James caught up with the Japanese Voyeurs backstage in Wolverhampton before their show with the Black Spiders to talk about their forthcoming album and much more.

First of all can you give us a brief history of the band such as how you formed as a band and came up with the name Japanese Voyeurs?
Romily: We’ve been going for 3 years; Ricky and I went to school together, Tom and John were the same and we stole Ste from another band. The name comes from a Japanese photographer from the 80’s who used to take pictures of people having sex in parks ha ha.

Who would you say your main musical influences are?
Johnny Seymour: Melvins.

Steve Wilson: We like down. We don’t really take influence from them but, PANTERA!

You are currently on the road touring with The Black Spiders, how did the tour come about and how have the shows been so far?
Romily: I don’t really know, but it’s cool because we haven’t really got to tour with any classic rock bands before and they’re all really nice.

Steve: At the shows there have been some big men, we went on tour with Young Guns and their crowd was mostly younger girls but here there are just large men.

How have you found generally being on the road with The Black Spiders?
Johnny: Yeah they’re really nice we haven’t really spent that much time with them yet but when we get back down to London we will.

What do you have planned once this tour comes to an end on Thursday?
Romily: Festivals, we’re doing a new music video which is cool because we get to drive tanks.

What can someone who has never seen the Japanese Voyeurs expect from your live show?
Romily: We don’t do anything fancy it’s just loud; we just get on stage, play and hope you enjoy it. I think if you love a band that should be enough.

You toured on the Rock Sound Exposure tour back in February with The Xcerts and Dinosaur Pile Up, how did you find the tour and sharing the stage with a couple of solid up and coming rock bands?
Johnny: It was really fun because we really get on with all of those bands. So there was no getting to know each other or anything first it was just pure fun.

Steve: We all shared equipment too so whoever set up first we’d all use it.

Your latest single ‘Get Hole’ was released on the 18th April, what response have you got from it so far from your fans and the press?
Romily: We never really ask about things like that because it might be a bit depressing ha ha! Apart from making the video and doing the artwork we have no idea when singles come out.

Steve: Apparently there’s vinyl’s but we haven’t even seen them.

Your debut album ‘Yolk’ is due for release soon, what can we expect from the album once it is released?
Johnny: It’s well planned because it comes out slap band in the middle of the festivals so it’s quite ideal.

Romily: Because it’s our debut people haven’t really known the music before so it will be exciting because people will now.

What themes and stories do you cover within the album?
Romily: There’s a loose theme of birth and I guess a lot of the themes go with that, I don’t like to write anything too obvious.

What’s your take on the digital revelation killing off the music business?
Johnny: We really push for people getting physical copied of things with full artwork and everything.

Romily: It depresses me people download music. It sucks.

Social network sites seem to be a big tool in the music industry these days, with artists communicating with their fans over it and some even ditching their own website and having just a social network page, what are your opinions on social networks as tools in the music industry?
Johnny: Yeah because you get a bond with your fans and they can ask you questions that they would never otherwise get to and give you feedback which is always a bonus when involved in anything to do with music.

Where do you hope to see Japanese Voyeurs in a year’s time?
Steve: Still going. We’d love to do a headline tour where people actually turn up! Ha ha.

Johnny: Generally progress to be honest we’re in this for the long haul so we just want to keep it all going.

One last random question that we ask every band, if you could be an animal out of a zebra or Giraffe which one would you be and why?
Johnny: Giraffes can suck themselves off because they’re long tongues and necks

Steve: Yeah but they need to be careful because if they keep their heads down for too long then they die so it’d be down lick and back up again.

Johnny: I’d say giraffe because they don’t have as many natural enemies as zebra’s. Just to give another response that isn’t sexual response ha ha!

Thanks for your time is there a message for your fans reading this?
Romily: Thank you! We love you guys!

Interview By James Webb