The live assault of FLA is really quite something, through the usual cloaking of mustard gas (all right, dry ice) frontman Bill Leeb jerked around like a Gerry Anderson puppet OD'ing on dexidrene, at either side of the stage two drummers smashed a combination of state-of-the-art drumpads and bits of sheet metal with brutal abandon. Behind the band a selection of disconcerting visuals was projected on the wall. Coupled with excellent live sound the cumulative effect was overwhelming, the show ferociously effective. On the downside the attendance was piss-poor (perhaps something to do with the Venues' policy of chucking everyone out before twelve on Fridays to make way for a disco).
We talked to Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber backstage before the the gig.
Who did you get to produce the visuals for the tour? "Eric from H-gun", says Bill, "they do all the Ministry, Revolting Cocks videos. They're a nice bunch of guys. I think they do some of the better work around, and it doesn't cost 50,000 dollars."
Its been almost a year since the release of "Caustic Grip" why did you choose to tour now? "Because we haven't got anything better to do," replies Bill. But wasn't there supposed to be a new EP out? "Yeah"
sighs Bill,"but our record company is in this big black hole, there's all kinds of internal problems and until they're settled nothing will get released. We're just following up our American tour, we started that in January and came over here as soon as it finished." Haven't you been offered any alternative record deals? "Oh yeah, but record labels are always like that, if they're not going bankrupt they're ripping you off, if they're not ripping you off they're going bankrupt. Its just that kind of business."
How are things going for the band in this country, do you have a relationship with the British press? "Well we don't sleep with them or anything," deadpans Bill. "Melody Makers been good to us from the start, the NME just doesn't care, Sounds was just starting to get into our stuff when it folded, I don't know if that's an omen or something. It's more good than bad, but then again most things you read in the English press are like `well this band are really quite good, but at the same time what are they trying to do this part is great but are they really that necessary any more?' You know how they write reviews in the English press."
"They write reviews for a lot of bands and just talk about what clothes the audience is wearing,"says Rhys, "that really pisses me off."
"There's one or two bands, The Smiths, New Order, maybe one other, that they've built up over the last ten years,"Says Bill. "The Pixies too, they get so much press, and they really haven't got anything to say; they said it all last year."
How does your music fit into the scheme of things; lots of terms have been thrown about in the press, techno, industrial, electro- thrash, electronic body music, would you be prepared to align yourselves to any of those terms? Rhys shrugs, "whatever people want to call it, we don't feel the need for a name. We don't like categories that much."
"We hate body music, we hate cyberpunks, we hate all those idiots,"rants Bill,"I think the best label is Canadian dance music. Yeah, lumberjack music."
How did you get into this form of self expression, all the technology? "Drugs,"says Bill,"Lots of drugs, lots and lots of drugs, for years, weirding out."
There's a lot of anger in your music, is that directed at anything in particular, or are you just pissed off in general? "We hate everything, its built in," replies Rhys.
"We're trying to shake the tree and see how many rotten apples fall out, then the good ones will be left hanging, right?" furthers Bill. "Basically, we just want to stir something up. We don't like a lot of the music that's around, most of the music that's popular I think is bad for the mind, and bad for every-thing in general. Pop stars are like bad politicians, its all covered up, you can't trust any of it. Its all corporate dollars that makes everything run, little guys like us are trying to change as much as we can, but we can't do much, so it just makes us more and more aggro about everything,"
I wonder what the most aggro record in the world is? Maybe our ultimate goal is to make a record that you just can't bear to listen to. In some ways its easier to get famous if everyone hates you. Maybe we're gonna make the worst record ever made and get famous like that."
Like a horror movie director who wants to make his audience barf? "Exactly, exactly the same approach,"says Rhys.
"Mind you,"says Bill,"they're censoring everything now, that takes a lot of the edge away, it takes away a lot of creativity by stopping people from doing things that are too radical." Have you had any problems with censorship personally?
"Nah. Nobody wants to bother the little guy in anything, right? You can sample and steal stuff until its coming out your ears, but unless its successful nobody's gonna sue you, cos there's nothing to sue for."
"Its shit when it happens though, take De La Soul, they lost their court case, so they were obliged to put a credit on their album for every sample used; there's like fifty credits on there, and it really detracts from the originality of the album."
