You guys seem to be a subject of contention in self-professed noise circles (American ones, at least). Why do you think that is? Or do you notice it/give a shit?
[Benjamin] Don’t really notice it, no. we’re just doing what we enjoy.

Was there much of a noise scene in London?
[Benjamin] We’ve always been kind of alien to any form of “scene” which I think is a good thing. I’d hate to think that we’d box ourselves in somehow. That kind of thing has a tendancy to surpress originality, or spark off competition which is something that really doesn’t interest us. I guess on the other hand there is also a sense of community involved with “scenes” but I like the fact we always stood out on our own. But there are some great noise bands/ musicians in london and brighton.

What do you even think of that tag, “noise”?
[Benjamin] I think it’s really vague.

The elements of the first record that felt noisy to people seem drastically reduced on Tarot Sport. Was this conscious? Were you looking to escape from that tag?
[Benjamin] We weren’t looking to escape anything really, but we were looking to evolve. Saying that, we didn’t make a conscious decision to leave anything out that might have been present on the first record. The elements of Street Horrrsing (are) very direct, no nonsense in a sense and almost skeletal. I feel that Tarot Sport has taken that skeletal structure and given it flesh, and limbs. It’s a denser, more explorative sound.

What separates you guys most from noise to me isn’t the lack of noise but that there’s a fundamental optimism within the music whereas so much of that can be nihilistic, anti-fun. So, are you guys trying to create happy music?
[Benjamin] We are happy most of the time, sometimes not. We’re only human after all. But we’re definitely the kind of people who focus more on positivity.

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