Strange Cages recently released their debut EP, Ego Killer – an EP that gained the group steps into online blogs and similarly, earned them a string of gigs in the nation’s capital. It was an aggressive, psychedelic swirl that collapsed around you in flurries of colour and narcissistic destruction. Jagged guitar lines hit you like spinning wheels set by King Gizzard dressed in the robes of The Wytches; it was a real contradiction of colour and darkness but musically, it was unstoppable. Their DIY videos are alarmingly appealing to watch within the sea of nonchalance that currently occupies YouTube – all in all, Strange Cages have been around for a while but at long last seem to be earning their dues.

I caught up with Charlie to discuss the EP and how the reception has lead to success for the trio.

Congrats on the EP release – how have you found the reaction?
The reaction has been pleasing, but Simon Cowell has not signed us yet. There is much work ahead.

Obviously you guys have been around on the Brighton music scene for a while putting together bucketloads of tracks – what made you decide on these particular tracks on the Ego Killer EP?
The tracks represent our live sound pretty well. I'm glad that we have a noisy track like 'Ego Killer' on the EP and also a quieter one like 'If You're Leaving Me Cold', rather than a whole EP of songs that go "BLARGH".

Is there a particular theme that runs throughout your songs?
Recurring lyrical themes include – but are not limited to: cults, jealousy, reptiles, the fine line between delusion and awakening.

How have you found growing up in Brighton as a band?
I have found that there is a distinct lack of cults and also a real shortage of reptile life in Brighton. There are a lot of good bands though and a lot of like-minded deviants.

Can you tell us a little about your background as a band and the story to your success?
The story to our success is that we haven't been successful in achieving any success yet. We've been slogging away for about two-and-a-half-years playing gigs all over the place and drinking copious amounts of £3 wine. The rate at which we record and release music had been less than impressive in the past, but this is changing. We can only strive to be the best people we can in this crazy world and we're simply doing our best.

And how about your Deadbeat Disco nights – are these nights that run as an offset from the band or a separate project all together?
We are running the nights as the band. So we'll occasionally play, but mainly put on other bands we like. Ellis usually DJs upstairs too. The next night is on 7th October and has Egyptian Blue, Lunar Quiet and Wizard Sleeve playing.

Is there an ethos that drives the Deadbeat Disco nights?
Yes. We're bored of boring gigs with boring bands being boring. We have created the Deadbeat Disco because we want excitement. Is that too much to ask?

You guys have quite a knack for videos – can you let onto the thinking behind them?
Videos are important. It's good to stimulate the visual cortex and this is what I want for fans of our band. My younger brother has started to make our videos. He's gotten very into it and I think we'll keep him around. We're going to film one for another track on our EP soon.

As shows go, you guys play a lot – have you a favourite show out of them all and can you tell us a bit about it?
Playing with one of our favourite bands, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, at The Haunt was pretty special. Some kids at the front came to grab our set lists at the end and that made me feel like I was in a real band.

Where do you root your influences as a group and as individuals? Are there a multitude of musical influences that bleed into the overall sound of Strange Cages?
We're influenced by 60s stuff, post-punk, kraut-rock and lots of other stuff. Ellis (drummer) is very inspired by the rhythmic panting of feral dogs. Our new bass player Ben has introduced me to a strange psych genre called East Persian Lip-Movement. I've never heard anything like it, it's like the reverse of hip-hop, but with a twist. I'm hoping to incorporate some elements into our songwriting.

You seem to be at a nice platform now as a group, what’s next?
We have a song coming out next month. We've got some cool London shows coming up and we'll be playing new songs at those. We're planning and scheming for next year.

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