Deadcuts First Contact
Recomended: Deadcuts interviewed by Nina Antonia
Outcast and eloquent, Deadcuts formed on the first full moon of 2012. The London based four-piece featuring front man Mark Keds on guitar and vocals, former Skuzzie’s guitarist Jerome Alexandre, bassist Mark McCarthy and on drums, Joni Belaruski, serve as a reminder of music’s true intent. Messengers of the dispossessed, they excite and implode, teetering on the eclipse of survival. The truth is in their songs; moody, feral and bruised, they are kin to David Lynch, Link Wray, William Blake and Chatterton. Their material, numbers such as ‘The Breakers’ ‘Dusk Chasers’ and ‘Kill Desire’, spill over with delight and despair, veer into territories unknown before the pay- off, ragged vocals and spectral guitars. With virtually no advance publicity, save for word of mouth Deadcuts made their debut at the Signal Gallery in Shoreditch on March 1st before advancing on the Macbeth a month later. Both shows were sold out, vicious spectacles of sweat and wonder. September’s triumph at Jubilee, at the heart of bleary Camden Town is already framed in memory.
For a new band, Deadcuts have the élan of the past; a gilded history rising from the better days of alternative pop. Remember that? Maybe not but to the legion of Senseless Things fans’ Mark Keds is a mythic figure who subsequently strode into indie as the co-author of the Libertine’s most seismic statement ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’. The inimitable Mark McCarthy sharpened his teeth with the rousing Wonderstuff, renowned chart champs and festival favourites but parties end as the season’s pass. Aficionados of ‘WithGuitars’ will be familiar with Jerome Alexandre whose guitar playing and adroit song-writing brought him acclaim with The Skuzzies whilst Joni Belaruski’s surly drumming provides the perfect crest for the band’s frontline intensity; she’s fire to the monochrome.
For the last two months, Deadcuts have been ensconced in Drop-Out studios, Oval; the summer a mere abstraction as they lay down tracks for a forthcoming EP. Like their songs, the band’s choice of producer, Patrick Constable, formerly of Selfish Cunt, is a discerning one. Nocturnal life suits Deadcuts well, though the studio roof provides a panoramic view of London at sunset, where even the most jaded can dream again of a golden city; before the tarnish, witch-trials and the crucifixion of poets.
I managed to catch up with Deadcuts in between takes to ask them few questions.
Nina: “Mark, you’ve been on something of a musical hiatus. What has drawn you back into the arena?
Mark Keds: “I took a lengthy break from playing to sort out my drug problem. Being clean there isn’t much else I’d rather be doing than writing songs – having a stable line-up of great musicians in Deadcuts I get to record and perform. I’ve always trusted my intuition and gone with what feels good in my life and right now Deadcuts is the bomb.
Nina: “This one’s for Jerome. Your guitar playing sounds a lot more epic than with The Skuzzies. What has changed for you with Deadcuts?
Jerome: “With Deadcuts I want to evoke a cinematic feel, reminiscent of watching Kenneth Anger or Maya Deren. My guitar sound is a lot more experimental now, I feel freer. I can make the guitar sound like another instrument, something unearthly yet all too human, at the same time.”
Nina: “If Deadcuts were a film, what would it be?”
Mark McCarthy: “I would say we are like a David Lynch film, a bit fucked up and beautiful at the same time.”
Nina: “Joni, what’s it like working with a bunch of moody geezers?”
Joni: “This might be directed at the wrong person….I think perhaps I’m the moodiest geezer of the lot! Actually we usually have a laugh when we rehearse; there is a very good dynamic between the four of us.”
Nina: “Mr K, your lyrics now seem to come from a very pure, almost spiritual place. What has brought you to this new expression? It’s a radical departure from Senseless Things?”
Mark Keds: “Faith and the ability to be honest.”
Nina: “Tell me about the songs you’ve been working on for the forthcoming EP?”
Mark Keds: “Lyrically, ‘The Breakers is about night people, nocturnal seekers and tweakers – the lost souls of old London Town. Likewise, with ‘The Dusk Chasers’, I’m trying to articulate that feeling of eternal dissatisfaction – not fitting in, always feeling out of pace and being accepting of that, learning to enjoy it. ‘Built in our Way’ is about the horror of separation whilst ‘Overboard’ is about feasting on predatory motherfuckers that leach a living off artists. ‘Kill Desire’ is about losing someone close and ‘I Won’t Leave’ is about commitment. The opening line is ‘Ex-centric moderator/balance is sport/suspended in disbelief/harnessing terror. The lyrics are about courage, living life without being controlled by fear. They’re personal songs about life in the city – all the words I rhyme straight out of my diaries as I’m writing the music with Jerome. With the band, it’s important that we reach into the sonic extremes of light and dark – I’m not big on repetition so don’t expect verse chorus verse chorus middle 8 chorus. Musically, we are evolving fast.”
Nina: “This is for Mark M. As well as Wonderstuff, you’ve also played with Mick Jones amongst others. How would you say Deadcuts differ?”
Mark McCarthy: “Playing in Deadcuts is different from The Wonder Stuff because we hang out all the time, all live in the same town and rehearse together at least once a week. The Wonderstuff only get together a few times a year as we all live in different places. We have roadies, tour managers etc. which make things much easier but it won’t be long till
Deadcuts get all this but I am enjoying setting up my equipment and playing smaller venues, it’s more fun and challenging. Playing with Mick Jones in Dirty Stop Outs was a great experience. The gigs we did were amazing, we had a private jet to take us to one show in Austria, it don’t get any better than that.”
Nina: “Jerome, I believe you and Mark Keds had been friends for quite some time. How did Deadcuts come about?”
Jerome: “I first met Mark in the late 90’s. We frequented a lot of the same clubs and I used to go to his night at the Rhythm Factory ‘Mind Your Own Poison’ which is rightly remembered as being legendary. Essentially Mark and I are both street kids, we’ve had to grow up with our wits about us. Musically we hit it off right away. The exchange of ideas has been crucial in melding Deadcut’s songs.”
Nina: “Which drummers have most inspired you, Joni?
Joni: “Buddy Rich for sheer brilliance, Mo Tucker for simplicity. David Lovering, who is very underrated, Keith Moon and Animal of course…to name just a few.”
Nina: “What’s it been like working with Patrick Constable?”
Jerome: “It’s been great. The studio is built inside a World War 2 shelter; it has a spooky vibe at night which complimented the songs. Patrick is a very laid back producer. He let the band get on with it but was quite hands on at the same time. He knew how to bring out the best in the music. Selfish Cunt were so exciting to watch live so to work with Patrick and have his patronage at such an early stage means a lot. It proves we are on the right path.”
Nina: “If Deadcuts was a drink, what would it be?”
Joni: “A 2 litre bottle of triazepam? No, probably a large can of Relentless. Or a Bloody Mary. Depends on who’s drinking it.”
Nina: “The last question is for Mark Keds. What’s next for Deadcuts?”
Mark K: “Global domination baby!”
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