Breakfast interview with Lawrence from The Bridport Dagger

Who are you and where are you at the moment?
My name is Lawrence Rice, I play guitar in The Bridport Dagger, and when I'm not doing that I'm writing songs for my solo project Little Hunter, or my second band, View of the Hawk, in which I also sing. I'm sitting in my bedroom in Mile End, I've just got home from band practice, and I'm checking my emails while I wait for my ears to get back to normal again.

Do you listen to music in the morning when you wake up? What kind of music?
No, my normal routine is to have a shower, and maybe read something while eating breakfast. Once I have left the house then I will put on my headphones and listen to music. I guess this now turns more into the question 'what do you listen to on your ipod' but I would say unless there is something that I am desperately in the mood for, then I would normally listen to Autechre. I downloaded their whole back catalogue, so I'll either put on something I know, or just choose an album at random, and start working through it. I like Autechre in the morning, because there is enough going on that it is interesting, but in some of their less melodic moments, its really easy to have on in the background, and it just helps me to think a little easier.

Are you an early bird or a morning grouch?
Hm, I'm neither. I like the idea of being an early bird, and once I'm up and awake I love the mornings, and it can be so constructive to have that extra time e in the mornings (if you aren't at work, wasting your time) but, given the choice, I would always lie in and catch up on sleep. But then if I lie in for too long, I feel really guilty for wasting so much time, and then get into a guilt cycle, and I stay in bed even later because I know I've already wasted my day, but then the longer I stay in bed the worse I feel!!

Have you ever written a song in the morning? How do you write your music, what inspires you?
I don't think I've ever just got out of bed and straight into song writing mode. Normally, I'll spend a lot of time trying really hard to write a song, and getting nowhere, and then right at the end of the day, just as I'm about to put the guitar down, that's when the song comes. Actually, I find sometimes hangovers can really help song writing, and I have a theory - I think this is because your mind is not quite focused, and because of this its a lot easier to relax, as if the bit of your brain that is normally saying to you "come on, write a song NOW! Concentrate, think of something good" has been subdued by the alcohol, and leaves the rest of you to quietly get on with it.

How is the song writing process in The Bridport Dagger if you are all working together?
Again, its normally quite spontaneous. Obviously there are songs where someone has come in to practice with a specific part, but most of the 'good stuff' comes from when one of us will go to the loo, and the others will be just playing around until he gets back. then he gets back, and joins in. It's a really great feeling actually, if its you that left the room, you walk back down the corridor, and you can hear this muffled noise that you don't recognise, then you open the door and it hits you... then you pick up your guitar...

What is your current favourite song of The Bridport Dagger and why?
Well, we are working on a few new ones that are really taking shape, but of our current ones, Spanish One was one of the songs that I heard before I was in the band, and made me want to release their record, I think it just forces you to listen to it, its gentle compared to some of the other stuff, and it has a really moody quality, and great words. it starts with the line "through the doorway, across the hall, they're chasing my steps..." and goes from there. I once listened to it in an underground tube station, walking from one platform to the other, and it just went so well with all the tiled tunnels and peoples faces...

You have a song called Rock And Roll on the new single, what makes a good Rock And Roll song for you?
Gosh! well, rock and roll should be simple at heart, so I guess the first thing it should be is simple - a really easy guitar line, that makes you thing 'god, how did I not come up with that?' it shouldn't necessarily be played badly, but lets just say that technical ability should not be at the forefront, it should be honest, fast, simple, and loud!

Please tell us something about your future work, solo and with the band.
Well, I don't really have any solid plans - with Bridport Dagger we are just about to release our next single, 'Slipped Disco' on my record label Death Records, so I've been trying to sort all that out recently. I've got a few gigs coming up with View of the Hawk, oh and I think we need to find a new bass player for this, as our current one doesn't really have the time. So those are the main 2 priorities. I love my solo stuff, but I don't really have the time at the moment, and I find it really hard trying to motivate myself to find gigs and promote this, because its so much more personal, and because its only me that's doing it, it hurts that much more when it feels like no-one listens.

Where did the name come from for The Bridport Dagger?
Well you can google it, its an old slang term - There is a town on the coast, near Cornwall I think, called Bridport, and they used to make a lot of rope there, and they made the rope that was used all over the country to hang people with, so the slang term for getting hanged, was getting stabbed by a Bridport Dagger. So there you go!

What in your opinion makes a good breakfast after a gig with too much booze and less sleep? What cheers you up on those mornings?
No question - egg and bacon sandwich! The bread should be granary, or whatever you can get your hands on with as many seeds and oats in it as possible. Plain white bread will not do. Lightly toasted, and buttered. 3 rashers of good bacon, cooked so that the fat goes crispy, and 1 egg, whisked, and then folded into a square as it cooks, so it fits perfectly on your toast. Put the bacon on the first bit of toast, then brown sauce, then the egg, then ketchup, then the top toast. Add a cup of tea, (no sugar) and then finish the tea with some chocolate biscuits after the sandwich has gone.

What is your favourite breakfast, rolls or muesli, coffee or tea or…?
See above. I think I could eat bacon every day for the rest of my life.

Do you have any bad breakfast habits?
Hm, I'm not sure, you would have to ask my flatmates... normally if I've had cereal, I will just rinse the bowl with hot water instead of washing it properly with cleaning products, as I fell its only been used quickly. Does that count? I guess as well, if there isn't much milk, I will happily use it all for myself instead of saving it for others, as I feel that if I am awake earlier than them, then I deserve it more.

Last one! Do you like any music/bands from Germany?
Well I'm sure my friend from Bavaria played me a tape she had by a band called Slut, from Germany. But I have never heard them again since, and I'm sure last time I asked her, she couldn't remember. I own a Kraftwerk album, but I've never listened to it (The Man-Machine) but then I heard a tune of theirs called Tour De France the other day, and thought it sounded really good, I think I'd probably like Can, but haven't got round to them yet. Also I've been listening to a band my friend Saif (the drummer in View of the Hawk) put me onto, they are called Colour Haze, and I think the guitar player runs the record label called Elektrohasch records. Its nice as it seems like they are trying to make their own scene for the music as well, which is always good to see.

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