The last 12 months have been a whirlwind for The Deadbeats. A Battle Of The Band competition got them time in Toerag Studios (as used by the White Stripes and The Zutons), A New Years Eve gig with Pete Doherty, playing Glastonbury after winning the same Glastonbury Unsigned competition that  discovered the Subways and a plethora of sold out gigs in Manchester in between. Influenced by The Band, Grateful Dead and The Doors the band are as far away from the Manchester Stereotype as you can get. Designer Magazine caught up with the band prior to this years In The City Weekend, which like buses brought us 3 Deadbeats gigs.

Q: Country Blues Rock'n'Roll - you're not listening to the same music as the 5th Ave and 42nd Street regulars in Manchester do. What did you all listening to and how does the songwriting process work for the Deadbeats?
A: We are influenced by lots of old music such as The Band, Grateful dead, The Doors and the Stones etc. We all enjoy the music when we visit these clubs especially because we get pissed for free thanks to the fat kid behind the bar. A song is beamed through the cosmic stratosphere into the neutrons of our creative atoms. This sometimes results in a footstomping hit!
 

Q: Manchester's Battle Of The Band 2004 comp gave you a prize of £1000, which yo spent recording a demo in the legendary Toe Rag Studios. What is it about Toe Rag that attracts bands and did you feel at the time it was the only studio that could get the Deadbeats sound down properly?
A: Recording at Toe rag was a great opportunity for us because it has a lot of retro gear to experiment with, Example : The double-Humdinger whirly board(1962)mkIII
 

Q: You played with the tabloid fodder that is Pete Doherty on New Years Eve.I take it that was your most debauched New Years Eve to date. How was Doherty on the night? How did the gig go?
A: We saw a bit of him, too fucked to play, a bit rubbish really. Some yellow  bellied penny pincher stole our guitar and tried to sell it on ebay as Pete Dohertys. We had a storming gig though, the crowd were awesome.
 

Q: You recently won the Glastonbury Unsigned comp following in the footsteps of The Subways. It must be a real honour for you? Had you been Glastonburybefore as punters and how did this experience compare? Was your idea of live shows adjusted forever after this show?
A: Dom is my rocknroll queen. We've all been a few times as punters so to actually play felt amazing. We've always believed in giving our all during every performance so we approached the Glastonbury gigs with a similar mindset. The only difference
now is that we are hungry for more of the bigger gigs.
 

Q: The first time we heard it we thought it Bhangra Band - a bollywood country track. But "Bang Brother Bang" is the song you're most well know for. Tell the readers about the lyrical ideas behind the track? What are the main lyrical themes in a Deadbeats song - do you stick to the country ethic of telling a story?
A: Bang brother bang comes from some lyrics written a couple of years ago which were just talking about the things everyone was talking about, Bush,Blair , Oil etc. Its an ironic protest song.
 

Q: What are you plans for this years In The City? Presumably there's strong label interest - do you plan to sign to a major or an indie?
A: We're ready to sign to the guy with the biggest moustache. He hasn't found  us yet. We are playing a few gigs at in the city where he might turn up. If  you're the man with the tache, we are playing at Night and day for an  afternoon XFM gig on Saturday 1st October, and also appearing at a  'friendsofmine' night that weekend and playing a glasswerk night at dry bar
on the Sunday.