Who’s in the band and what are your roles?
J: (Jack Elfick)Goober, renaissance man, guitarist, etc. 
E: Eddie Edwards – upright bass – director of cynicism & Sarcasm 
G .Gary Voodoo-Drums and DREAMS

What’s your ‘origin story’? 
J: It was a total chance meeting; Ed, Gary and I all met at the same funeral of a mutual friend. The deceased was a friend of mine’s uncle, an old work colleague of Ed’s and Gary’s cousin I think? Or one of those friends that you call a cousin? We had each brought our instruments along for various reasons, Gary was performing at the wake in a sort of folk-quartet thing, I was heading to a gig afterward and Ed had just come from one. We ended up staying graveside playing into the night: it was freezing cold but it was an amazing connection that we all made. After that we didn’t speak for a whole year, we didn’t exchange numbers or add on social media. Then that same geezers brother died and there we all were, dressed in black, standing in the rain, AGAIN. It was a sign we couldn’t ignore so we reluctantly got into a proper studio. Totally bizarre.

Which bands / artists are your biggest influences?
J: 40’s hayride country and western, 2000’s alternative rock, and everything in between I suppose.
E: Any guitar driven music with balls 
G, The Clash, CCR, Buddy Rich, Gene Pitney

Do you adapt your sound between shows/gigs/recordings?
J: We try and IMPROVE them with rehearsal, I swap out pedals on the floor occasionally. But yeah the focus I think is being as well rehearsed as we have time to be.
G: Pardon?

How would you describe your sound?
J: Hard hitting rock and roll. I pulled that saying out of my arse last year and we keep it as a sort of guiding principle I think. Just broad enough. 
G. Uplifting, southing and controlled

What’s your favourite song to play live and why? 
J: Wanted Maniac probably? We get to tell a story, interact, have some fun. We have some new ones too that are also very fun to rehearse, anything that means I can move around the stage.
E: Going Cold – catchy tune with all round vocals and a thumping bass line!
G. Of ours? The ones I get right.

What’s been the highlight of your music career so far? 
J: Our EP launch at Third Man Records in London. The TMR team kindly let us in their blue walls and we had a blast. Packed it out, sold some records, I’ll never forget it. The creative space that Third Man have created over the last ( almost ) 20 years has been so welcoming, so inspiring, so intriguing to me, that getting to be part of it in a small way was a very full circle moment.
E: Supporting Sir Tom Jones at Alnwick Castle 2015  ( with another band)  Dead Shout  –  playing Bedlam & Santa Susanna festivals in our first full year of playing live shows. 
G Teaming up with these guys…………They leave me out of puff!!!

Have you faced any difficulties or setbacks in your music career so far? How have you overcome them?
J: Oh of course, that’s the game. Minor and major disappointments happen all the time but that’s the game. I’m lucky to have a job that I love. I used to be in a band that I loved and now I’m not, but thank god because look at the band I’m in now. I’m at a high point personally and professionally, ready to take on whatever hits me next. 
E: You just got to roll with the punches and keep coming back with your head held high. 
G. Every day n Night. Play music and write tunes.

What’s coming up in the future for you? 
J: Hopefully ‘The Album’. I need to keep writing, but we’re getting there.
E: World domination 
G Survival and happiness… I hope…..

J: Shout out for Mental Records on which we release our bits and bobs, including our new single ‘Wanted Maniac’ out March 13th, digi and vinyl. 
E: Thanks to the promoters who have put us on and continue to give us support along with the punters who come and listen and dig the music. Toxico for printing shirts.
G Yeah all at _______ studios for  helping us with our latest recording. 

TELL ME ABOUT:

Your last album…what was the process there?
J: No predetermined process, we just got in there and recorded them. We adapted the process for ‘Love Song’, I had been listening to early Misfits recordings A LOT leading up to the session and wanted things to be raw. When we recorded it we did it live with no overdubs, all tired hot and annoyed, and it turned out great.

Favourite song of yours!
J: Of mine that I wrote? Not sure. Maybe our new one that we’re working on called Nocturnal. I’ve been eager for new songs lately so that’s what’s captured me. In terms of favourite in general I really don’t know, this week it’s That’s All You Get by Rocket 455.
G. Of ours? Yeah Nocturnal… But London Calling kills me every time (we didn’t write that)
E: There’s loads dependent on my mood really. ” Brand new gun” by The Tall Boys is a top ten of mine but its not all psychobilly. Elvis “If I can Dream”  is another top ten. 

