both. A lot of releases come with a download to go with the vinyl or CD.

5. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not making music?

Well these are interesting times to say the least…apart from the band I run a record shop SPIRAL ARCHIVE (shut at the moment) which I have been doing for quite a few years. I also DJ put bands on (not at the moment) and hope to be doing all in the not too distant future. My background is graphic design/photography studied at local art school and Coventry university. So I tend to do the designs/photography for the sleeves/posters/etc and I usually taking photos in random places/times. But I am a film fan so like to go and see films in a cinema if I can. I enjoyed JOKER recently and anything sci fi related.

6. What are your future plans musically? Tours?

Did have dates planned in May (but going to put them back to the autumn-who knows) to coincide with the release of VENUS FLY TRAP/ALEX NOVAK-MERCURIAL(BEST OF) CD/DL out on GLASS RECORDS MODERN. Got re-issues to be done for later in the year,but I’m weathering the storm at the moment as the shop is shut and no djing…good luck everyone,see you on the otherside…