Chi - The artists formerly known as Chicane...

To avoid confusion with the 'chart dance pish' (their description, not mine!) of the same name, Edinburgh's Chicane are now known as Chi. They're also busy bringing tuneful punk rock to the masses with releases by themselves and other bands on their label Simpleton Records. Here's a quick question and answer session with them...

Explain how the band got together?
Michael Branagh (drums/ vocals): "When I moved to Edinburgh from Belfast I met Jon Fu (bass) through my own ads to start a band. some months after that I met up with Ian (guitar) and Davey (ex-guitarist) for pint action and decided to hook up with them. Jon had lost my phone number so I'd lost contact with him for some months. It was therefore only when I bumped into him (whilst out on ze piss) that I lured him into my wicked web to complete the Chicane line-up."

How long have you been going and what have you done so far?
Jon: "Michael, Ian and Davey (ex-guitar hero) were playing and writing at the start of 1995, then I completed the wonderful line-up sometime after Easter '95."
M: "In that time we kept as busy as any self-financed band can be by releasing our first single 'Just Not Sorry'in May '96, followed by 'Drive' in November '96. We've done a lot of gigs in Scotland and the North of England with bands such as Eugenius, Foil, Cable, China Drum, and we've had a lot of positive reviews and airplay on Scottish radio and from Dr John Peel."

Is Edinburgh a good place to be based in?
M:"It's getting better all the time, particularly with it being home to the European Festival of Punk each August. The Planet Pop Festival (which we were involved in helping out with organisational stuff) was great for the Edinburgh scene as bands like Teenage Fanclub, the Delgados shared bills with smaller bands like ourselves, Sawyer, Idlewild, the Jennifers etc. There is now definitely an Edinburgh scene, it's just a shame that the silver-spoon arsed London press are too up their asses to come up here and recognise it."
J:"When we started their wasn't much of a scene here at all but now there are some great bands like Idlewild and Coney Island Cyclone. There's zero attention from the press here which is shit. Not many bands we like come here either. Compared to Glasgow it's not a very exciting place for live music (we're the exception of course!)"

What are your immediate and long term plans?
J:"I've just started up my own label at the moment called Simpleton Records. The first release is a split 7" with us and Griswold which is very exciting - it sounds great - real ballsy stuff! Our tracks are 'Buttercup' and 'Haywire'. Hopefully we'll record an album soon and release it later in the year."
M:"As well as that we're trying to fill up the calendar with UK dates!"

What was the last great record you heard?
J:"The Descendents new LP is the best thing I've got recently. Mogwai and Eska have had some great singles. We quite like Placebo and Sensefield too."
M:"Descendents 'Everything Sucks' was the best album of last year, no doubt. Placebo, China Drum and Cable's albums are all corkers. foil's 'Reviver Gene' single is a bleedin' classic. Stuff that influences us and tickles our testicles would be Minor Threat, All, Pixies, Husker Du, Shudder To Think, Dag Nasty, Big Black, Big Star, Sugar, Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr, Down By Law, Captain America, and early Lemonheads stuff like their 'Creator' and 'Lick' LPs. Contemporary stuff would include Cable, Mogwai, Foil, Fling, Griswold, the Jennifers, Backwater, Idlewild, etc."

Best thing about being in Chi?
M:"Having the ability to hold onto our sanity after spending ludicrous amounts of money on band related activities."
J:"It's shit being in Chi, I hate it!"

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