An out and out rock band The Smoking Hearts cover then whole gambit of fast and loud guitar music. Complete with proper rockstar names Rodd Lethal (Vocals,) Rev. Spark L Horse (Drums) plus Nobba (Guitar) Barker (Guitar) and Rotixx (Bass) the lads have a whole host of ambitious plans for the next twelve months which should make them pretty hard to ignore. The Scene spoke to the band...

What’s The Smoking Hearts story?
We’re a five-piece rock and roll band and we formed in summer 2004 from the ashes of a few other local bands.

We played our first show at Bedford Esquires, a triumphant eight-minute set in July 2004, since then we’ve clocked up a lot of gigs.

We released a three track single called 'Blood Money' in December 2004, selling all of the 750 limited edition copies. It has has since taken us up and down the country several times, playing with bands such as The Misfits, Winnebago Deal, King Blues, Deadline, Capdown and Bring Me The Horizon.

How would you describe your music to the great unwashed?
Its turbo-charged, ball-shattering rock and roll, taking our cues from Johnny Cash, Pantera, Motley Crue and The Misfits. It's loud, it's fast, and it's been described as music to strangle dogs to! Basically good time rock and roll, like an up-to-date Motorhead.

What sort of success have you had so far?
After selling all 750 limited copies of the single we’ve been earning up and down the country. We’ve appeared on radio stations from London to Los Angeles, had fanzine coverage across mainland Europe, recently made our first music video, received clothing sponsorship from Volcom, attracted record label interest from independent labels and are putting the finishes to our new EP 'Give ‘Em Hell.'

What has been the best night/ gig you've played?
Our most memorable gig so far was our subverse show at the Camden Underworld. It was an all ages show, completely sold out, and the crowd was just brilliant. Rodd Lethal, our singer, was pulled into the crowd whilst singing, and during our last song ('Blood Money,') about 50 people invaded the stage. Absolutely chaotic, but a great show.


What inspires you to make music?
Bad music. Seeing so many bands that shout loudly and say nothing at all, it gives good inspiration.

At the moment hair cuts seem more important than the ability to write a song, and rock and roll antics seem more important than a tight performance.

We’ve had a lot of help and support in our time as a band, people like Marshall, RG, Volcom and Nick Mailing at Henhouse Studios in Bedford. All have helped us loads and without them we wouldn’t be where we are.

What do you think sets you apart from other bands?
We see The Smoking Hearts more like a family. We’ve all known each other for years, grown up together and learnt how to play our instruments together.

Our music could have been made any time in the last 20 years, it's not governed by trends or fads. It's not the type of music that will ever go out fashion. It's not like the Nu-metal era of three years ago, or the emo of today.

What do you think of the local scene?
We don’t see ourselves as part of a local scene, it has always been our ambition to get out of the 'shire. We’d rather be a small fish in a big pond than a big fish in a small puddle. With that said, obviously its impossible for us ignore what's going on around us, and we play shows around here fairly often.

The work that’s been done by the DTA boys at the Student Union in Luton is fantastic. That's created a really strong scene where previously there wasn’t one. Also, there are a couple of really good bands from round here, Men Of Unitus and Just By Chance.

What's your favourite local venue?
Some of our favourite local shows have been over at the Milton Keynes Pitz - another venue that attracts quality touring bands.

We also love the guys from DTA, and Club 85 in Hitchin has a really strong scene too.

All of those venues are always great to play, and the guys that put on the shows put in a lot of great work to keep them going.

What does 2007 and beyond have in store for you/ what can people look forward to?
The new CD ('Give 'em Hell') out some time in the next few months. Plans are in place for a European tour later in the year, as well as possibly a venture to America. We’ve just updated our Myspace website, made a music video, intend on playing lots of loud shows and taking it up to 11. YEAHHHHHHH!

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