Music

Where is the band based?

We are a two-piece poppy punk band consisting of Tabby on Drums and me, Alice, on electric guitar and vocals. We are based in Nottingham.

Who are your influences...

I was inspired to play and write songs by John Lennon and Robert Smith (The Cure) so they have influenced me greatly. Other influences include Madonna, Kate Bush, Voice of the Beehive, B52's, Siouxsie and the Banshees, X-Ray Spex, Pet Shop Boys and all other cheesy 80's music that makes me smile!

We sound a bit like...

We always describe our music as 'poppy punk with a gothic edge'. I would say our music combines the cheeky pop of The B52's with the gothic mystique of people such as The Cure and Siouxsie & the Banshees, and also has the punky edge of the likes of The Sex Pistols and X-Ray Spex.

Could a Nottinghamshire band ever be big?

Definitely. I think Nottingham gives good bands the opportunity to make a name for themselves and also gives new bands the opportunity to grow and evolve via a good set of venues and promoters. I feel like we are achieving a lot at quite a rapid pace in Nottingham due to what is has to offer.

Do you think Notts is a good place for music?

Yes definitely. There are a large number of fantastic venues, numerous good promotion companies, magazines and countless great bands of all genres. There are definitely a lot of opportunities for bands in Nottingham. It is a friendly scene too.

What was your best gig?

Our best gig to date was a charity event we played at The Maze in Nottingham in December 2006.

Any examples of 'rock 'n' roll' misbehaviour?

We are quite well behaved really, we work too hard not to be! Filming our music video (www.alice-rock.co.uk./videos.asp) was pretty 'Rock 'n' Roll' though. We dragged a whole drum kit and guitars  into some woods and entertained the local neighbourhood with hours of drumming on a nice sunny August Saturday afternoon. I thought the local dog walkers and residents wouldn’t be best pleased but we seemed to attract a pleasing crowd in the end. You will have to watch it to see what I mean. There was also the time at the VW Run to the Hills festival when Tabby got so drunk (free bar for the bands) he couldn’t walk and I thought it was a good idea to try and fly over the hedge... but hey, we won’t mention that one ah-hem.

How did the band get together?

I initially started out as a solo artist under the name of 'Alice Rock' (this is actually my real name) and played alone all over the Midlands using a novel punky upbeat acoustic guitar style to get myself noticed. I met Tabby in May 2006 on the internet through a promotion company he was running. We clicked immediately and realizing that we were on the same musical wavelength decided to try and break the mould a little by forming a novel two-piece punk act.

We began playing together in July 2006 and have been working incredibly hard ever since. We have built a strong following and reputation in less than six months and we feel pleased with how it's all going. Playing without a bass player isn't easy as it forces us to keep very high standards at all times and we only have each other to fall back on, but we practice regularly and the set definitely appears to be working well for us.

Which Nottinghamshire figure should have a statue?

A double statue of Robin Hood and Maid Marian hugging in the Old Market Square would be nice sight!

Alice Rock are playing at Nottingham's Bar None on 18 January.