“We call means a combination of jungle, punk and
dubstep, with a pinch of indie thrown in for
good measure. With influences ranging from
The Smiths to Chas N Dave to Jay Z, these
boys are not your average band. Scarlet
Harlots have been together for 18 months
and have already flagged themselves on the
UK musical map. Last year, BBC Radio1’s
Steve Lamacq hand-picked the boys as his
Unsigned Band of the Week, and they’ve
carlet
ourselves junkstep,”
laughs Scarlet
Harlot’s singer
Deadcat. The term,
coined by Deadcat,
already supported Birmingham’s recent
exports The Twang, although they’re keen
to brush over that fact. Tom explains: “It was
good, but early on. When we started we got
loads of good gigs, but we’re much more
‘ready’ as a band now.”
Scarlet Harlots have put all their energies
into recording recently: “We’ve just done all
the demos to get our EP done. We’ve been
working with a guy in Liverpool and it’s been
going really well because he’s given us a lot
of constructive criticism.”
Listening to the boys’ offerings on
MySpace, I have nothing but praise for them.
‘Flaxen’, a song with a sturdy afro-beat and
Junk-steppers Scarlet Harlots are not just your
average band. With a long awaited EP on the way
and award-winning club night under their belt, they
discuss their future plans with Kay Wrate.
“Younger
people
understand
us. theY get
our vibe and
theY get
hYpe off us,
so it’s hectic
at all our
gigs.”
mangled guitar riffs, delivers a punch in the
face to the current mediocre indie scene.
‘Fraud’ seems to be a harsh comment on
scenesters, with its agro guitars and drums
that lash at the speed of lightning, as if
seeking revenge on the pretentious: ‘Look
at you Mr cool Mr clean/It’s so blatant that
I’m wearing my ex-girlfriend’s jeans/They are
so tight/They are so tight/This one is for the
frauds/For all the frauds in here.’
Deadcat is the main lyricist in the band,
and feels that living in Birmingham has
shaped the band’s influences. “There’s such
a cultural mix in Birmingham, without trying
to sound too cliché. I think that’s given us an
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