Test Icicles - Testing Testing 123

“They asked us to do Pop World man. ****ing Pop World!? P.O.P World!” That’s Sam from the 3-piece Test Icicles alliterating to us in no uncertain terms what he thinks to the most recent proposal by their record label, Domino. Gigwise is sat round a small table peering across empty vodka and beer bottles at Rory Aggwelt, Sam Meran and Devonte Hynez, otherwise known as Raaaary Decihells, Sam E Danger and DevMetal, or to you and me - Test Icicles.
 
They’ve just finished their set at the rather intimate Fibbers in the Vale of North Yorkshire and are struggling to catch their breath. This is their second night playing the MTV2 Gonzo Tour hosted by Zane Lowe, and now looking rather sweaty and wild-eyed they sit before us sipping pints of the good stuff and smoking Marlborough menthols.

To say they are ‘happy’ would be a major understatement, as their excitement seems to fill this petite backstage cloakroom, come bar, come equipment storage room. The boys are thrilled with the overly warm reception they have just received and explain that their last gig was quite a different story. “We ****ing sucked big time!” That’s Dev’s version of the famous night supporting the Arctic Monkeys where the Arctic Army took great exception to them. After little persuasion and merely stopping for breath all three explain in chorus, the events of the previous night. Sam laughs “We got booed off stage,” Rory adds: ”Basically we were late. It’s really hectic at the moment. We didn’t have time to sound check never mind warm up. We turned up and did our thing. We were really shit and we know that.” Laughing Dev admits”We were so ****ing bad, they booed us off!”

We ask them if they’re bothered and all three look at us like we’ve just asked for their last cigarette. Dev:”We can’t expect people to like us when we’re so shit. Some people like us, some people just don’t get us.” Rory: adds: ”Yeah. They just didn’t get us and I don’t think people were there to see us.” Clearly not one to big the band up, Sam asks: ”Who would ****ing want to see us?”

Looking at them it’s hard to see what’s ‘not’ to get. Everything about them is quite self-explanatory and their self-degradation is not just for show. Throughout their whole set they screamed at the crowds roars to “stop clapping!” and “shut the **** up!” could be heard frequently during the short intervals between the boom of the electronic bass and drums. It was hard to keep your eyes on the movements of these three eclectic junkies as they really put on a show leaping across the stage in fits of screaming hysterics and electronic convulsions. Their sound is hard to define and even harder to describe, much to the annoyance of journalists and in fact the entire music business that seem to swarm this volcanic three piece. It’s the fans that don’t really care.
 
Their music is rock for the jilted generation and what you would imagine the music of the future to sound like. Electric guitars, catchy riffs with slip knot screams and colourful electronic, break-beat synths. There’s nothing straight forward or serious about the Test Icicles as they swap instruments, vocals and clothes whilst swinging from the stage and screaming into the eye of the stage lighting.
 
Between roars of laughter and discussions about previous bands they’ve all been in, Zane Lowe skips in to the room giving the boys high fives and whirring round the table nodding at the band’s groupie. Zane soon realises an interview is taking place and gushes before running back out of the room to join the party. The boys go on to explain their relationship with Zane.
Dev:”He’s ace. I thought it was irony at first. I still think it’s irony.”
The boys seem to struggle with compliments full stop and when I relay Zane’s comments about the trio they become silent.”
Rory:”He’s a good guy, we’ve had so much fun with him. We just enjoy what we do and if there’s only a handful of people that like us, it makes us happy.”
 
Test Icicles sit comfortably in their own skin, yet the fame aspect doesn’t bode too well with them. Perhaps still in shock from their recent success of ‘Boa v’s Python’ they happily mill around the venue chatting to the crowd and signing anything that they are ordered to. If Test Icicles seem familiar to you, Rory, Dev and Sam have dabbled in a variety of musical outfits and their popularity on Myspace has only added to the pulse of excitement that follows them.
 
When asked about the current trend of post-punk new wave bands and the Libertine-esque phenomena that seems to be sweeping the UK they just shrug and say; “We would love to be like that. We would love to be like Franz Ferdinand.”  All three remain silent at Dev’s placid comment which echoes the statements made during their performance; “We’re so sorry we’re not Franz Ferdinand. We’re sorry!” These flippant comments were met with a rapture of applause and not nearly enough recognition for the fact that these three share the same label as Franz Ferdinand. It seems quite ironic and merely compliments the elegance of Domino that two such different bands share the same label.
 
With talks of penny sweets, bubble gum tattoos and other weird things, we decide to draw the interview to a close and leave the boys to go play. But not before slipping a mention to the Canadian band named Testicicles. Dev: “Yeah, Nobody ever mentions that. They’re really good. ****ing better than us.”