Website: www.facebook.com/chinesemissy

 

Twitter:

After playing Download Festival in 2014 and Camden Rocks in 2015 and releasing the alternative Election 2015 anthem we chatted to Bello from Chinese Missy.

Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to talk to us, can you give us a bit of a rundown about Chinese Missy?

 

Hey! Bello here! We like to think CM sounds like the lovechild of   Marc Bolan and Joe Strummer, trashy raw rock n’ roll with a smattering of political comment.

 

You recently released 'Blood On Your Hands', was the inspiration of that song as simple as the video/name makes out?

 

Pretty much, we write some of our songs about social issues and politics and making it fun seemed a good idea. However, with a substantial swing to the right at the General Election it looks as though we failed haha!

 

The video itself looked fun to film, did you guys enjoy it?

 

Charles the actor who played Margaret Thatcher enjoyed wearing a bra and not for the first time in his life. We also had to clean the lavatories before and after filming so it wasn’t really the epitome of the rock star life… but yeh dressing up as the coalition and prancing around in a public lavatory is always a laugh!

 

Your overall sound seems to be rooted heavily in 'classic rock', what are the real influences in there?

 

No real specific influences as such, we just play the chords we’ve learned so far. Although I do feel like a hint of Erik Satie really does shine through occasionally however the others really don’t see it.

 

You released a debut single and played Download in 2014, sounds like a great year?

 

Yeh! Our debut single ‘Kickin About’ made it to 20th in the iTunes European rock charts so that was pretty cool to see it up there with Hendrix, Kings of Leon, AC/DC etc. Playing Download in our second summer as a band was also huge for us! Let’s hope the rest of 2015 goes the same way, however despite begging we haven’t been asked back to Download…

 

How has 2015 been so far? 

 

Well despite our lack of re-invitation to Download it hasn’t been so bad! We just had a great set at Camden Rocks, we released our second single (‘Blood On Your Hands’) and we seem to be acquiring a steady flow of fans who turn up time and time again to hear The Missy. The venues are getting bigger and so are the crowds, so as far as we’re concerned it can only be getting better!

 

As you say, you recently played Camden Rocks, was it your first time at the festival?

 

Yes and if our Download experience is anything to go by probably the last haha. We only had 30 minutes so it was short and punchy. I saw Tommy L’Heart throwing his bass about the stage so I reckon he had a good time although I haven’t seen him since he was pulled from the stage by an army of L’Heartlets (what we call his adoring fans), but yeh I reckon that means he had a good time. Rich dived off the bass drum into the crowd anyway which is always a sign things are going well. Bizarrely the crowd actually sang a good few of our songs back at us too which was pretty exciting. So overall not half bad I’d say.

 

Did you get chance to check out any other bands?

 

I wanted to see Asylums but they happened to be playing at about the same time as us and by the time we had packed up our equipment and eaten our sandwiches it was bed time.

 

Anything else planned for 2015 you can let us in on?

 

Yeh! At the End of summer we’re recording an EP with Mike Spink who did our two singles and has also worked on Jake Bugg and The 1975. So we’re currently buckling down and writing a new batch of songs to go with the load that have grown from rehearsals and live shows throughout the year before we head out into a disused sprout farm somewhere in The Vale of Evesham for EP pre-production. Absolutely buzzing to get out a full EP so keep posted for details on that!

 

Finally, anything else you want to share with the MNN readers?

 

Well if you’re MNN as in Manhattan Neighbourhood Network, rent control is a good thing and legislators in NYC should continue to make sure ordinary people can afford to live in the city. But just in case you are MNN, the Christian Mission Network News we too are just spreading the good word… So check us out on facebook and YouTube, gives us a cheeky like and we shall see you at a show near you soon! And if we’re not playing anywhere near you send us an angry email and we shall sort something out. Cheers!

 

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us!