Note: The comment has to be made that a lot of what Steve Jones said in the interview was inaudible but eruptions of laughter
followed almost every muffled response. I think he has some kind of mystic vibe or something. Like how a vampire has no reflection.
Either that or those funny cigarettes they were smoking with that funny smell had affected his ability to talk above mumbling
levels of speech but had raised his comic timing and proficiency.
A modestly sized band room adorned with weird objects such as stuffed a baby alligator, a freaky mask and Rigby’s ever
sprouting
locks of fuzz is where we are and Moco sit and talk of where they lost their last singer before Steve joined. I think he’s
with Jimmy, Steve muses. They are an engaging bunch, a joke a minute band of long hair and jovial baiting of one band member
is particular and later as they run through the new single Miss Manta Ray and The New Official Truth, I realise that these
guys could actually be the ones to break from Wigan and make some sort of impact in the outside world. Perhaps more than half
way there.
JT: Where does the name Moco come from?
Rigby “It came from a song, one of the first that we did,”
Simon “That we’ll never play again.” (Laughter!)
Steve “It means snot in Spanish,”
Simon “Yeah snot in Spanish!”
Steve “It also means Mo Cocaine.” (Mucho Laughter! ) “We’re a very very drug influenced band!”
JT: Do you feel any pressure after the NME plaudits you received last year?
Simon “We were kind of surprised to get that so it was kind of, the pressure was instantly off us again.”
Nick “We didn’t expect it so…”
JT: Do you feel as though you’ve still got more things to prove?
Simon “Yeah definitely.”
Nick “The stuff we’ve had in the NME went totally tits up anyway as we released that single at the end of September
and we’ve
been pretty quiet since then. The new single coming out, see how it takes up, if people don’t like it they’ll say
so.”
Rigby “Plus that whole scene that we’re playing in, there’s so much shit in it. We’ve picked out the ones
that we’re better
than, you know.”
Steve “………..Inaudible” (Laughter!)
JT: So when’s the new single out then?
Rigby “It’s gonna be 12th May.”
JT: How about the album?
Nick “When we get signed!”
Rigby “We just need some money basically. We want tour supports with big bands but you have to pay on so we’d need
money from
a record company
Steve “………………………….inaudible” (Laughter!)
Nick “It’s a fucking vicious circle. If you’ve not got a record deal you can’t tour basically. And you
can’t get a record
deal without touring and playing.”
JT: How have you been received when supporting bands like Electric6?
Rigby “Those two gigs (Manchester & Liverpool) were probably our best ever.”
Nick “I liked the Liverpool gig. That went well.”
Rigby “The Manchester one though, everyone knew us and was supporting us loads.”
JT: Where do you think you fit in with what’s going on nationally?
Nick “Not where a lot of people would put us. We’re not just a garage band. We’re not The Hives. There’s
a lot of stuff that
we can’t do because of logistics like a few keyboard songs.”
Simon “Plus the fact that the keyboards broke so we can’t do anything with it anyway.” (Laughter!)
Rigby “We’re not 2D we’re 3D.”
Nick “We’ve got the third dimension!”
JT:A Casio keyboard?
“Yeah!” in unison and giggles.
JT: I’ve heard some people say that this comic stage manner that Steve has is a front for you to get noticed more? How
much
of this is true or is a load of bollocks?
Steve: “Who’s been saying this man? No way!”
Rigby: “It’s all bollocks because we’ve got the songs to back it up.”
Nick: “A lot of people think that how he is on stage is why people watch the band and I mean fair enough…”
interrupted by
other band members…
Steve: “And if you watch it it really isn’t all that…Vietnam…” (Laughter!)
Rigby: “It’s more tragic!” (More Laughter!)
JT: Someone said to me that once you’ve seen Moco once you don’t need to see them again as it’s more of a novelty.
Steve: “Who said that?” (In mock shock horror tone.)
Simon: “We’re like Neighbours, you’ve got to keep on watching.”
Steve: “We leave cliff hangers at the end!” (Laughter!)
Rigby: “If I went watching a band like us and I weren’t expecting it, I’d come back again to watch us.”
Nick: “With our singles and stuff they’ve been received really well. A few have said in live reviews that it is
all about
Steve but the singles have done really well.”
JT: I saw you’re last single in London in a box for 50p the other week.
Rigby: “Really. I’ve not got a copy. I should own one though shouldn’t I?
Nick: “50p?”
JT: But there was a David Gray album and a Beastie Boys one there as well.
Rigby: “I got the Elbow DVD for 99p.”
JT: Moving on, what do you make of the NME sponsored New Rock Revolution?
Simon: “They nicked my type face for that off my fanzine.”
Rigby: “They have got people interested in that music pretty well. But there are some bands that don’t deserve to
be there.”
Steve: “…….inaudible” (Laughter!)
JT: Would you place yourselves in there somewhere?
Nick: “At the forefront!”
JT: What bands recently are you into?
Rigby: “Suzukis. We saw them at the Tudor.”
Rest of band: “Yeah, Suzukis.”
Nick: “Interpol as well.”
Steve: “……inaudible joke!” (Laughter!)
JT: What do you think of Wigan’s music scene?
(Tittering)
Simon: “It’s got a good scene. There’s not many towns like Wigan. There’s a lot of variety.”
Steve: “It’s good that there are bands like The Suzukis coming up….inaudible.”
Rigby: “It just needs a band to break out of Wigan but as long as they tried to put something back into the town too.”
JT: Are the rest of you involved in Steve’s Zombie film about a person that shall remain nameless for safety reasons?
Perhaps
the music?
(Laughter and Guffaws aplenty!)
Simon: “What!? Is that what it’s about. Don’t print anything about that! We don’t want anything to do
with that! That’s bad
shit!” (Laughter erupts again!)
Steve: “I think it will be as big as The Candyman!” (Laughter!)
Moving on swiftly again…
What kind of impact do you want to make on national scene? Chart hits?
Nick: “As big as we can, the lot.”
Simon: “In America, Japan, Belgium…”
Nick: “Any band that said they didn’t would be lying. If we’re not the next Stereophonics were not going to
be upset.”
Steve: “We want to be as big as the Thompson directory. One in every home!”
JT: What advice would you give to a band like The Suzukis?
Nick: “To gig as much as they can. Go down to Manchester and get to know people in venues. Get your face seen and network
a bit.”
The rest of the interview descends into Steve’s digressions about gaining free condoms via his mobile phone and the size
of
Rigby’s balls, they’re big apparently, as well as the benefits of free tanning and the future of rock through Rigby’s
hair.
Are they as serious as they should be? Let's hope not and enjoy them as they are.
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