X-clusive: Be Your Own Pet “We’ve Had To Fight To Play Shows!”

added 22 September 2005 at 13.39

For those that missed their incendiary Carling Weekend sets, or haven’t been lucky enough to get hold of a copy of either of their limited edition singles, Be Your Own Pet make your current favourite band look like your senile grandparents. They talk to Xfm and announce their first proper UK tour.

Be Your Own Pet hail from Nashville, Tennessee and are a four-piece with a combined age of less than Paul McCartney. They also play frenetic garage rock that, up until very recently,
seemed destined to stay in their garage.

However, as frontwoman Jemina Pearl (like Karen O’s younger sister raised on a diet of Sunny D) and guitarist Jonas Stein explain, the hype around their debut single ‘Damn Damn Leash’ meant their garage days were numbered.

“Our drummer (Jamin Orrell) has his own label (Infinity Cat) which we’ve put a few things out on to get started,” Stein explains, “Which turned into something bigger than expected and now we’ve just signed a contract with XL Recordings”

“We’re about to record our album this month in Nashville,” Pearl continues. “And then we’re going to put it out just as soon as we can. We’re recording with Steven McDonald from Redd Kross, so it’s gonna be cool.“

Aged just 18 (Pearl) and 17 (the rest), the four-piece haven’t just had trouble getting the band off the ground – they’ve been regularly banned.

“People have said we can’t come and play,” Pearl reveals. “We’ve had fights before with people saying, ‘You’re not eighteen, you can’t come and play!’ I’m eighteen, but I’m the only one.

“A lot of the time there’re a lot of kids at the shows and we connect with kids a lot better than a lot of the older bands,” Stein continues. “We’re playing for them.”

“We’ve been playing these shows recently,” his frontwoman interjects, “And it’s just been a load of old industry dudes standing there with their arms crossed going, ‘Oh, should I like this? Should I like this? Do other people like it?’

“It’s annoying, but I don’t understand why you would come to a show just to sit there. You should go, and have fun and have an experience instead of just standing there.”

The four-piece will play a trio of their own headlining shows in October before heading out as support for The Kills.

  • Birmingham Barfly (October 14)
  • Cardiff Barfly (15)
  • London Barfly (16)
  • Nottingham Rescue Rooms (supporting The Kills) (19)
  • London Forum (supporting The Kills) (20)
  • Newcastle Academy 2 (supporting The Kills) (22)
  • Glasgow Oran Mor (supporting The Kills) (23)
  • Aberdeen Lemon Tree (supporting The Kills) (24)
  • Liverpool Academy UNI (supporting The Kills) (26)
  • Manchester Academy 2 (supporting The Kills) (27)
  • Stoke Sugarmill (supporting The Kills) (28)
  • Sheffield Leadmill (supporting The Kills) (29)
  • Oxford Zodiac (supporting The Kills) (31)

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