"It destroys the mystique," adds Rhys.
Since the release of Caustic Grip last year FLA haven't been idle, Bill and Rhys worked with RevCo's Luc Van Acker producing an album under the name Noise Unit, and Bill reunited with his former Skinny Puppy colleague cevin Key, as well as current SP member D. Rudolph Goettel, and Blixa Bargeld of Neubauten and Bad Seeds fame, to produce the album Tenebrea Vision under the name Cyberactiv.
Why did you leave Skinny Puppy in the first place Bill?
"I just got bored and went to do something else," Bill grumbles, obviously bored at having to rehash ancient history. "Lots of different people have said lots of different things at different times, I just wanted to do something different."
How did the Cyberaktiv collaboration come about? "Greed," Bill deadpans, "cevin wanted to buy a volkswagon, but don't quote me on that!" Whoops Bill its on tape now, "Nah, I'm only kidding."
What was it like working with cevin again? "It was bearable. You can't sum up in five paragraphs a relationship you've had with someone for over ten years: that's why a lot of things said in interviews, put in quotes and taken out of context, sound really stupid. I think it went OK."
What do you think of Skinny Puppy these days? "They're still one of the best bands at what they do, so many people have come along in the last few years and started growling like they do. At least they haven't sold out."
Are there any plans for a second Cyberaktiv album, or of any other work with cevin? "Who knows, I never thought we'd work again after I split (Skinny Puppy). Maybe."
Have you ever considered working with Al Jourgenson? "Nah,"says Bill emphatically, "I doubt he's interested anyway. I think you have to be on heroin to work with him."
Bill's not just been working outside of FLA musically, he's also tried his hand at acting, and he co-directed FLA's video for the Virus single with Gary Smith. In fact the two are closely connected, the movie Bill's going to appear in is a low budget horror called "ChunkBlower"(great title, don't you think), with a script by Deep Red editor Chas Balun. It should be shooting by now, however if you saw the video for virus on Snub you've already had a glimpse; the virus video features large chunks (ouch, no pun intended) of the films three minute promo-reel. However Bill's first encounter with the world of low budget movie making was very nearly his last. The director Jim Van "Landis" Bebber required that Bill and fellow first time thesp Nivek Ogre (from Skinny Puppy), be hand-cuffed to the steering wheel of a car and blown up! And that's just what happened, the FX guys put too much gas in the car and Bill and Ogre got roasted. "My hair caught fire, it was pretty toastee. They should have used stuntmen." You were probably cheaper Bill. "Yeah." I take it they got the explosion on the first take? "Yeah the one and only. It was a good experience though." Yeah sure Bill. "No really it enabled us to make a video for a fraction of what it should have cost." Are you still going to be in this thing? "Yeah me and Ogre have parts in it, it should be fun. It will be a cult movie."
The conversation then drifts briefly through various subjects from virtual reality ("ideally, it should be a whole new medium for terrorising people"-Rhys), cool movies ("Henry; portrait of a serial killer" gets Bills vote),before arriving at the previous occupations of FLA's roadie, Jeff. "Actually Jeffs been in a few porno movies" Bill suddenly announces. "Amateur ones", we venture. "No really, for the record you can say that one of our roadies...." There's a horrible choking sound from the corner of the room and a voice rasps, "Bill don't talk about that man." Bill ignores the roadie, "his balls are huge" he pronounces,"one of these days there gonna drop off."
After the nights performance we drop in on Bill and Rhys again, mainly to act like the simpering little fanboys we are, and get some records signed. We find FLA huddled around a one bar fire trying to dry out their socks, such is the glamourous life of the international sonic terrorist.
Here is a run down of some of the new projects those fine lads from FLA have been working on.
Delirium has just been released on 3rd Mind, featuring Bill & Rhys it's an ambient dance epic film-score kind of thing. Brilliant.
They are currently in the studio recording a new FLA album to be released with single in March / April with a UK tour to follow in Autumn 92.
The first 'Will' album has just been released featuring Rhys and Chris from FLA, it's not what you expect.
Intermix is an ambient dance music project 'somewhere between the Orb and Renegade Soundwave' due out with single in January February. Sounds Great.
All are available from Third Mind Records, who are also re-issuing their entire FLA catalogue in February