June 30, 2006
Boy Kill Boy
By Michelle Gilzenrat

It looked like a tough crowd to please. Long-time Echo and the Bunnymen fans stood arms crossed at the Roxy theater, waiting cynically for this new young band to take the stage. While there were certainly mumbles of “they sound sort of like…that band…I used to like” nobody could quite peg Boy Kill Boy’s sound. Falling somewhere in between the dark days of new wave and the bouncy melodies of Britpop, Boy Kill Boy performed with a relentless enthusiasm that was contagious. By the end of the set there was an overwhelming sense of approval-- from both the audience and, apparently, from behind the stage.

Atlanta Music Guide talked with keyboardist Pete Carr via e-mail about his reaction to their tour and Boy Kill Boy’s future plans.

I caught your show in Atlanta with Echo & The Bunnymen . I remember that you mentioned on stage that you were excited to open for your "heroes"-- did you get any interesting/useful feedback from Ian and the boys?
Chris [Peck, singer] has been talking to Ian quite a lot, they swapped numbers! I have had a couple of keyboard seminars with Paul the keyboard player too”.

Was it at all intimidating to play in front of Echo & The Bunnymen fans? I definitely noticed an older crowd full of long-time Echo fans--the kind of people likely to dismiss new bands as too derivative of the music they loved back "in their day." Was the risk of being directly compared to Echo & The Bunnymen even an issue? Or did you feel like the tour put you in front of the right crowd with like-minded musical taste rather than a more judgmental, opinionated fan-base?
I had no concerns about us being compared to Echo & The Bunnymen we don’t sound like them. The fans are cool because regardless of their age they are music lovers. We’ve had a lot of great responses from all of the crowds. So whether that’s because they were the right crowd or just a crowd; I don’t know.

Many British bands talk about trying to "make it" in the States...Is this specifically a goal for BKB? What challenges do you face in the US vs UK?
The U.S. has a population of about 250 million people while the U.K. has a population of 50 million people. Challenge #1! Making it in the U.S. wasn’t a specific goal, but everything seems to be going really well. We are starting to see it [the U.S] as an option”. The U.S. is massive. Challenge #2.

How do you measure success as a band? Is it records sold, feedback from fans, or some other indication? At what point would you feel satisfied that you've reached the peak of your success (if such a thing exists for you)?
Success as a band is measured first by a good, strong body of work. Second, longevity. Third, a good working relationship. Fourth, good songs. Fifth, lots of fans. Sixth, selling a few records. Seventh, playing a stadium tour. Eighth, when I die and people still play our music; will be the peak for me."

Music press is often quick to categorize and compare bands. Just browsing through I've seen a fair amount of articles that mention BKB in the same breath as Editors, Killers, Hard Fi, Bravery, etc. Do you feel that a comparison between BKB and these bands is justified or just lazy journalism? Are there any new/current bands you feel do share a similar artistic vision with BKB? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Most comparisons are lazy journalism, like The Killers comparison…. What? We are nothing like them. As with Hard-Fi, there may be a similar band ethos but musically there are no similarities.

Granted "Civilian" has just recently been released, but does the band have any idea what might be on the next record yet, or how the next BKB release will be different?
Let’s get this record out before we start worrying about the next. We’ve definitely been thinking about the direction of a second album, but that’s our business, you’ll just have to wait Mr. [ed. note: ahem..that's Ms. to you]

You've got a slew of impressively massive festival dates ahead of you this summer-- are these your first ever festival slots? Is there any sort of special preparation that goes into performing on a festival stage vs. in a club?
Playing Reading & Leeds last year, which was amazing, and also a few other things in Leeds & Newcastle in front of 15 to 20 thousand people prepared us so we don’t really get fazed by bigger crowds. I am continually surprised by how massive the stages are! Kev & Chris are always so far away. Special preparation? No such luck, we are lucky if we get time to shit these days. Love you...bye, bye

Boy Kill Boy's new record, "Civilian," is out in stores now. Listen for their debut single "Suzie" to hit major radio airwaves soon!