Photos by Ben Rayner

They Came From The Stars I Saw Them have been around for nine years and have never strictly found fame, which isn’t the most promising sell for a band. Weirdly, the London group have managed to retain this odd name-drop status within certain indie circles, which for a while seemed to stem purely from the fact they had a really long name. Yet lo and behold, on hearing their new album, they’ve finally made sense of their eccentric kraut-funk nonsense.

One of the band’s “quirks” is their predeliction for altering stage costumes. Seeing as this is the fashion issue, we took the opportunity to get all stylistic with the group. We set them the challenge of finding new outfits to wear onstage that evening. After some budget haggling we settled on £10 per member, and planned a route of Hackney’s finest charity shops.

10:30 AM: We meet at a café in Dalston to discuss the day ahead. Frontman Horton Jupiter reveals he started the band as an experiment to see if he could form “the worst band possible”, before quickly backtracking, insisting that they’re a “hot, tight outfit now.” They reminisce over previous costume concepts including, “sportswear, farmyard, domestic wear” and the like. We try and steer them away from wackier sartorial territories, and attempt to keep things simple. Thus, we agree on the classic “white-on-gold” look.

12 PM: After heading to Oxfam on the Kingsland Road, everyone begins scanning the rails for white garms, of which there’s an abundance. Bassist Dan Hayhurst, whose alias is “Sculpture” for some reason, finds himself a complete chef’s outfit. Despite our advice, Horton starts picking out the zaniest things he can find, such as knee-high furry boots and a plastic zip-up vest. He’s starting to resemble an ageing happy hardcore rave casualty.

1:30 PM: Midway through a Gok Wan-esque changing room moment with synth player Naomi Auerfeld, whose ensemble is coming together quite nicely in a Middle Eastern princess style, we’re interrupted by a local woman who seems intent on throwing her opinions into the mix. She hassles us with inane banter for a couple of awkward minutes and then the Oxfam management arrive to eject her from the shop. Turns out she’s a heroin addict who repeatedly steals from their deposit bins. After browsing the collection of 1991 Select magazines, we pay up and leave.

2:30 PM: We traipse round the pound shops and assorted boutiques of Dalston for a while with Naomi’s accessorising mantra of “more is more” in mind. We pick up various gold belts, chains and bangles, before heading to a Turkish “streetwear emporium” for our final group shot. Job done.

JANIE SMODGESON
The album We are All in the Gutter But Some of Us are Looking at… is out now on This Is Not An Exit. myspace.com/theycamefromthestarsisawthem

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