Introducing: Mickey Gang

Since CSS failed to capitalise on the critical plaudit that debut LP Cansei De Ser Sexy brought them with follow up ‘Donkey’ (by name and evidently by nature), the synth-pop market, ensuing in Brazil has been a subdued, with no real players ready and waiting to pick up the baton. Until now.  Cue the arrival of four teenage boys onto a music scene that has at times been known to offer more to its patrons than the Samba and Bossa Nova.  

Amidst bountiful ambition and youthful abundance, Mickey Gang produce slick synth laden pop with a clear knack for writing anthemic statements of intent over mediocre, predictable fillers.  Wearing their influences brazenly on their checkered shirts, the music epitomises a dancefloor ready vibe with barrel loads of fun and playful lyricising, covering virgins sex and, er, girls.  It’s vulgar and brash yet errs on the side of insight and coming from 4 teens armed with instruments and bursting with the virility befitting lads of their age, it really is a breath of fresh air on what is fast becoming a very stale scene.

So with their debut single ‘Horses Can’t Dance’ released through the delectable 50 Bones label here in the UK recently, and their live show fast garnering tastemaker attentions, the future anthems of the Mickey Gang will give us Brits something to live up to in 2010. After all, CSS were so 2008.  

In the meantime to tantalise your tastebuds and moisten your whistle, here is 4or The Records exclusive Q & A with the feisty foursome during their recent, if somewhat fleeting, visit to the UK.

4or The Record: For anyone that hasn’t heard of Mickey Gang, tell us the story of how the band  originated.

Arthur: Ok. We are 4 boys from Brazil, we started to hang when we found out that all our friends had bands. Awful bands. But we thought it was funny being in a band, so we started writing songs about our friends, their girlfriends and teacher crushes.

4TR: Why did you call yourselves Mickey Gang…?

Arthur: Do you know that Toni Basil song? So, Joao, the drummer, said his surname was Gang or something, he always has weird theories. Of course it’s a stupid name and if we ever thought that somebody would hear the music outside our basement we would never have called ourselves this!

4TR: Your music has been described a spin on the new wave sound – But in your own opinion, how would you describe your sound? 

Arthur: New Wave? urgh. I think it’s the 80's synths? It was not our idea, but old synths was what we had when we started. Sure we have 80's influences because we grew up listening to a lot of this played by our parents, but it just doesn’t make much sense to us right now.

I would say we do pop music, that’s what influences us most.

4TR: Was that the sound you always aspired to create when the band formed?

Arthur: I don't think we ever really had a conversation about how we should sound, but we wanted to make something unashamedly pop and using synths. All our friends were really into the distorted guitar thing with serious lyrics about the world we live in. I don't mean we don’t care about the world, but... music is about fun, isn’t it?

4TR: What influences you as a group musically?

Arthur: Gorillaz, Metronomy, Jamie T, Beastie Boys, Garbage, Strokes, etc

4TR: You released your first single through 50 Bones in the UK – how did that relationship come about?

Arthur: Internet! We met Dennis and Alex and the then the idea for the single came out. They are great people, wicked ideas.

4TR: ‘Horses Can’t Dance’ was the single - what is the song about?

Arthur: Menstruation. You know, horses can't dance those days. Shame.

4TR: You are from Brazil – how does the music industry differ at home to the UK?

Arthur: In the UK people support new bands, people come to gigs and the press talks about you even if you are unsigned. 

In Brazil the music industry is a big joke and corrupt; things only happen if you pay for it. 

4TR: When people talk about new music emerging out of Brazil, most refer to bands like CSS – is that a fair representation?

Arthur: I think so yes. We don’t really know CSS, but they do great work.  Brazilian music always has this dance feeling, we can dance to anything, but it’s not really fair to label it all as 'party music'.

4TR: ‘Born in the 90’s’ was a track that earlier this year was picked up by the blogosphere and music press in the UK – was that intentional, or a complete surprise?

Arthur: It was a surprise! We never really thought that anybody would listen to us out of our basement, so it’s hard to have any kind of presumption being from so far away.

4TR: How does the music and songwriting processes work within the band and is it a collaborative effort

Arthur: Kinda. I come up with lyrics and the melody, then we start to build from there. But anything can help, like finding a new weird effect in the keyboard, etc. 

4TR: What can UK audiences expect from a Mickey Gang live show?

Arthur: Great moves, at least.

4TR: How does the music you create on record translate to the live environment and do you have to change things at all?

Arthur: We try to do everything live as it's done on the record, I mean, no backing tracks with synths, etc.

4TR: What sets Mickey Gang aside from other bands championing similar sounds?

Arthur: Depends who you think we are similar to?

4TR: Can we expect an album anytime soon?  And if so what are you hoping to do on your debut album?

Arthur: Yes! Hopefully next summer. We already have a lot of demos and ideas, we are trying to put everything in place right now. 

4TR: Do you produce your own music or have you been working with any producer in particular?

Arthur: Yeah, our demos we used to record in my bedroom. The single, 'Horses can't dance', we recorded with help from friends.

Some producers seem to be interested in working with us and we have a dream list of people that we'd like to work with but I'm not sure what's gonna happen yet.

4TR: What’s the plan for the rest of 2009?

Arthur: Work on our first album, do a lot of gigs, go to weird club nights, see snow for the first time

Words: Francesca Strange

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