Fused - Archive - Dirty Pretty Things

Without a single release the super-hyped Dirty Pretty Things managed to sell out a UK tour of sizeable venues in a cool 20 minutes. Former Libertines Carl Barât and Birmingham’s own Gary Powell, have teamed up with Anthony Rossomando, of New York/Boston rock band The Damn Personals, and former Cooper Temple Clause Bass player Didz Hammond, to bring the UK a mix of disco beats and punk rock anthems. Fused caught up with Didz backstage at the Manchester Academy to reminisce about the Coopers and talk about how it feels to be part of the UK’s newest hot property.

You’ve known Carl for quite some time when was the first time you met him?
I think it was at the Witness Festival a few years ago. The Libertines had just come out, started releasing stuff and were playing all the festivals. The Coopers and the Libs were playing the Witness Festival in Ireland and we ended up on Primal Scream’s bus and went to a party in Dublin, and that was it. And then what with being in bands and stuff you kind of run into each other at festivals and London nightlife and the full stereotype of just knowing other bands - like The Beatles and The Stones and The Spencer Davis Group. Everyone knows everyone. That’s how I met Gary as well - from the circuit.

The Coopers have said that your departure from the band was amicable but what made you decide that it was time for a change? Well it wasn’t really deciding it was time for change, it was more like it just felt natural to just kind of join up with Carl. I was in London and they were all still in Reading. That’s not to say that I was - you know rooty tooty, hoi polloi and they were in the sticks - that’s not the case. I was feeling kind of detached from it, probably down to the distance, because we’re still all fast friends, but I was just kicking around with Carl quite a lot. It seemed pretty natural.

Are you featured on the forthcoming, long awaited, third Cooper Temple Clause Album?
I don’t know yet. It was a very long process, so I defiantly played on some songs, but I don’t know if the bits that I played are going to be on the record. I don’t mind you know, it’s just one of those things.

How does playing with Dirty Pretty Things compare?
The basis of Cooper Temple Clause is wanting to do everything at once. Like all six of us are into a lot of music, that sounds a bit cheesy and I’ve been saying it for years, but it’s true. So the music as a result of that is pretty dense. Everyone wants to fill every minute so this is relatively simple by comparison. There’s a lot of space to play the bass in.

Do you imagine that you’ll be playing on the same billing in the future?
I imagine it will happen. I’m not going to premeditate it or ask for it to happen - not in a bad way - but it will happen I imagine. And there’s no problem with that. There’s no sensation. If they are, they are and hello lets have a drink! It’s all very friendly and I’m sure it would be the same if we ran into each other at festivals.

Do you know who’s taking over from you in the band?
No one. I’ve heard that people are saying that Dan Austin is going to take over, which isn’t the case really, ‘cause he’s kinda Massive Attack’s pet now, which is nice for him. They’ve put a few thing’s on the sampler and the impression that I get is generally that Kieran is playing the bass, although Tom and Fisher are doing it as well, Ben is as well, so that’s everyone apart from John. Shared around as is the Cooper way.

Do you know John Hassall [Libertine’s bass player]?
Yeah, I met him when I was in the Coopers, in the same way I met Gary, Carl and Pete. He was at the Luminaire as well. We had a nice chat. I was a bit nervous about it really - about the theory of it - but he told me it was good, and everything was cool, and he was very friendly.

So you don’t think he feels left out?
I don’t think so. John when off to do his own band Yeti. And fair play of course go and do your own thing. I don’t think he feels as though he’s been stuck in a corner and replaced by someone ‘cause you can’t replace him. I was just reading that new Libertines book. It says when they didn’t have a bass player they rang Mr. Razzcocks and said; “Do you know anyone how can play the bass?” and he said there’s only one bass player in the Libertines, and it’s John Hassal. Which it is! Course this isn’t the Libertines. But he’s a hard act to follow, not that I’m following an act, but he’s a fucking class bass player. Top grade. Top draw.

How does it feel to have sold out your UK tour in 20 minutes without even releasing a record?
Yeah, that’s a bit weird isn’t it? Obviously we’re a young band with experience behind us from a number of different bands and there is a subsequent weight upon our shoulders from that.

Do you find that there are a lot of expectations on you? For instance are you worried that people will compare you to Pete Doherty?
Well yeah all that sort of stuffs gonna come up, but you just kind of ignore it and get on with what we’re doing. We know that we’re good and we have faith in the songs and the music and what we’ve done. You just have to shrug that stuff aside.

Were you expecting Pete Doherty to be making an appearance at the Birmingham Academy?
I don’t know. It’s strange that you said that, having been to Birmingham, because that’s the night that he was arrested for car theft. But no, there was nothing like that going on. You just shut that stuff out and get on with it. No one’s in regular contact with him, although people have spoken to him, I haven’t seen him in three years. Don’t get me wrong but it’s just not something we think about a lot.

www.dirtyprettythingsband.com/

Dirty Pretty Things release their debut single Bang Bang You’re Dead through Vertigo Records on Monday April 24th. Their yet to be titled, debut album is released on May 8th.

David Timothy