Cougar Microbes caught up with Alice Costelloe, one half of upcoming East London duo Big Deal, for a brief (and often humorous) email Q&A.
Here is what we found out:
– Cougar Microbes: What time did you wake up today? Was it out of choice or necessity?
– Alice Costelloe: Necessity, we had to get on our tour (mega)bus at 11 to come home from Manchester.
– CM: How do you kill time when waiting to go on stage and in between dates, any hobbies?
– AC: We eat a lot of ice cream.
– CM: What have been your favourite venues to play so far? Any venues you absolutely hated?
– AC: The Stags Head where they started playing a cd over the first song of our first ever gig. That was awesome.
– CM: Are you able to write when you are on the road or do you do this in your off time?
– AC: There’s no off time in Big Deal.
– CM: Favourite Big Deal track and why?
– AC: ‘Homework’, it was the first one we wrote and came about completely accidentally.
– CM: A lot of your tracks have a back to school feel to them with classroom, parents and studying references. Is this an intentional choice and does the inspiration form your current set?
– AC: So far we only have a few songs recorded, and we wrote them in the summer when we were feeling nostalgic. Hopefully we’ll get over it.
– CM: You have covered Big Star‘s track ‘Thirteen’ on your b-side to ‘Homework’. Have they been an influence on your sound?
– AC: That song yes, it was the first song we learned how to sing together, and the first song we recorded.
– CM: Any plan for other covers?
– AC: Kc wants to cover some nineties hip hop…so no.
– CM: Do your songs go through many revisions via demo recordings?
– AC: No, we just record when we’ve finished writing, which is how the song ends up.
– CM: What is more important, the lyrics or the melody?
– AC: Kc says melody I say lyrics.
– CM: What are your views on auto tune?
– AC: It makes the news a lot more entertaining.
– CM: Any other band/bands from your local scene we really should know about?
– AC: Our friends bands, Wet Paint, Round Ron Virgin, Hella Better Dancer.
– CM: Most flattering thing you’ve read about yourselves?
– AC: That we sound like The XX. Lol.
– CM: What was the first record/tape/cd you ever bought?
– AC: Destiny’s Child – ‘Survivor’
– CM: What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
– AC: The song before they start the films at the cinema.
– CM: What was the last show you paid and queued up for?
– AC: Broken Social Scene at the forum.
– CM: If you had to bring on artist back from the dead in exchange for sending a living artist down ,which artists would it be and why?
– AC: Insane Clown Posse for Jesus.
The wonderful Big Deal release their debut single ‘Homework / 13′ on November 8th.
TRACKS:
