Thom caught up with The Hedrons at Southampton Joiners, to talk about the bands forthcoming album, the bands new line up and much more.

(Soup) You know that Gill's the new member?
As opposed to Chi?
(Soup) Chi was involved in a car crash and broke her neck. So this is why...
When did that happen?
(Soup) A couple of weeks before Christmas we found out. She can't play bass, she's got to go for an operation, it's a bit of a nightmare. So, it was our mutual decision that we had to carry on, because of all the momentum that's been built up, and we don't know how long she's going to be out of action for. It could be eight months minimum, but it could be longer. Obviously we can't wait that long, so we agreed that we'd have to get somebody else in. Which is quite sad. But, Gill, fully trained up, a Hedron.
(Gill) Ish!
(Soup) Aye, so Gill is the new bass player.

You're at the start of your tour...
(Soup) Yep.
Are you looking forward to it?
(Soup) Aye, oh yeah.
You've got a good few gigs left.
(Gill) Oh, how many more?
(Soup) Erm, about three weeks worth. Then we're off to America.

You've played here before, obviously (pointing to the band name written on the wall in gaffa tape.)
(Soup) Mm, we need to change that. (Picks up on the misspelling.)
The Herons?

Do you like it here?
(Soup) Aye, it's good. Quite busy out the front, so that's always a help.
Yeah obviously it's quite small here, so you prefer the smaller gigs?
(Soup) Erm, it's probably more intimate in a smaller venue, then again, we did enjoy playing the festival stages.
You played Download didn't you?
(Soup) Yeah.
Did you play any others?
(Soup) Mmhmm. Erm, T in the park
Did you get to check out any of the bands there?
(Soup) Oh yeah. T in the park, I was there on Saturday, were you?
(Gill) I was there yeah, watching! I watched them play. Us play.
(Soup) How bizaare is that?
(Gill) I know.
(Soup) I watched the Who. And the Chilis. The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Ach, loadsa, Paul Weller, Love Paul Weller. So aye, it was all good.

You only formed in 2005, you seem to have come a long way given that we're only just starting 2007!
(Soup) Yeah well we work hard.
Has it been hectic then?
(Soup) Yeah, you know, if you want to get anywhere you've got to be set for a busy, busy schedule. And it's not something we're shy of, so, a lot's happened for us and we're getting the festivals, and Alice In Chains as well, we supported them at the Astoria, sort of early on to get gigs like that, is just amazing.

Have you supported many big bands like Alice In Chains?
(Soup) Erm, Alice In Chains was one of the first. And then on Saturday night we supported The Specials. Which was amazing, I'm a big fan of The Specials.
(Gill) Yeah.
(Soup) It was Neville Staples, fronting the band. The rest is not the original members. The backing band is kind of his thing, he's revived it, so that was pretty good.
(Gill) It was a really busy gig as well.
(Soup) Erm, it sold out.

Are you used to supporting bands, is headlining quite a new thing?
(Soup) No, every tour we've done has been our tour, our headline tour. Erm, we supported The Towers Of London as well actually. That was a week and a half I think, just before we set off on our first tour. It's a good experience actually, because they're pulling big crowds, so that was quite a learning experience.

The support bands tonight; it's Get Amped and Different Day?
(Soup) Yeah we played with Get Amped at Download.
Are they the same bands following you throughout the tour?
(Soup) No, different bands, we like to try and get local bands from the area that we're playing in. I'm not sure where they're from but usually it's been the case we've had local bands. But Get Amped played the same stage as us at Download so it's quite bizzaare that we're in here tonight again.

Are you big believers in, oh this sounds corny, 'Girl Power?' Not in the Spice Girls sense...
(Soup) (Laughs)
But like, more girl bands on the scene?
(Gill) For the right reasons.
(Soup) The whole girl band thing isn't... The fact that we're girls doesn't really... ...isn't why we're doing it. We didn't get together to be a girl band, it just kinda happened. We all knew each other from rehearsals in Glasgow from a really popular rehearsal studio where everybody goes. And erm, I was friends with Tippi anyway, and through jamming with each other, we met the other two. It was like a chill-out area like this, and so that's how we became an all girl band. We never went out of our way to try and take over the world, as girls. But the music comes first, and it's not really about the way we look at anything, we don't have any mad feminist values.

Would you say that Glasgow is one of the pioneers of new music coming out?
(Soup) Aye, definately.
(Gill) It's a big scene in Glasgow. A big music scene.
(Soup) There's loads of new bands breaking through up there, like The Fratellis, they've done really well.
(Gill) Little Man Tate, are they from Glasgow?
(Soup) No, they're from North England.
(Soup) There's another band our friends are in, argh, can't remember what it's called, but aye, Franz Ferdinand, there's another one.
Yeah I think that's about the first time Glasgow really jumped to everyone's attention in the last few years, with Franz Ferdinand.
(Soup) Yeah I mean, it's good for other bands too. You know, people that are going to be coming up, and watching more gigs, it's good to be able to open the doors for other bands to break through.

