Do you remember how the name The Fades came about?

I came up with the name after many hours and ideas, I think my Dad actually suggested it in the end. Originally for interviews we were going to say: where I live in Ham, there are a lot of parakeet birds that fly overhead and one day I heard one fly above me squawking the sound "fades, fades, fades". I also discovered that the particles of dust that are left behind after an exploding star are known as The Fades, so I thought that was pretty cool.

How did you all meet in the beginning? How did the band form?

My first band had fallen apart and I was playing a lot of stuff with some mates at college (Jon Vick - later from the Moths and Ollie Walker - later from Mississippi Witch) We were on a music course together and we used to jam, playing punked up versions of Stones songs and Stooges tracks. So I wanted to take it to the next step. I started writing some songs at home with my brother and we went to record them with our mate Graham who also played drums. We started live briefly as Petrol Bomb, then became Molotov Cocktail. Eventually we got together with my old mate Jonny who I asked to join the band and then we became the Fades.

Recently the Fades lost their drummer Flash to a job in Australia. Who is now in the band?

We got Jonny J (Me My Head) to play for us - he came out to do the tour of Italy which was amazing and he also played on the new EP. Jonny was in my very first band too.

How do the Fades get ready for a live show? Do you have something like a ritual?

We usually drink quite a lot!! We've played so many gigs now and are such good friends we just like to have a laugh together and enjoy it as much as we can.

What is your favourite song to play live?

I really enjoy playing Caca and Kalashinikov - they both go down really well with the crowd and are songs that you can easily throw yourself about and get caught up in live.

Your are playing together with your elder brother James in The Fades and also in Me My Head, your other band. Is that difficult sometimes? Is yours a typical relationship between brothers or more a friendship?

My brother and I are very close and have played music together nearly all our lives. We can also be very antagonistic towards each other though because we are so close and occasionally have pretty big bust ups.

James is often compared with Flea of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. What was the nicest or meanest thing anybody said about your guitar playing and your work?

I'm very lucky because nobody has ever said anything mean - the nicest things I've heard have been being compared to Johnny Marr, Tom Verlaine and Joe Strummer.

When did you first start writing music? Do you remember your first song?

I guess I started writing as soon as I could play, I think the first proper song I wrote was called 'Short Straw' - a Weezer 'Say It Aint So' style song.

What was the first gig you played?

The first gig I played was at a jam night with my brother at a place called the Bull and Bush in Richmond (the Station Hotel - where the Stones played their 1st gig).

Which of your records/songs are you most proud of?

I am very happy with the Me My Head songs 'Like A Ghost' and 'White Lights'. They mean a great deal to me and I do not tire of hearing or playing them. I am also very proud of The Fades songs 'Caca', 'You Say' and the new 'SPLIT EP' on Cranky Girl Records because it is the latest thing we have done and we really captured the sound of 4 guys jamming together in a garage you know? A very natural set of songs and recordings.

Have you guys ever thought about recording a live album?

Yeah - we'd like to do that. The way we record at the moment is practically live anyway, so it wouldn't take much to do. The live sessions on XFM and Marc Riley gave us a taster as to what it would sound like. We may do this soon - it's a good idea.

The new EP on Cranky Girl Records

available:
Genepole Records (UK)
Cranky Girls Records (USA)
HMV

You played with a lot of bands. Recently you opened with Me My Head for Gary Numan. Which was the most remarkable band you played with?

The Gary Numan gig was definitely a highlight, but over the years I have played with many great bands; Mystery Jets, Bloc Party, Art Brut, Pete & the Pirates etc. etc. but I think the best gigs have been the ones with relatively unknown bands like our friends from Italy; To Be Rhudes! or Collapsing Cities who I played with in Me My Head recently, because they are friendly people and great bands that we got along with. If you can enjoy the gig no matter what, even if it's in front of 3 people then they are the bands you remember playing with more than anything else.

What were the highlights of your musical career so far?

Touring Italy in The Fades, touring the UK with Art Brut, the recent Me My Head UK tour was amazing too. I am very proud of all of the records I have put out, played on, written, mixed or been a part of in some way, but I think the first record you release is always your most memorable, or the first time you hear your record played on the radio - it is an amazing experience that you never really get used to.

Why did you decide to cover "Another Song about Motorbikes" by Marc Riley & Creepers? I think it's the only cover you play so I reckon it must have a special meaning for you.

It was actually Graham Best (original Fades drummer) who suggested the song originally and for some reason we just really identified with it. We loved the sound and the fact that the band just sounded like they did what they wanted to without taking themselves too seriously. It appealed to our surreal sense of humour I guess, because the song doesn't really mean anything and we liked that.

You played Marc Riley's "Motorbikes" at his show "Rocket Science" at BBC 6Music. He was really pleased. Did he know beforehand that you were going to play it?

We told him we wanted to play it and he was very humble, he actually said we shouldn't but we wanted to play it for him - we wanted him to sing on it, that would've been great. He's a really nice guy and has been very supportive throughout my career.

Are there any current bands or musicians that excite you?

The Bridport Dagger, Dancing Pigeons Like Ice Cream, Wavves, Jon Jones and the Beatniks Movement, Mumford and Sons, Mississippi Witch, The Helmholtz Resonators

Dancing Pigeons Like Ice Cream are from Hamburg! Home of Toast! Do you like any other German bands?

Yeah, I saw that they were from Hamburg - I really like their sound. The only other German bands I can think that I know of are - Can, Kraftwerk and Rammstein.