THE NEW FORCE in rock is a collection of old faces; comprised of Gary Glitter (Vocals), Pete Townsend (Guitar), Rick Wakeman (Keyboard & Lute) and an expensive Roland drum machine (Drums), Vladimir and the Lolitas are kicking up a storm. The Cheese Grater joined them for some pre-gig sherbet on their tour bus-cum-ice cream van.
CG: So how did the group form?
Gary Glitter: There’s a funny story there; we all met by coincidence at a Parents’ Evening that wasn’t for our own children. We just started talking about the old days and decided to have a jam. The expensive Roland drum machine joined later via eBay.
CG: Why form a band now though, Mika’s got the market covered hasn’t he?
Pete Townsend: Well, Gary had failed to break into the Asian market and Rick was bored of playing with himself. I was stuck at home spending most of my time in internet chat rooms; noone wanted to watch The Who after the two interesting ones died. But it was essentially Gary who was the driving force behind the formation of the band… He’s the ring leader (of our gang.) [laughs] CG: What do you say to critics who think the band, considering its members history, is ‘past it’?
Rick Wakeman: People say we’re too old for this game but I think we’ve still got appeal. We’ve been grooming the European market for some time now and it was about time we eased ourselves back into the UK. The press have been really supportive, especially The News of the World, they’ve given us loads of exposure.
CG: What are your major influences?
Roland drum machine: We’ve got a fresh, almost virgin sound; but that doesn’t mean we’re inexperienced. Over the last few jam sessions it’s like we’ve really come of age. We rock so hard that some fans have said it’s like being molested by sound. We’re not just influenced by other musicians either, I mean Roman Polanski and Woody Allen have been big inspirations.
CG: Have you any plans to release anything soon?
GG: Our first UK show is in the remote Scottish town of Balamory. We’ve got some great support lined is from S-Club Juniors and we’re right behind their comeback. It’s a cracking show, it’s based on a rock-opera version of Fiddler on the Roof. It’s very catchy; we hope it will be sung in playgrounds across the country.
PT: We’re very grateful to Jonathan King for agreeing to manage us and put out our album on his new label. Without him none of this would have happened, well, at least none of us would have bought the drum machine.
‘Sweet Child O’Mine’, the first single from Vladimir and the Lolitas’ new album, ‘A Hentai Romance’ is available now through wedontdosingles records.
Next week: Thompson, Venables and The Lightning Seeds on their covers EP, featuring Walk This Way and Blood On The Tracks.