Uh-oh, here comes trouble. Tipped off by Everett True, Pris are a four piece from London featuring Cat on vocals, Agatha on guitar, Mary on bass and Sam on drums. Self described as “‘The musical equivalent of being punched in the face repeatedly” they’re actually more pop than punk, imagine Blondie with an attitude problem and cockney accents, Manics before the mid-life spread, and Kenickie sans the big bones.
Their paean to pop magazines and the substance that sticks them on your walls “Blu-Tack Baby” manages to dis The Klaxons in the middle eight while they get super catty and possibly libelous on the stuttering “All That Glitters is Not Pearl Lowe”, which is especially cheeky considering they’re not that far removed from Lowe’s Britpop group Powder musically (cf. Deep Fried). “Icon on a motorbike” mixes C86 guitar and girl-group “do do, lah lah lahs” to great effect but it’s “Thesaurus” that maybe the best distillation of Pris so far; punkish chords and a speak-sung verse combine with a killer melody in the chorus about… actually I’m not sure.
Their singer Cat Gordon answered our questions just like you’d expect, rapid fire, a bit snarky and in all CAPS, but that looked rubbish in courier font. Instead imagine each response being shouted at you by a young blond vixen with pop smarts, an abundance of hairspray and a micro-miniskirt and you’ll get the idea.
01. Who are you?
I’m Cat, the singer and fishnet tight ripper in Pris. We’re from London. Pris is named after the prostitute replicant in Blade Runner a film by Ridley Scott. We’ve been playing for 6 months 6 days and 10 glittery seconds.
02. What do you sound like?
Hormonal pop gutter post punk.
03. What do friends say you sound like?
We don’t have any friends.
04. Full-time musicians or wage slaves?
Florence Welch and all of The Vaccines probably lived in their trendy hubs in Shoreditch or trendy squats — whatever the kids do these days — before they were signed, taking expensive drugs and only get up after 12pm. We have to work the office/bar to earn money for hairspray and high heels. Our Mums and Dads don’t own art galleries or 5 story houses where we have a floor to ourselves but then in Florence and Vaccines defense they might need the space to keep all those vintage winkle pickers and rare vinyl of ’60s garage bands.
05. Current career highlight?
Why thank you, I only had them done last week.
06. Favourite decade for music?
This decade is full of rich c*nts writing songs on fiddles and cellos and calling themselves ‘nu folk’ so we wish it was the 1970s as Buzzcocks say “Everybody’s happy nowadays”.
07. Best mood for songwriting?
We don’t claim to be Chris Martin or Thom Yorke, we’re musicians in the very loose sense. Songwriting is for losers.
08. The last song you/the band wrote?
‘Crying after Kennedy’ inspired by Marilyn Monroe and her love affairs but also relating to everyday female yearning for that perfect relationship yet realising that it might not exist and so you end your life, because you really just can’t cope, because at the end of it you’re probably going to die alone and that is even worse.
09. Which 3 musicians would you invite round for dinner?
Bono, the singer of the Editors, and Bob Geldof and feed them a piece of mama’s poison pie.
10. Worst gig ever played?
Windmill Brixton, too many drinking games.
11. Favourite band anecdote?
When Alan McGee saw Welsh language band Super Furry Animals play; he said ”I think you’re great but would be better if you sang in English”, they said ”We were singing in English!”.
12. Five favourite albums?
The Clash – The Clash
Hole – Live Through This
Manic Street Preachers – Generation Terrorists
The Cure – Boy’s Don’t Cry
The Buzzcocks – Love Bites13. Your biggest rock and roll fantasy?
Shirley Manson.
14. Goals for the next 12 months?
Live fast, die young.
15. First time listeners, where should they start?
”It doesn’t matter if we never meet again, what we have said will always remain, if we get through for two minutes only it will be a start” – The Jam, “Start”! X
Where can their music be purchased?