Misty's Big Adventure - Illustration from Colette Lilley.

The name alone implies something a little different, it delivers. Creature has been a fan of Misty’s big Adventure for some years now, the ridiculous gigs and the incredibly catchy songs make it very hard not to be. Misty’s music is an eclectic mix of jazz, lounge, psychedelia, two tone, pop and punk. But this is only really half the tale.

The eight piece is led by the aptly named Grandmaster Gareth, who is the ringleader to a very peculiar bunch. (suggestions for the collective noun of Misty’s Big Adventure members are most welcome). Lurking near the Grandmaster is Erotic Volvo, a man dressed in a loose full-body red sack with numerous stuffed blue gloves attached, with his face painted blue. It’s difficult to know where to look or what to do or say, I find it fitting to dance with a beer and a leer. A very English affair.

Although the band do enjoy singing about murdering their neighbours, parallel worlds and hindering dogs, its not all fun and games, Mistys’ biggest hit Fashion Parade, featuring a cameo from Sir Noddy of Holder, takes a swipe at the current state of the independent music scene, and in “Evil” they tell us what they really think about George W.

To say that John Peel championed this band would be silly, but he was a fan and that goes a long way. Misty’s Big Adventure are currently on their biggest UK tour to date, Britain , prepare for the lunacy. New album out now.

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How was your summer?
Fairly uneventful. I've mostly been working on our tour CD Grumpier Fun and doing some work on our next studio album 'Television's People'.

For the readers who don’t know Mistys how would you describe your music, briefly…

In brief, Grumpy Fun. Lots of genres all mushed together with a cynical bent.

We’ve seen you at the Green Man two years running, what is it that attracts you to this festival?

They'll let us play! And it's a very good festival. I think Green Man and End of the Road have a really nice atmosphere you don't find at other festivals. It seems to be more about seeing good stuff rather than just getting hammered. Though I'm sure some people manage to combine the two!

This year, at the Greenman, we got drunk, passed out and were set upon by a hoard of screaming three year olds, one of our friends woke up completely covered in grass, they had buried him alive! What’s your funniest festival story?

So you managed to combine the two. Well done! I don't really have a funny festival story. I'm generally not at one long enough for something funny to happen!

In the song "Fashion Parade" you appear to take a swipe at certain contemporary indie bands. Whats your gripe?

The main gripe is with the bands that seem to spring up whenever a band, say Franz Ferdinand, gets big and then for the next year or two, proceeds to rip them off. Particularly when Franz Ferdinand ripped off a load of bands in the first place. It's boring to say the least. I find the music scene depressing at the moment because being in a band should be about trying to be original and do something different and although there are people on the fringes doing just that, the music industry is clogged up with bland uninspired bands whose only aim is to one day be posing on the front cover of the NME. Whilst being sponsored by Shockwaves and Topshop. Money for music is good. Music for money is bad.

What did Noddy Holder make of the strange world of Misty's big Adventure?

Noddy was great! He thought Fashion Parade was "a good track" and agreed with it's sentiments. Slade made a film that has a similar story to the one in our song.

How is the smoking ban going for you?
I don't go out unless we're touring so not much of a problem! It's just another distraction technique anyway. The people in charge will do anything to stop us thinking about what's really going on.

Our first Misty’s experience was down the local pub, The Ale House in Salisbury, it was all very involved. How has the band coped with the transition to bigger events?

We've never really changed doing what we do. It's not like we think because we're doing a bigger show that we need to make any more of an effort! We might just be a bit more nervous.

Does Misty have any side projects?

I do solo stuff as Grandmaster Gareth. I make Minute Melodies. They're a lot more mental than what I do with Misty's. There's less pressure to make them as accessible. And I also don't have to think about how to play them live. I've also been doing some producing for Kategoes, The Retro Spankees and Dave McCabe from The Zutons.

Finally, what’s next for Misty's Big Adventure?
Our new album Funny Times is out on the 5th of November. And we're touring all through October and November.

Take care and good luck with your magazine,

Gareth

Misty's Big Adventure - Fashion Parade

The latest release from Misty's Big Adventure is "fashion parade", view the video below: