Midas

Interview by Colin, We7 Music Correspondent
Hailing from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, Midas have chosen to take the DIY route to success. It is already paying dividends - last year they scored chart success with their singles 'Red Shoes' and 'Don't Dance'. Their brand of ferocious Indie Punk infused with Pop melodies has earned them a loyal following nationwide.

Midas are Kris Lloyd (Vocals/Guitar), Rich Lloyd (Synths/Vocoder), Jake Mason (Bass), Lee Scott (Guitar) and Dave Mason (Drums).

Currently touring the UK, they took some time out to speak with We7 about their music, their We7 exclusive track 'Prima Donna' and their future!

Interview

Hi guys, how's things?

Lee: We're very well, thank you.

How is the tour going?

Lee: It's going really well thanks, the reaction we're getting online is superb. We do encourage people to leave us a message from the previous nights gig. We still have some great dates to look forward to. Cardiff is always good and will be the 3rd time we've played there in a year. We're really looking forward to the local shows though as we're again playing to a sold out Little Civic in Wolverhampton and gearing up for a huge show at the Academy in Birmingham.

You've been together as a band for around 5 years now. How would you say your sound has grown in this time?

Kris: Experimentation really. We didn't always have Rich playing Synths so that opened up different avenues for us to explore. Also playing with backing track machines in recent months means we can make a bigger broader live show taking in stuff that we can't do live before...

As a band you seem very self sufficient. Is it difficult to organise everything yourself?

Kris: It's certainly a challenge trying to organise everything. Keeping tabs on most things can sometimes mean other things are overlooked. I guess one of us then has to take on the mantle of organ grinder and divvy stuff out that needs doing. Lee tends to look after getting T-Shirts done. But we are lucky enough to be sponsored by Jagermeister so they provide a lot of extra merchandise. Putting out records on your own is challenging but the rewards are worth the effort that goes in, tenfold. I suppose if it were easy then everyone would do it, but with the number of unsigned or underground bands now hassling the charts the evidence is there that it's becoming increasingly easy to put music out there and promote it via the Internet.

Was it a conscious decision to release records yourself, without the support of a record label? Would you consider signing to a larger label if the deal was right?

Kris: Well the support of a record label is nice, but the support of a big fan base is better. Given that most people who visited our website wanted a Midas CD we thought the time was right for them to be able to get something. Obviously we wanted it done formally and as professionally as we could manage, so that fans had a quality product. It was great to see a packed HMV showcase, and we were thrilled that fans were prepared to wait for up to an hour to get their nice new shiny CDs signed. I would like to think we judged the demand about right and gave people exactly what they wanted.

Rich: A label's support would be good as the things associated with being signed would fall into place easier, I guess even with some of the administrative pressures taken off us we could focus even better on working very hard for the band and our followers. We could certainly coordinate our efforts and tour more extensively. It may even lead to the holy grail of giving up our day jobs!

Looking back to August last year, how did you feel when your single 'Red Shoes' was banned from the Official UK Charts?

Jake: As you can imagine finding out that the Official Chart Company had decided to remove the single from the charts was probably the lowest point in our musical career so far. It wasn't helped by the fact that we were informed of the decision only hours before everyone at the OCC offices left for the weekend so it gave us very little time to try and appeal their ruling. Only a few weeks beforehand we had been commended by Music Week for our innovative sales techniques, focusing the majority of our efforts into SMS based sales. To then be told our previously commended work was the reason for our disqualification made the news even more annoying. The whole situation has made us stronger and has not dampened our enthusiasm, or our willingness to try new things.

Tell us a little about your latest song Prima Donna - what was the inspiration behind it?

Kris: Prima Donna is written about over the top people that we've had the misfortune to rub shoulders with, some really shady characters. Hence the line: 'If you choose now to lay down with dogs/You're going to get up with fleas'. The song is about the choices we make, standing up being counted or going with the flow, 'Pretend that its ok/Makes them think that your heart's still in it'. It's like most of our songs; a situation that's happened to one or all of us is expanded and taken to its conclusion. I am sure if they listen hard enough they will recognise themselves.

You've recorded and released a few singles that have had some success - any plans to follow up with an album?

Lee: After 'Don't Dance' and the success of 'Red Shoes', we really want to get the chance to push our first album. At the moment though we are thinking about releasing an E.P to coincide with a batch of dates we have over the summer months. We'd love an Indie label to take us on for our first album just so we can tour the hell out of it. That being said there is nothing to stop us putting out the first album digitally and release it with a load of artwork and all the usual bits and pieces you'd expect from a physical release.

You have a bit of a reputation for being innovative in the way you release music - do you see yourselves as a good example for other unsigned artists to follow?

Lee: Everything you do as a band these days has to be innovative to rise above the amount of superb unsigned bands out there. In a way Myspace has made it easier for bands to market their music but it's a double edged sword. There are so many bands on there now that it's difficult to be heard. It helps to bring your music to the attention of more people. Most bands try and concentrate on bringing their music to the attention of the Right People. You really don't need to - if there's enough momentum behind you then you're pretty difficult to ignore.

Rich: We used Indiestore on our first release and I think we were one of the first bands to make a decent chart success from it. We love the idea of We7, making it so much easier to make our music accessible to all the kids with a taste for Midas.

So what does the future hold for Midas?

Lee: I guess the way we look at things now is to improve, evolve and experiment; really push ourselves and leave, no stone unturned, that kind of mentality. A few festival dates have been bagged as a result and we're grateful to be playing them. But we continue to seek out more of the same. The festival in Venice last year was brilliant and we hope to go back soon. Apart from that, hard work and keep writing so that we have material for album numbers 1, 2 and 3.

Thanks for your time, Midas!

Download FREE Midas tracks...