Your craziest tour experience
J: I must confess, we are not crazy on the road! There was one thing: the funeral we all met at sort of keeps following us around. We drove to Milton Keynes to play at this church, and en route we get stuck IN a procession (is that what you call it when all the black cars drive there slowly. All the cars were white, we thought it was a wedding procession, but the deceased was someone who wanted to be buried in a sort of repeat of her wedding? ANYWAY that woman who died was the SISTER of the person who died at the funeral we first met at, all those fucking people in those cars were our distant friends and colleagues. They thought we were gate crashing or something, it was weird as fuck. We must seem like total ghouls to these people. We stopped for a respectful tip of the hat and the went on to our gig. But it was fucking strange.
E: Actually finishing one with no broken bones/ band split ups  and having made some cash! Refused entry to the USA, stopped and searched at gunpoint by Luxembourg police/ fighting with football hooligans in Nottingham town centre  ( all some years ago ). 
G: I spilt tea on my self cos Ed pulled off too soon, it hurt.

Your dreams for the future! How would you describe them?
J: The kind of dreams in which the rooms steadily shrinks around you until you wake up.
E: Still having the same spark and energy to perform music live until I physically can’t anymore.  

Is there anyone you’d love to share a stage with, living or dead? Why?
J: I’d prefer dead.
E: Me! so I could take the piss out myself and question my intonation. 
G Bob Marley, Les Paul, Tina Turner

Did you always know what kind of music you wanted to make, or did it come to you gradually?
J: It all depended on the 3 of us. No doubt the band would be completely different if one of the members was different.
G It comes some how…Some times quick , sometimes very frustrating.

Are your lyrics in character or based on your life?
J: Characters for sure, I hate the idea of performing a glorified diary entry. It’s of no interest to me. I used to be a play writing student (a great use of my time) but the habit never left me, I’m just telling little stories, it has nothing to do with me.

Was there a song or moment that made you fall in love with rockabilly?
J: You’re My Baby, Roy Orbinsons take on Little Wooly Booger. Great energy.
E: I started out with Psychobilly & watching Frenzy and the Long tall Texans on the same bill in the 80’s made me determined to play slap bass and play in my own band. 
G. The Shoes…

Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?
J: Have a listen to ‘Wanted Maniac’ when it’s released and come see us play when we’re in your town!
E: Buy a t-shirt & single and play it loud 
G. Stay away from the bath and sponges.  And never I REPEAT NEVER “PUT WET TOWELS IN THE WASHING MACHINE”.

We took a listen to ‘Wanted Maniac’…

This track is a theatrical descent into madness!

​It’s like a wild, music hall romp through Frankenstein’s  laboratory gone wrong. From the first note, it feels like the Addams Family and The Munsters decided to start a garage band in the garage! It’s got a spooky-kitsch, sound but with a sharp, aggressive edge that absolutely keeps it from being just a novelty track.

​The haunting guitar acts as the perfect atmospheric backdrop, weaving through the track like a fog-drenched street in Dickensian London. But just as things get eerie, the song turns into a full-blown singalong riot. “Wanted, Maniac”!

​There’s a comic book influence throughout the track. Every howl and shout-out lyric feels like a “ZAP!” or “POW!” from their lungs. The backing vocals add a layer of manic energy, sounding like a chorus of ghouls joining in on the fun. It’s theatrical, it’s loud, and honestly, it’s great fun.

​The chorus is an absolute perfect chant, designed for a crowd to scream back at the stage. It’s a rare feat to make a track that feels both genuinely creepy and undeniably catchy, but this absolutely nails it!  If you’re looking for a musical thrill ride that doesn’t take itself too seriously but delivers serious musicianship, this is your new anthem!

 I love the brief moments where the tension drops slightly before exploding back into the chorus. It keeps the listener on their toes!

Overall, it’s a killer A-side. This is a band that knows exactly who they are and aren’t afraid to get a little loud and messy to prove it. The ending—with the studio chatter and the “Very good, I’m out of here”—adds a nice “live” touch that adds to the authentic feel of the recording.

If I’ve gone on too long and enthused too much about this track it’s because I think it’s one of the best songs I’ve heard for a long time and at the moment, it’s definitely first place in my track of the year!

Nick Constantine

Even though ‘Wanted Maniac’ has sold out on vinyl, you can pick up merch and releases from The Dead Shout here