You came back from your US tour, what was that like? You also played at the SXSW festival, anything you'd like to say about that?

The tour was great, especially Mexico. The reception we received was amazing. Both gigs were packed and the crowd were the wildest we have ever played to. The promoters from the Fuzz club were really cool and looked after us making it one of the most enjoyable trips yet. As for SXSW, in the past 3 years we have been touring around SXSW for me was the best event we have been to. The atmosphere all over downtown Austin was insane! There was always a show to watch, food to be eaten, drink to be drunk and a party to go back to after. We met a lot of cool people in Austin, from Sky Saxon to Clem Burke to Cyril Jordan and to the amazing girls that put us up and partied with us.

Why did you remaster your debut LP?

Wicked cool wanted to re-release it and suggested that we had it remastered it. We were all cool with it cause, lets face it, the first pressing sounded like shit! We were all much happier with the new remastered version.

You signed with Wicked Cool records, is that just for your remastered LP or you are planning more releases?

One album? Ha, we wish! Wicked Cool are too cute to let a band just release one album, you will be seeing the Manhattan skyline printed all of our LPs.

With bands like you and the Revellions, Dublin is getting a cool Garage scene. Are there more cool bands from Dublin?

Not really, there isnt and never was a Garage scene in Dublin. There have been a handfull of bands over the past 2 decades that might be classed as "Garage" but never enough to considered as a scene. At the moment there are 2 or 3, lo-fi guitar bands, like, The Mighty Atomics, Cheap Freaks (w/members of the now defunct The Things) and The Pulpit.

You recorded in Circo Perrotti studios, and you seem to be using vintage gear. Is the analogue sound important to the Garage genre? What instruments are you using?

We have recorded professionally on both digital and analogue audio workstations and have recorded dozens of demos in our own studio. Each have their advantages but at the end of the day for anybody with an ear for sound will prefer analogue recordings. Its obviously a lot warmer and the natural compression of tape recordings gives a certain color to the sound that you just cant seem to achieve with a modern DAW like Pro-tools. I personally am not an analogue snob and there are far more advantages with digital recording than analogue but at the end of the day if its financially possible to record your next album exactly the way you envision it with tape then do it. But there are more endearing elements to Circo Perrotti studios than its ability to record to tape. Apart from the endless supply of vintage amps, guitars and most organs, Jorge has built up a collection of amazing outboard processors & effects. A vast selection of echo units, reverbs and my personal favorite the Fairchild compressor.

As far as it being an important part of the garage genre, I dont really know. The whole point behind garage is the fact that anyone can do it. It has always been a DIY affair with kids just getting together and jamming out "Gloria" or "Louie Louie" in their parents garage. Thats how we started 6 or 7 years ago, back then I can guarantee you we had no intention of finding this perfect analogue studio with vintage tape machines and like. It was all about holding a beat and recording it on your shitty 4-track cassette you spent all summer saving for.

As for instruments, we have a lot. Live we use Fender and Ampeg amps and whatever organ is available in that particular city, usually Vox or Farfisa, like wise with the kit. In our studio, we have a lot of equipment. We share a studio with our mates The Revellions and between the two band there is a lot. Gretsch, Rickenbacker, Fender, Phantom to name a few guitar brands. Amp wise we have a 71' AC30 some Fender Devilles and an Ampeg SVT. Organ wise we have a Farfisa Compact a Vox Jag and Continental and a Hammond. Kenny usually uses modern Premier but has an old 60's kit that I havent seen in a few years. Also a multitude of guitar FX, the main one being Space Echo used by both me and Gary.

Your release have some fantastic artwork. Who does that?

Jim did the first pressing, some dude in New York did the second one.

Vinyl seems to be coming back with a bang. Do you think that's a reaction against mp3? Do you prefer vinyl, cds or digital downloads? Do you think that indie labels and bands have been damaged by internet downloading?

Vinyl will never go away, there is something more personal with owning a LP copy of an album you really like. Its the full package of the musicians perception of what they view the album. I download music all the time, but if i like something im gonna want to own that album. Anyway, general joe public hears the latest pop tune on the radio and starts to nod their head in appreciation. They want that quick hit, all they have to do is click on itunes store and buy the track for 99c and BAM they're in bliss for 3 minutes until the next top ten hit comes along. That type of listener doesnt appeal to me and our band doesnt appeal to them, likewise with independent labels and artists. A lot of people who listen to indie or underground music of any kind like to collect vinyl anyway. And kids who follow trends think its "cool" to own vinyl, Urban Outfitter even have a vinyl section next to the ironic T-shirts for fuck sake!!

The whole world is going into a Michael Jackson frenzy right now, but a more important musicain passed away the same day. What's your thoughts on Sky Saxon?

We met Sky in March, and he was really cool and laid back. The perfect washed up hippy uncle I never had! The Seeds were a huge part of the psychedelic garage scene of the mid to late sixties, and have been cited as influence to huge mainstream acts as well as nearly every band interested in making psychedelic sounds of some sort. Michael Jackson was a legend. PERIOD.