INTERVIEW: @The_Black_Lamps Vs @G_a_ry

Left (Lyndon from The Black Lamps), Right (Gary Allen)

This week, Barnsley’s self-proclaimed kings of apathy rock took to their twitter account for the first time in a year to take part in an interview with Gary Allen, a musician and guitar teacher based in Colorado Springs with an affinity for Barnsley music.

I have transcribed the interview for your enjoyment. This is one of a series of interviews that Gary is conducting with bands taking part bands playing Live in Barnsley. Go follow them both on twitter.

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Hey guys how are you? #LiveinBarnsley

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry I’m well thanks (just Lyndon here) how are you? #LiveinBarnsley

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Very good Lyndon, and your first tweet for The Black Lamps. I am honoured

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry haha well yep first tweet from this Black Lamps account – despite somebody setting it up for us about a year ago.

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Tell me about the #Barnsley concert

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry well Live in Barnsley is a day of gigs in town at a range of different venues. Lots of great local bands on. June 22nd

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Is it ten venues or have they added more?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry still ten according to the website http://www.liveinbarnsley.co.uk – I’ve not heard of any more.

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps There’s a ton of great music coming out of there. How long have you been playing?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry about 3 years – initially as Battling Tops, became Black Lamps 3 years ago. Prior to that we’ve played in bands since the early 80s

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps There’s a ton of great music coming out of there. How long have you been playing?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry typo alert – been together about 6 years maybe 7

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps I was going to say that the music on you cloud is very polished

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry cheers – that stuff spans quite a few years. Some stuff we recorded as Battling Tops and some Lamps stuff too,

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Who are some of your influences

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry influences? some differences for each of us but I think the shared ones are things that we loved when younger – OK here comes a list

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Who are some of your influences

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry influences? some differences for each of us but I think the shared ones are things that we loved when younger – OK here comes a list

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry Pistols, Clash, Ramones, Wire, Blondie, The Cure, Joy Division, The Fall, Curtis Mayfield, Pixies, House of Love, My Bloody Valentne

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry Sonic Youth, Broken Social Scene, the Go Team! etc etc etc

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Did you grow up in the Barnsley area?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry yep we all grew up in Barnsley though Liam was born in Glasgow

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps That’s a nice wide list.

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry yeah – my own individual influences would include Roxy Music, Eno, Boards of Canada, the Faces – but that list is the shared stuff

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps I noticed while listening to your cloud that it loosened my brain and got the creative juices flowing.

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry haha – that’s good of you to say. I’m not sure we know or have any expectations as to how it’s going to be received but thanks

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Is there a lot of interaction between the bands there in Barnsley?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry yep – originally in the 80s bands were quite competitive and not particularly helpful to each other (or so it seemed)…

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry but now it seems much more healthy with bands collaborating and helping each other – we have some good friendships with other bands

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry particularly bands like Imoko Set and Toba Caldera

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Will those two band be at LIB

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry Imoko’s definitely – they’re a really great grown up alt-pop band. Fantastic songs. I don’t think Toba are playing.

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps That’s why LIB has got my attention. There is a great deal of cooperation needed in order to pull this off.

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry yep – there are a few people in Barnsley who have put in a lot of effort to try and promote the local scene. This started…

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry with Gaia a few years ago but recently it’s included Toba Caldera, Jason White, Burn down the Disco, Exit Calm and more who…

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry I’ve forgotten off my head but all of them deserve massive kudo’s for making the effort. It’s certainly appreciated by us as a band

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps What first made you really want to get out there and play guitar?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry personally I used to play keyboards int he 80’s – I wanted to be Eno without the intellect. Then I developed a love of the guitar

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry and forgot about keyboards – though I still create loops for using live and add some overdubs on recordings

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Did you always want to be in a band or did it happen over time?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry I saw the Faces live in about 1972 and seeing 5 drunken blokes making a noise and having a laugh onstage made me want to do the same

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry then punk came along in 76 and opened the door for people who had the desire and ideas but were technically incompetent 🙂

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Lyndon, which British beer or ale would you recommend for my friends in #ColoradoSprings ?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry which beer/ale? wrong band member – the others are partial to local bitters, personally it’s Magners, Guinness and lagers for me,

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps What would you like your fans to know about you?

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry as little as possible – we like to remain enigmatic. The more they know, the more disappointed they will be

Gary Allen ‏@G_a_ry
@The_Black_Lamps Lyndon, this has been great. Take care my friend. I hope we get to talk again.

TheBlackLamps ‏@The_Black_Lamps
@G_a_ry and you too Gary, thanks. Bye

GARY ALLEN @G_a_ry http://www.garyallenguitarstudios.com
THE BLACK LAMPS @The_Black_Lamps http://soundcloud.com/theblacklamps-1