King Rat and the Desperado's

King Rat and the Desperados are a unique South Devon group that works together intensely to release their very own distinguished brand of music, a sound that is very hard to describe, but if I must try I would have to say that it is raw, moody blues-reggae rock with injections of electric energy, delivered in a back to basics, no nonsense package! There are no Jimi Hendrix’s or Keith Moon’s in this band. In fact, none of the instruments stand out above the rest because instead the foursome work together fluently to create a harmony of entrancing and exciting sounds.

I managed to catch up with Andy Searle, rhythm guitarist of the group, recently and enjoyed a strange but very funny chat regarding what he believes the band is all about and what he and the rest of the lads hope to get from it.

MN: What has the journey for King Rat and the Desperado’s been like so far? Where did it start and where have you been?

We consider the journey to have been more of a stroll, never stuck in the past and not overly concerned by the future – more of a roundabout than a path, you get off when you fall off.

MN: So who exactly makes up the King Rat posse and what does each member contribute to the group?

There’s Steve Kemp (Stavros Kempos) dropping imaginable beats on the understated cajon, and who’s also our lead vocalist. On lead guitar (and anything else he can lay his filthy hands on) is Duncan Searle (Slow dog). On rhythm guitar is me, Andy Searle, the rhythm Commander with the occasional epic lick and Antony Evans (The daddy) on bass guitar with grooves that make your pants fall off.

MN: Does having two brothers in the band make you anything like the fighting Gallagher Brothers or are you a bit more Hanson?

As the Hollies once said 'He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother', Nothing like either the Gallagher’s or The Hanson brothers – far more sophisticated and better looking than all five combined, with more talent and better hair than all of them as well.

MN: Where did the name King Rat and the Desperado’s come from?

One night whilst playing some eclectic and rather unusual tunes in Stav’s bedroom in York road, Paignton – the notion that Stav was actually a rat stumbled its way into the room, but not just an ordinary rat, oh no, perhaps he was the king? With a penchant for the aptly named beer as well as having a general on going struggle to adhere and conform to what some know as society, we decided the band could easily be summed up in one word – Desperados.

MN: Musically you are a hard band to categorize. There are elements of Rock, Folk, Reggae, Blues and more! How would you describe your sound?

Two words – Rat, Rhythm. A fusion of genre’s and strange influences dragged through a hedge backwards, rolled in the mud a bit, polished, then spat on – set a light, left in dustbin for 10 years then heaved out into today’s music scene like an unwanted coffee cream.

MN: Okay, well where does the group draw its musical inspiration for that then?

Life and general day to day going on’s? The world and the bizarre and confusing situations it gets itself into – Humans influence over nature – the unusual and sometimes mind blowing politics that appear to restrain and inhibit our ability to live a life less ordinary.

MN: Well you’re definitely not like most bands I encounter. How would you compare yourself to other groups that are around?

We don’t like to make comparisons very much, we embrace and ponder all types of music including all the great local bands in Devon – however, we would probably consider ourselves to be a little less bothered about fitting into a scene than some other bands. There’s no need for a pair of aviators, a mega phone or a union jack guitar – we like to let the music do the talking, and the music says 'oh well, tomorrow’s another day'

MN: Is everyone in King Rat a 100% happy with how the band is at the moment?

As happy as we could be I suppose; practicing in a place some call 'Baghdad' has bought us all much closer together – mainly for warmth. The band is close, a friendly little unit, and we all enjoy a good chill down whilst maintaining the professionalism that is expected of gigging bands now a days – though considering the definition of professionalism – this comment can be taken as hearsay. We all have a laugh and that’s the main thing.

MN: Can you tell us what your songs are generally about?

It’s hard to generalise their topics, they vary from blatant attacks on the establishment and 'the man' to epic tales regarding those pesky aliens invading our beautiful planet, as always! A few songs skirt around relationships and the suppressed feelings they can harbour, but there by no means love songs, but songs inspired by love. Also we like to try and remain aware of environmental issues that will ultimately be a real pain in the arse for our future generations.

MN: Who writes the music for the band?

