Interview: "We're pretty unassuming, but we'll bite your f***ing head off!" CHIHUAHUA come out fighting.
CHIHUAHUA are a band that are beginning to turn into a fascinating propostion. Based in Manchester, they're an uncompromising and exhilarating experience; often polorising audiences with the extremity of their sound. I met up with the band prior to their gig at Alexanders in Chester and we talked about their debut E.P, their fierce live reputation, a shift in sound and..why the Devil drives a Fiat 500.
The nucleas of CHIHUAHUA - Singer/Guitarist Rhys Evans, Guitarist Tom Shivers and Drummer Shaun Davies - formed as Punk trio Inhalers during their first year at University. "..Then Bono's son stole the name and we had to change it!" quipped Shaun.
Frustrated with the limitations of Punk and looking to experiment with a fuller, more experimental sound, the band added Multi-instrumentalist Rufus Murphy on Bass and decided to change their name.
It was 2021 before CHIHUAHUA were fully born and the fruits of their labour began to be realised. This time last year, the band released their debut E.P 'Violent Architecture'; a raucous and intense collection of songs that sat much closer to the Noise Rock of Gnod and the No Wave of Sonic Youth than any of their previous, more straight-forward Punk influences. The band worked with producer and member of Black Metal band Wode, Karl Sveinsson and made a 30 minute, 7 track opus of experimental noise; the songs evolving from practise and studio time.
" The songs from 'Violent Architecture' tended to stem from jams initially." said Shaun. "There was a time where one of us would bring a section of a song into practise and the rest of us would cobble something around it, but as we played more together we got to a point where everything flowed more naturally." added Rhys.
Feedback to the E.P - at least from a critical perspective - was quite favourable. Louder than War called them "As intense as a Rock band can get without spontaneously combusting." Ear Nutrition "It's no easy ride and I mean that in the best, existentially charged and fear-inducing way possible. Do not sleep on this band." Here at NNWNF, we also reviewed the E.P and you can read the full review at the link below.
The band are more realistic when asked about the reaction to the E.P: "The response for the the E.P was beyond our expectations - everyone was really nice!" said Shaun; "We bought a load of records to sell and some people actually bought them; we have like two songs on Spotify with over 1000 plays!" A more flippant Rhys observes. "We've made it! We've actually got about £50 in band royalties to do with as we wish!" says Tom, to much hilarity.
The growing reputation of CHIHUAHUA as a live band is perhaps where the band will gain most traction. The live arena is where they feel at their most comfortable, with Shaun going so far to say that recording songs "..can be really stressful, especially when you can't quite capture the energy of your live performance in the recording." They do however, seem amused by my assertion that they're 'intense'. "We're not very intense people." jokes Tom. "That's where the name CHIHUAHUA came from: We're pretty unassuming, but we'll bite your f***ing head off!" confirms Rhys with a glint in his eye.
CHIHUAHUA further boosted their ranks by adding Saxophonist Tom Drew, who the band call by his surname to avoid confusion. Drew's introduction has changed the live dynamic even further, with the evolution in sound spreading to their forthcoming new material. The band have moved into a more progressive realm, but which artists do they collectively take inspiration from?
"We all like Thee Oh Sees and Post Hardcore stuff like Fugazi - the sheer energy of it all" said Shaun. "Then more so now, stuff like Slint and Godspeed.." adds Rhys. It's indicative of the new songs the band have been working on - a noticable shift towards more Post Rock leanings.
'Violent Architecture' ends with a near 10 minute monster entitled 'God's Favourite Sport's Car' - A seething indictment of the hypocrasy of organised religion - it seemed fitting to get the band's opinions as to which car the Devil drives to end the interview. "He's a Vaughall Corsa!" "He's a Nissan Micra!" "He's a Fiat 500!", several members of the band interject at the same time, treating the question with the contempt it so clearly deserves and similtaneously sounding like lyrics from an obscure John Peel Session by The Fall. The consensus is that now is the time to end our chat.
The band go on to play an ear-busting and incredible set to a room that should have far more people in than it does - but that barely matters as the faces are suitably melted and ears suitably ringing. "Thanks for coming to see us and not Sparks" says Tom towards the end of the interview - referring to a tweet I wrote earlier that day complaining about clashing gigs - and despite missing the Ron and Russell show*, I'm more than happy with the noisey choice I made.
*I didn't have a ticket anyway and it was sold out, buy hey ho..
Buy from their Bandcamp, preferably on the first Friday of the month, to maximise the artist's royalties.
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