Mike – Hypo Psycho Interview
Meet Mike, front-man of five-piece London based ska band Hypo Psycho. We had a chat to find out more about them…
Tell us a bit about yourself.
This is Mike, I’m the singer. I’m from all over the place, I’ve lived in twenty countries, four continents and I went to American schools when I was younger.
Tell us a bit about the band.
The band started about five years ago. Since then we have toured up and down the UK releasing a couple of singles which were played on MTV, The Box, Scuzz and even being named Single of The Week by Kerrang! radio with “Stalker Girl”. We have just finished touring with SPUNGE and our new EP Body of an Angel Mind of a Devil is available to buy now. The band is comprised of me (vocals), Mills (guitar), Kris (drums), Rich (trumpet/keyboard), Jimbo (bass) and last but not least Moby Dick our tour bus.
What makes Hypo Psycho different than all the other ska bands out there at the moment?
None of us have any tattoos.
What are your fans like?
We love our fans, they are the reason we do what we do.
What influenced you guys when you were writing the new album?
We have a lot of influences, old and new. Most of the newer material is based on experiences from touring, relationships and our lives in general. Between all of us we listen to quite a few types of music, so we try and throw a bit of that in the melting pot when it comes to writing new stuff.
How do the new songs compare with the old ones?
Probably a little crazier than the first album and with a few new influences and sounds.
You recently toured with SPUNGE, how was that?
Our best tour so far, the guys were awesome and the fans were great! We can’t wait to get back out there.
Any good tour stories for us?
Yeah we had someone run on stage naked at one of our shows for Stalker Girl. We tried to hint to the security to get him off but they misunderstood and thought we wanted them to leave them on. It doesn’t wash off.
What can people expect from the Hypo Psycho live experience?
Fun! Oh and dancing, skanking, moshing, wigglepits, conga lines, walls of death and a whole lot more!
Did you get a good response from the fans on the last tour?
We sold out most of our merch…
What do you love most about touring?
Definitely the shows, although the after parties are worth the hangovers.
And the least?
The long drives.
What are your favourite venues and cities to play?
That’s a hard question, there are a lot of cities we love playing in. On our last tour the best shows were probably in Norwich and Swindon, just ’cause of the fans reaction, but London is always good. It means we get to sleep in our own beds.
Who would you love to tour with next?
Bowling for Soup would be great. We’d also love to tour with SPUNGE again.
Why should people buy the CD?
Hopefully, you’ll love it and we really do appreciate all your support.
What does the future hold for Hypo Psycho?
We’re just getting started…
Check out the official Hypo Psycho website for details on how to buy the EP, music, photos, tour dates more –
www.myspace.com/hypopsychoofficial