Me and Dunc wrote all of the tunes on the first 'album’, which was a set of 14 recordings, each song performed in one take as a whole band and finished in just 7 hours. We had no intention of doing this, it just happened – but that’s the beauty of the songs – always open to interpretation with no real structure, hence, although written by myself, the band have all injected their influences and to create the ultimate sound.

MN: Which of your songs then do you believe deserve to be in the charts top ten and why?

Bastards in Grey. I like to think of this song as an honest and blunt opinion. I’d like to see it in the top ten as it would emphasise the amount of people that agree with its lyrical content – either that or they can just get down with its dirty little groove.

MN: How does your music affect you and your audience?

It can affect people in very different ways, form ageing punks smashing their heads off tables to mums and dads grooving in their land rovers, girls and boys alike wilting with joy and admiration before consuming too much alcohol and moving around the pub like a jellyfish on acid.

MN: Do you believe that your music fits in with what is presently the current trend in popular music?

No, unfortunately the 'current trend’ is again a hard thing to achieve – we have never done trend very well – either behind the times or far too ahead of them is a better way to describe us – either that or we just don’t have a clue as to what were supposed to be doing to conform to the title 'popular’. Dunc likes to wear the latest season form 'Primark’ and 'T.K.Maxx’ but I don’t know if this qualifies us as popular or trendy.

MN: How seriously do you take being in King Rat and the Desperado’s?

About as seriously as we take life, which is quite a questionable amount of seriousness? We like to have fun with our music, and when the seriousness starts over whelming the good times, then we know our recipe went a little bit wrong somewhere, so a quick re-think and balancing out of the scales will generally result in a seriously good and fun band.

MN: Why are you in a band? Fame, Fortune, fun, a chance to exorcise some demons or something else?

Mainly so I can answer questionnaires! And also like you said, 'a chance to exercise some demons' I suppose, like any form of art we all enjoy having music as a release, as a means of shouting down microphones at people in the hope that they’ll relate to what it is we have to say, if were weren’t all musicians we’d probably be the best politicians in the world, in our honest opinion.

MN: If you did find fame and fortune, how, if at all, would it change each of you and the music that you make?

I’d like to think that none of us would change very much, maybe we’d shave more than once every few months and wash our hands before eating, but other than that we’d probably keep on keeping on; were just fine as we are.

MN: Do you think that you could be the next big thing?

With regards to eating too many Cadburys Wispa’s and Double cheese burgers, then yeah, as far as the music goes then I guess we have no say in that. Like I keep saying, we do it purely cos we enjoy it; the 'big thing’ is a rather vague and daunting proposal. If we end up there one day, can someone wake us up and let us know.

MN: How would you rate your band out of ten and why?

9 1/2 : We just do what we do, and in my opinion we do it well, unfortunately I don’t consider us worthy of the full ten cost that’s just stupid.

MN: When not playing or making music, what could we expect to find each member doing outside of the band?

I can’t really comment on all going on’s as I gave up stalking my fellow band members last year. I’d imagine Dunc, me and Stav would be driving around the country in the hunt for a decent wave at the same time and laughing and mucking about like fools, while Ant would probably be riding a stallion bare back across Dartmoor with a 2 ltr bottle of coke and a loaf of garlic bread under his arm.

MN: What plans do you have for the future?

Space exploration and tie dye beards.

MN: Random question: If you were collectively granted one wish, what would you wish for?

Never ending wishes, obviously.

MN: There are thousands of unsigned acts desperate for attention, why should people choose to check out your music over other groups?

Cos it might just make them move those long forgotten feet, and shake those weary behinds. People can dissect our tunes like fine cuisine or shove it in their mouths like a Big Mac, either way, have a listen and make of it what you will. The intrigue should do the rest.

MN: Where can people find out more about King Rat and the Desperado’s and hear your music?

www.Myspace.com/ratrhythm - This is our very own web page of delights, here you can enjoy photos of all the band members (except Ant, he likes to remain anonymous) pulling all sorts of weird and wonderful poses. Also our music can be found here – or so I’ve heard?

MN: Last question. How Rock and Roll are you?

I just dunked a biscuit in my tea! Now it’s sat at the bottom, but do I care? Drink on brother, drink on.


For the chance to have your band interviewed please email me at scott.evans@live.co.uk

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