The Scenester chats to Krish Thiruchelvam of Leeds band 'Middleman' about influences, gigs and energy levels...

How would you best describe your music to someone who hasn’t listened to Middleman before?...

"Middleman are a mash-up of driving guitar riffs, heavy beats and bass-lines and poetry-slammed vocals"

You have just released your latest single ‘Chipping Away’. How has this been received by your fans?

"Really well, it's been played on Radio 1 as well as loads of local radio stations. XFM have taken to it particularly, inviting us in for a John Kennedy session and playlisting the single. The video's gone down especially well, apparently people like seeing us being pelted with 2,000 bouncy balls."

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I see you play around the country at venues in London and Birmingham, as well as the local Leeds venues. Is your aim for nationwide fame and fortune?

"Our aim is to be successful enough that we can do this as a living and not have to do anything else. It's nice when people like what you do but fame should always be a bi-product of success, not an end in itself. Andy Warhol said in the future everyone would have their 15 minutes of fame, but that doesn't mean it's a good thing. Big Brother can fuck off!"

What has been your favourite live performance to date?

"There's been loads! At Leeds Festival 2009 after we'd played on the Festival Republic Stage we were doing some interviews (and getting drunk, it was Slurpy's birthday too) in the press tent when a runner came and said Alan Raw was asking if we could fill a spot on the BBC Introducing Stage because a band had dropped out. We rushed straight over, ran on stage and smashed it with a really uppy set. The crowd were ace, the sun was shining and we could just enjoy it with no pressure. It also turned out to be the gig where our current manager first saw us and we started working together as a result."

You are well known within the local music scene as having oodles of energy, both in your song writing/lyrics and at your gigs. Where does all this energy and enthusiasm come from?

"From loving doing what we're doing. When we're writing, if it doesn't actively excite us, we move on and write something else. We've played so many gigs now that it feels natural being on stage. It's comfortable enough to not worry about going wrong and just to enjoy it. Also, we carbo-load for a couple of days before each gig. Pasta sandwiches and baked potatoes covered in rice!"

Who have been your major musical influences and how have these shaped you as a band?

"We share some influences like Rage Against The Machine but also have a lot of stuff that has influenced us individually, for example, P-Funk for Slurpy, Boards of Canada for Krish, Aesop Rock for Andy and Sparklehorse for Lee. Because we all write in the band, we don't usually end up with something that can be easily placed in one genre. We put no rules on what we are trying to do, if we like it and if it excites us, that's all that matters. "

Do you think Britain’s got talent? What’s your impression of the UK music scene right now?

"It's so easy for people to make music and put it online now, that Britain's pretty saturated with bands. This means there's more bad music as well as good music. When we went to SXSW in March, the best and most interesting music we saw was in The British Music Embassy. I think we've certainly got as much talent as any other nation. In the Yorkshire showcase with us were bands like The Grammatics and Slow Club."

I have heard from various artists like Jordan Thompson that you inspired and taught him “to make music”. That’s a pretty big compliment...do you aim to influence more musicians starting out in the industry today?

"It is a massive compliment of course, but our aim is never to influence other people to start making music. Our aim is to do what we love doing, and to make the best music we can. "

Where and when can we next catch you performing live?

"We're pretty much having January off playing live to finish the album, and will start playing again in February. We're next playing Leeds as part of the tour for the release of the next single. It will be a free, secret gig on Sunday 27th February. People can see details on http://facebook.com/middlemanband from the start of February and can see all of our listings here http://middlemanband.co.uk/shows/"

Any last words?

"Everybody should go to http://middlemanband.co.uk to find out when we're next in your area, sign up to our mailing list and recieve a free song and visit our shop to check out the new T-Shirts, CD's and downloads available!"

Interview by Sapphire Wheeler