Ezra Bang and Hot Machine and the Three Plants
Walking away in an unbelievable daze, SUPERSWEET can’t fathom how we’ve spent almost three effortless hours with the five-piece band Ezra Bang and Hot Machine. Arriving with premature oomph, early birds bassist Sarah Belle and synth player Linus Jackson get cozy and chuckle about Ralph Phillips’ determined stage invasions, even unintentionally two-finger swearing to a Public Enemy crowd, after their war speech was lyrically delivered. Continuing to joke about the unavoidable tardiness of other members, the duo giggle how endearingly slow second synth player Mio Kuromori walks; Linus even caught Ralph pushing her down a NYC street! In strutting form, polished front man Ezra Bang arrives wearing his trademark bondage, a hardy chain with gold lock, and puts a game face on for our delving questions, only after he’s revealed who is his most proud gig punter: his mum!
SS: After supporting big names from Public Enemy, Ladytron, has there ever been a point where you have felt a little bit overwhelmed?
Ezra: No! (laughs) While we’ve made a lot of friends among other bands, it’s all happened quite quickly and the five of us have only been together since September! We did this VICE party: their second birthday party, to put us out there and they treat us really well. The same happened in Germany, but then we come back to London, we do shows that fail in some ways…
Sarah: The culture between breaking bands here in London and in Germany is really different. There, if you’re an artist: you are an artist. In London, it’s a bit hit and miss. We’ve rocked up the venue and say “You told us to be here for sound check, where do you want us unpacking?” and they’ll turn around and say: “Well people are eating dinner, they’ve just ordered some food, so when they’ve finished”.
Linus: At one gig there were just four mics! We use at least 10 mics!
SS: What best describes your music?
Ezra: Iggy Pop and the Stooges, with synths and gay disco!
SS: Ralph – You owned up to being the “stage invader” of Jarvis Cocker’s set mentioned in The Times Interview. Did you ever get to meet him after your intrusion?
Ralph: No, no no! I felt like I should keep myself anonymous at that point. Perhaps I’ll meet him in a better light.
SS: So did you just blag it then?
Ralph: I just thought “This is my mission!” I went up to the Jarvis manager; it was quite a smooth operation really…
SS: What did you say, I heard you took his mic?
Ralph: I didn’t go up with any ideas in mind, he basically took the champagne off me and handed me the mic, so I thought I better say something worth mentioning! I think he’s a really down to earth guy, that’s why I have a lot of respect for him. Then I went back to the guys finished off the champagne and got my bus home.
Linus: You were pretty trashed by then…
Ralph: Oh what!?
Linus: You left saying, “See you guys later, you’re all twats!
SS: You have been seen wearing trademark outfits, including your chain – is this a literal statement for your music?
Ezra: Ha! There’s no idea. I stole it! I thought “Fuck…Bling”! This is my thing. This will never go out of fashion!
Ralph: We actually specialize in accessories in this band. Rather than be fashionable, it’s more a statement of details. When we get changed backstage it’s always about applying details…
SS: Did you make that? (Ralph wears alphabet blocks around his neck)
Ralph: Yeah…
Linus: He also made this melted pair of Ray Bans they looked so cool, they were melted in the oven, and he comes down the stairs with a fragile chain on it.
Ralph: We are gonna start a side project. Hot Machine Accessories.
Ezra: Or Melt-Ban Ha!
SS: You are explicit within your music but do you ever restrain some feelings within your music?
Ezra: No, there’s no point in doing it. If you grow up in the world, especially in the US, it’s become so politically correct. My mum is preacher’s kid so we went to a church religiously; again there’s certain things you can’t say. There’s got to be some fucking place, where you can say exactly where you want and there’s no censorship. You are just trying to get to the truth of the matter, not universal truth, just human truth. That’s beyond political correctness and any of the bullshit. I never intentionally want to be explicit or vulgar, but life is explicit and vulgar on a daily basis, so why not? You can have bombs falling all the time and but you still have people writing and singing about girls in clubs.
SS: How would you like to be remembered in 50 years?
Ralph: Same way Che Guevara is remembered. Fidel Castro,
Ezra: Stalin…
Ralph: In the history books…
Linus: Wikipedia!
Ezra: They’ve got a course now in film school, called Post-Tarintino Film, so I reckon you could study Post-Ezra Bang Hot Machine.
Sarah: Definitely not rocking up to Twickenham and still trying to bring it, after doing years of absolute shit music and just still coasting on.
Ezra: Haha! Yeah The Revival Tour (starts singing) “Pussy Got Nine Lives” (laughing)
SS: You’ve joined a range of artists who have sold their music for an advert (3 Mobile), despite your public success. Is this essentially the way to make money now?
Ezra: They are definitely a form of selling out, but then so is the moment you charge someone for your music. So is the moment you decide to sign with a major, even if they are a small imprint. Like EMI, has a weapons division, so when you put your record out, you are funding bombs falling. It’s just what level of selling out you are comfortable with.
SS: You mentioned you had a heated debate with Hank Shocklee from The Bomb Squad about the music scene, what are your beefs with the music industry today?
Ezra: It was a conversation about The Roots; they have 400,000 solid fans who will always buy their music. The problem with The Roots is that they want Lil Wayne’s two million fans, but they are all idiots. I would never trade that solid 400,000 for those 2 million. My argument was that music has been devalued by the industry itself, to the point where it’s so disposable. Naturally you get people making things that are disposable. If nothing has value of course no one is going to treat it with any respect. He was arguing that music hasn’t been devalued.
SS: If the world were to end while you were playing a gig, what would be your next action?
Sarah: Our songs would be a theme tune to the apocalypse. If the end of the world is there, you just gotta embrace it!
Linus: Ha! Just do an REM cover…
Sarah: If it’s the end of the world, I’d probably play the gig, and smash up my guitar.
Linus: Yeah!! We’d just smash everything, the synths and everthing
Ezra: What if it’s a false alarm…?
SS: Anything you guys wanna add?
Ezra: I make a mean Chicken Parmesan.
Sarah: We are all pretty mean chefs.
SS: If all goes down the pan, just open up a restaurant?
Sarah: Yeah!! Call it The Hot Pot! We can have all our tunes remastered onto pan-pipe versions, so they can enjoy our music while eating.
Words: Gemma Dempster
Photography: Elinor Jones