Is it mainly an indie scene up there? Or is it only indie that makes it out?
(Soup) Erm.
Or is it just because everyone loves indie at the moment?
(Soup) Maybe I don't know. It's just a healthy music scene up there, because all the bands know each other, that's how we met Gill really, was through our MySpace. We knew her friend who played in another band, and obviously we were looking for a bass player, the jungle drums start beating, there's a bit healthy network up there, we all talk on MySpace, and share music and...
Good old MySpace
(Soup) Yeah it's brilliant.
Your MySpace doesn't work properly actually, I was disgusted!
(Soup) Our MySpace?
Yeah, it said The Hedrons had left me a comment, and I went to read it and it said “This Profile Has Been Deleted.”
(Soup) We had problems with people hacking in we think. But hopefully we'll get it fixed soon. We're having real problems, so if people could go to our message board. People have been emailing us, and we just can't get back to them. They probably think we're really rude, but we're not because we've always been very active on the MySpace. You know, the four of us always take our time to reply to emails and comments.

Do you listen to the same kind of music you create, or..?
(Soup) Everyone of us has got a different taste in music.
(Gill) You're into more 60's, 70's...
(Soup) I'm into 60's 70's, like Zepplin, the Stones, but I like modern bands too like Wolfmother, and The Foo Fighters.
(Gill) And I'm more modern, like Foo Fighters again, Ash...
Not enough people like Ash. They've kind of always just been in the background.
(Soup) Yeah.
(Gill) Yeah.
They're playing in Southampton soon actually.
Anyway.

Are there any bands RIGHT NOW that are grabbing you?
(Soup) Right now? I'm really into Graham Coxon's stuff. I suppose the Hedrons, well two of us at least, me and Tippi are. I like, it's just fast paced punk, and that's exactly what we are doing as well, it's good.

You've waited until the release of your third single to release the album, is there any reason for this? I mean most bands release on the second single. Was this planned or was it just the way it worked out?
(Soup) No, erm, we just wanted to get as much momentum going as possible, spread the word before we hit them with the album.
It is your best single, I think.
(Soup) We agree.
(Soup) I'm guessing that's not your real name?
(Soup) Of course it is!

I didn't want to cause offense by saying it was a silly name. Is there a story behind it?
(Soup) Should I tell you? Well... It's my nickname because, being a drummer, I'm actually named after a drum groove, which is Pea Soup. Pee-soup, pee-soup. (Immitating hi- hat rhythm.) And then it just stuck, so that's it.
Have the others got nicknames? There's Rosie and Tippi, is that right?
(Soup) Yeah, that's her real name?
Is it actually?
(Soup) Uh-huh.
That's amazing.
(Soup) I know.
Wasn't expecting that.
(Soup) Her parents must have been hippies or something.

If you could support any band at all, who would it be?
(Soup) Alive or dead?
Well, either.
(Soup) I'd have to say Led Zeppelin, but obviously John Bonham's not there.
(Gill) I would agree with that.
(Soup) Or Foo Fighters, I think we'd be a good match for them. 2007 is the year of the Hedrons.

This is an irrelevant question which I've thrown in for shits and giggles; what did you think to Take That's comeback?
(Soup) Ah it takes me back.
(Gill) That single was very good. Patience, I mean.
It was, even I liked that. Embarrassingly.
(Soup) Erm, not my cup of tea but fair play to them, if they can still sell records, I'd like to be saying the same.

Well, and I think I already know the answer to this, if you could bring back anything, who would it be?
(Soup) Bring back anyone? Probably John Bonham.

Had you always dreamed of being in a rock band, or was it something that came later on?
(Soup) Erm, yeah, I've been playing drums since I was eleven or twelve, so, yeah, my life's always revolved around music, being in bands, and I can't imagine anything else.

What came before the Hedrons, were you all in other bands?
(Soup) Yeah, just wee local bands.

What is a Hedron? If it is anything. Or is it just something you threw together when you were drunk?
(Soup) I'll let you find out that one, I'm not telling you.
You're not telling me what a Hedron is?
(Soup) You'll just have to look it up, it has many many many meanings. It means a lot of different things.
But if I look it up, I might get the wrong thing.
(Soup) Well, it doesn't mean anything in particular. Any one of those things.
It's just a thing?
(Soup) Yep.
With many connotations, okay.
(Soup) One of them is a shape.
A shape?
(Soup) Yeah, but I don't understand, it's all a bit too mathematical for me.
I know what a dodecahedron is, but not just a hedron by itself.
(Soup) Err it's something to do with a multi-faceted object.

There's not much point in asking this, (looking at the bottles of Sol in their hands,) but do you drink before you play to calm nerves?
(Gill) Not much.
(Soup) We have a couple of whistlers.
Is it to calm nerves? Do you still get nervous?
(Soup) Nah. I get excited, the adrenaline's going, but I don't get nervous like I don't want to go on. You shouldn't be a in a band then. Just totally high on excitement. We save the real party for when we're finished.

I got promos of Heatseeker and I Need You, but they're different to the album versions, any reason for this?
(Soup) To stop people selling them on eBay. No it's not that at all, obviously we want people to buy the single, and get a taste of what we are, but there's no point in putting the exact same mix on the album, because then people aren't getting value for money.

Interview by Thom