Leeds-born, hard rock group Super Luxury released their debut album, ‘Ten Solid Years of Applause’ last year in March (which scored the #7 spot on Velvet’s end of year releases). Their latest plans involve beer, hot dogs and just a little bit of music, which guitarist Chris Riviera was happy enough to tell me about.
So what made you decide on the hard rock style? Has it always been the same since the beginning?
“The style is basically a mash up of our interests in heavy, noisy rock music and comedy. So bands like the Jesus Lizard, 400 Blows, AC/DC and comedians like Andy Kaufman and Mitch Hedberg.We had a drum machine at first and it leaned more towards the classic rock side of things. It definitely wasn’t as good as it is now. Actually it was a complete mess of sound, but it was still really fun.”
How did the recording of Ten Solid Years go? Official studio for recording or DIY?
“The recording went great. We recorded it for nothing at Brudenell. The entire way through the recording there was a man doing press-ups on the floor next to where we were playing (true story).”
Good feedback on Ten Solid Years’ (sorry about forgetting to review it)?
“Pretty good, I think. People seem to be enjoying it, writing good reviews etc. Don’t worry about the review, we’ve actually taken the liberty of writing your review for you:
The greatest hard rock record ever written, by the greatest hard rock band that ever lived. I will give anyone £100 if they send me a better album. I give it 5 whammy bars out of 5 whammy bars.”
What’s next for Super Luxury (touring/back to recording/anything exciting?)
“The next big thing is the hot dog eating competition – 4th March at our spiritual home, the Brudenell Social Club. Some of our good pals – Oil, Hank Haint and Ona Snop are playing and our set will be the soundtrack / timer for the competition. We did one a few years ago and it went great.”
Can we expect anything soon (if new material is being recorded)?
“Maybe not anytime soon, but we’re working on material for a new album which we’re really pleased with so far. We move at a very slow pace, but it will be worth it when the quality of said material makes every person who hears it explode into a cloud of dust and light.”
If you could tour with any two groups who would it be and why?
“I would like either one of these scenarios;
- We tour with two indie bands that the public have completely lost interest in (e.g. – the Pigeon Detectives and the Enemy) just to see how desperate things have become. I can imagine a scenario where all the band members have to split a can of Carling 8 ways after the money runs out.
- We play with bands with dead members. For example, the Doors and the Jimi Hendrix experience, but we stipulate in the contract that “any dead members of the band must be dug up and propped up on stage with any relevant instruments draped over them”. It’ll be like a musical version of weekend at Bernie’s.”
Super Luxury’s ‘Ten Solid Years Of Applause’, is available through their bandcamp down below.
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