Interview: Boy Mandeville

“Rock and roll, hell yeah, shit this is the real life. I just put my penis in a few hookers whilst taking lots of class A drugs and pissed on a floor.”

And all I asked was: “How was your day?”

Boy Mandeville are an indie/afro-beats crossover band. Having started out in Cambridge they are all ex-students. The guitarist is the former manager of Emma Ents and they came up with their name in the Spoons by Downing. They now live and work in London, and are set to play the Hawks’ and Ospreys’ Ball.

David Holland: So, do you have any rock-and-roll stories to tell?

Boy Mandeville: Brian (Cantwell, the bassist) got chased out of John’s ball into the river holding a fire extinguisher. He’d basically doused the Conservative youth leader of Cambridge and was then chased. He wasn’t caught; he got into the river and swam away.

DH: Are you big Cindies fans or were you too cool for that?

BM: It’s got its utilities. It’s okay once but then you’ve tasted that fruit and what is there left? I’d like a night in Cambridge once or twice a week where every act is new. A lot of people like a lot of good music there but it’s just not set up for it; except for the Union on Saturday. Are you coming?

DH: I can’t make it, but our editor is going. What would our aforementioned editor have to do to get your attention at the ball?

BM: Probably just get her tits out. Maybe a conversation about antiquity for Mike. I like to see someone dancing … that does it for me. This is all a bit false as we’ll convince girls to like us rather than that we should like them.

DH: Being a rock/afro-beats star is every boy’s dream job – but what’s the shittest job you ever had?

Jake Parris: I worked in a chicken factory. It’s a place where they make chickens. I wasn’t making them, I was taking them apart and then re-fitting them into cardboard boxes for M&S, and it was grim. Still on a healthy wage of £5.50 per hour I managed to save up enough of my money to go to Magaluf.

Brian Cantwell: I worked in a couple of bars in Newcastle where they had pictures up with a list of people who came in with knives.

DH: Loads of rock stars get tabloid stories printed about their ridiculous demands for touring. If you were doing an international tour and could demand anything backstage what would it be?

Mike Coxhead: I’d quite like a string quartet, a band that plays for the band.

Jake: An isolation chamber, or a Tardis so you don’t have to go to the gig. Oh, oh, and a hundred beers. And a pair of pants. The idea that we’d be pampered is an excellent one.

Mike: I’d negate any A+R/PR people who just mill around sniffing coke in the back rooms, they’re the worst. An anti PR and coke device.  Oh wait, it’s called the police I think. Our most rock and roll thing is to get a copper and a string quartet.

DH: What have you got planned for your wild Wednesday evening?

BM: Well David, we are off to study. You know what? Our drummer isn’t playing this gig on Saturday he’s sacking off somewhere else. Man can’t refuse a DJ gig.

DH: You need to look out for the women dancing, giving you the eyes and getting their tits out.

BM: You mean your editor?

DH: Well, I can’t promise you her tits, but she’ll be there, and her tits will be there as well.

It has later transpired that neither the editor, nor her tits, will be there.

Boy Mandeville are playing the Hawks’ and Ospreys’ Charity Ball this Saturday.