VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED

Small people playing in bands are cute. They hit you right in the “aw shucks” spot. “Look how big that guitar looks on his little body!”; “Hahaha, he can hardly see over his drum kit!” That sort of thing. Stop and think about it. Prince, Kylie, Dio, Phil Collins, guy who plays bass in SSS: each one’s a tiny scamp whom the world has taken to its music-loving bosom. Apart from guy who plays bass in SSS. I think that’s just me.

Named after Guy Pearce’s character in LA Confidential, Rolo Tomassi strike the perfect balance between being people who are small and look funny while they play music and being kids who are young and write coherent songs. The fact that they make a unique and ridiculously accomplished mess of grindcore, screamo and post-hardcore while they’re mostly still too young to legally drink and have been playing DIY shows for three years already makes them both hilarious and amazing. Oh, and that death’s-head banshee wail howling over the blastbeats and guitar-tapping? That comes from a 17-year-old girl. Wow.

Vice: So, how did a bunch of 14-year-olds in the arse-end of Sheffield decide it would be a good idea to play something that sounds like Indian Summer raping Napalm Death?

James Spence (keyboards): There was actually a really healthy scene in our village. There were loads of kids who were into the same stuff as us, loads of shows in the village hall. I sort of miss not playing there every week actually.

Joe Nicholson (guitars): Everyone was into the same sort of thing. Just heavy stuff, some suspect bits but never as bad as Walls Of Jerico or anything. Once we heard that Murder Of seven-inch we knew that this was what we wanted to do — to play music like this as often as possible.

You are almost all too young to even be in this bar. Have you ever had shit from promoters about playing?

Joseph Thorpe (bass): All the time. Even now.

Eva Spence (vocals): It is worse for me because I look really young. They always think I am one of their little sisters. Well, I guess I am, but it’s pretty annoying.

Edward Dutton (drums): When we played with These Arms Are Snakes in Birmingham, me and Joe were 18 so they let us in and we set up on stage while they did the bass, keys and vocals from outside. That was fun.

How do you sing like that, Eva? Do you just pretend that you really really don’t want to do your homework?

Eva: Not really. I just think about the words and sing. It actually comes pretty naturally.

JIMMY JAMS
Rolo Tomassi have an EP available on Holy Roar Records next month. myspace.com/rolotomassi

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