Kong, Interview

Kong Interview

If music is the food of love, what does Kong taste like?

Like a big fat man sausage that's half way down your neck ....chuck a couple of warts on the end of it too.


What's with your visual image? Masks could imply deep-seated fears, and an unwillingness to reveal one's true self. Is there something dark and sinister in your collective backgrounds; are masks a way of removing yourselves from association with previously musical ventures, or simply reflective of that fact that dressing up is fun?

That little bit of plastic is like a giant shield...you know like.. I would probably square up to tyson in that mask...it's weird you feel almost invisible. As a kid I was terrified of those huge bears and Disney type costumes at fairs and sh*t as I could not see what was in them but knew even then that they weren't real huge purple dinosaurs or whatever. I was more frightened of the weirdo inside it!

How do you feel your live persona's and sound translate to the recorded medium? Are you better live or on 'record'?

Well our L.P was recorded live so it kinda works well both ways but to be honest I've never seen a Kong show and the record wrecks my head in ...it's just too frantic.


How has the single done in terms of downloads etc? Have you been pleased with the reviews?

The single is doing great..It has just shipped to Japan and we had some go out in the states so yeah it's weird that a diy punk band from Manchester can get that sh*t together..and yeah it's cool to read reviews; its something that we never thought would happen. The vibe with reviews is ,they either love it or f*cking hate it... One journalist refused to listen to the whole thing ... They found it that offensive...I love that we wasted his time, made him uncomfortable and angry; its as gratifying as getting 10 stars to me.

How do you feel about the apparently incessant need for the world to compare music and other art forms to previous works in the genre? For example, "Kong sound like Shellac and Fudge Tunnel" is a lazy and essentially pointless association, but one which gives comfort to some. Discuss?

Well to be honest I don't think its possible to describe music clearly with words ...and pictures can't capture sound but you know, here I am writing about our band. I think comparisons are used to reel in fans of other things. It isn't a bad thing, yes it is lazy, but there was a time in all our, music loving, lives that we have bought something on the back of a comparison or recommendation.


What's the worst thing anyone could ever claim about Kong?

A. That we are that coffin dodging excuse of a band from Amsterdam ,also named Kong. (we actually told them to f*cking retire and stop staining our path with their incessant trail of sh*t!) I'm not bitter about it....ugly flat faced twats!

B. That we are a side project ...were not even close... Were more of a sideboard project.


How involved are you with the recording process on your material? Does creativity continue to flow during recording and mixing, or is it simply an exercise in sonic 'capture and manipulation' of previous creative outputs?

Were very involved. The L.P was recorded at least 3 times, with three different engineers, before we were happy with it and yeah there is no f*cking around with overdubs or any of that sh*t I think dubs are great for somethings but for Kong it would just be a fatal lie..like when you see a girl with huge busters and you get her home whip off the cone case to reveal fried eggs, I mean that is false advertising in its most carnal form! I don't want to release a wonder bra album, I want people to hear the same thing live and on the record and vice versa....

What's the plan for the Kong album? When will it be birthed unto the world?
I think snake magnet is being released ,in the UK, as a delux thing with a dvd and stuff at the start of next year with another single proceeding it at the end of this year. Were now getting thick into L.P number 2 and its shaping up to be very different ... A little seedier if that's possible.

Questions by Rich Edge.