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 Hamburg's The Pleasures have just completed a second UK Tour, and the retro glam sleaze, or whichever tag you'd like to use for them, band have certainly kicked up quite a storm.
Describing themselves as a "five-piece glamrock band from Hamburg,
Germany, born of a love for all things outrageous and
gender-transcending. This is the most exuberant, gaudy, arresting
onslaught of glam n roll you could ever imagine."
Komodo Rock took the opportunity to catch up with Vocalist Dancette Pleasure and Guitarist/Vocalist Lord Vivian Pleasure to find out more...
KomodoRock: For those that are new to The Pleasures, can you give us a little background on the band?
Dancette: The whole story started in my head somewhere in 2003. At this time I was singing in my former band. I always wanted to create something bigger than just an ordinary band. So I started to look for new musicians for a side-project. After telling The Lord about my idea he joined me and everything went very quickly. No one in Hamburg heard about a band like I had in my mind so it was quiet easy to find fellers to form a whole band.
How did the name come about?
Dancette: Well, I asked myself What am I looking for in my life? The answer was so easy: Glamour, rock´n roll, freedom, much more make-up
just pleasure! And we are one, two, three, four, five crazy guys: The Pleasures!
Your almost ready to launch your second album on the world. Can you tell us a bit more about 'Oh Yeah'?
Lord: The "Oh Yeah" project is a double album with a double concept. We wanna re-interpret the two sides of glam rock from our point of view. First there's CD 1 titled "Oh", it's a very emotional, 70's-style glam pop album, with a bunch of ballads and a very retro and vintage sound. CD 2 called "Yeah" is a pleasuresque version of 80's glam metal with a modern Rammstein-feeling.
Could you take us through some of the tracks on the album?
Dancette: On the OH side you will find one of my favourite songs called Off The Wire. I sing about the situation that someone just felt free after listening to my songs in a very different way. Now the protagonist is totally down cause he interpreted me wrong. Pop music interpretations can be dangerous! In this song we wont use any guitars which is very different for our style. The more you will get a hard played piano, oozing bass lines and my thrilling voice.
 Lord: Well, I can tell you a bit about my two favourites these days, as they change every week... One of them is called "Yes Means Yes And No Means Harder", a song about, what else, sex. Sex and violence in a positive way. I am proud to announce that Big Boy, as a guest star, will be singing the chorus of that song. Another song that will be very interesting is "Private Lesson", it tells the story of a young boy that has an affair with his private lesson teacher... The instrumental arrangement of this song has a slight Latin flair, what has been kind of new for us.
'Oh Yeah' is the sequel to your debut album 'Greatest Hits'. How will it compare?
Lord: It won't compare at all. It's better in any case!
Why did you decide to call your debut 'Greatest Hits'? A Greatest Hits album normally comes later for most bands.
Dancette: We had a lots of brilliant names for that album
I think around 3 billion different titles. After our first preview we noticed that there was only space for one title on the CD.
You've just completed another mini tour of the UK. How did it go?
Lord: We have experienced a new level of where the word "Fan" comes from. Fanaticism and hysteria to the max. It was the first time ever in our career that we literally had to escape from fans, as they ripped our clothes off of us.
Dancette:
yeah and after getting us naked some started trying to penetrate us with their fingers. Haha! Next time I will take care to stand too close to the first row in the audience.
Any interesting tour stories you can share?
Dancette: Well, when you are touring with such a crazy rock band it´s really hard to find out what´s really strange and what´s not. I mean nearly every second something strange happens which other people may find interesting
But I really love to remember the day we went out before a show to discover the Sherwood Forest. I bought a Robin Hood a-like hat and we spend the half of a sunny day jumping around in heathen fields hand in hand. I felt so close to my band and nature this day. It was really inspiriting to me.
Lord: I made out with the singer of SIGN. I think I have fallen in love. I'm not sure yet what to tell my wife...
You've played with both Adam Bomb and T-Rex. How did those gigs come about and what was it like playing with such legendary bands?
Dancette: For the T-Rex show a venue manager called me on the phone. He was looking for a similar band for a huge evening in a very big concert hall
Oh we had a lots of fun together! I love to meet older rockers and listen to their stories about the rock`n roll roads. After playing with T-Rex I saw how it looks like rocking with over 60 years. Since then Im not afraid of getting older.
Has myspace been a big help to the band? What about other online sources?
Dancette: I don´t take MySpace too serious though I really love every of my friends. But every band can behave like a star and you dont know if its real or fake. Anybody can manipulate personality in the web.
its a little confusing sometimes. Dont trust just one online source. You can find billions with different information or get yourself a better view of your favourite band seeing them live.
Lord: MySpace is the power! Without it we wouldnt have come close that far!!
 Put on the spot, which 3 bands have influenced the band the most?
Dancette: Hanoi Rocks, Jobriath, Misfits
Lord: Rammstein, Manson, The Ark.
If you could put together your dream 3 band tour, who'd you pick?
Lord: Rammstein, Manson, The Ark.
Dancette: Let me adduce for this answer Uschi Obermaier: I don´t dream my life; I live my dream! Haha, Oh, but Jobriath it dead and Misfits just a kind of band around Jerry Only. Well, but aside from this we already met so many big and cool bands who influenced us and so many people are helping us living our dream so it´s just a question of time till we can announce our dream 3 band tour.
What's the highest point of your career so far?
Dancette: Hearing that even Robin Black is a fan of The Pleasures.
And the lowest?
Dancette: I don´t know cause I used to think positive! Even if I would drown in dirt I would imagine that dirt cleans my skin.
In 12 months time, where do you see the band being, and what will you be doing?
Dancette: I don´t think about my future. I enjoy my life right now! But now you made me thinking. I love to travel around the whole world and for 2008 I would love to go to the UK, to Italy, Turkey, Denmark, USA, and India and Canada maybe.
Lord: I do not think about it. We have founded THE PLEASURES to own something that makes us happy. As long as we are are happy with what we're doing, whatever it is, I am happy as well. This is not about success. It's about being ourselves. And if this leads to success, it's welcomed, if not, fuck it!
Other than yourselves, who do you rate as the best up and coming rock band out there?
Lord: Big Boy fur sure! And Revolverheld! Revolverheld are so shitty that they deserve to be on top to fall as deep as it gets.
Dancette: Mirror. This man is one of the best musicians I ever met. His album is gorgeous.
Let us know any important web links and where we can buy your stuff.
Dancette: Try it on www.thepleasures.de there we have a brand new merch area.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us!
Dancette: You are welcome! See you in March 2008 during our third UK-Tour.
UK Fans then will have to wait until March next year to get their hands on another dose of Pleasures, and possibilities of trips further afield for the band as well.
You can check the band out on myspace as well, where you can check out both tracks off the bands recent single and one track off their previous album "Greatest Hits' at http://www.myspace.com/thepleasuresmusic
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