Could you please tell us a little bit about previous projects like THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, why you left the dudes and what your relationship is currently like and when BAD IDEAS was actually founded?

Yea I sang for the living daylights for a good three years and did a lot of touring with them. Great band and great guys, were still very good friends, I've just come back from groezrock with three of the guys actually... Messy weekend! I left the band to do something new. I'd been writing songs as a 'solo' thing for a while and I really felt it was the right thing to do to run with that and see where it went. That's how bad ideas started out, if I'm right that would have been Feb 2010.

Are you still looking for a new guitar player? Who dropped out?

We're not, I just haven't updated our MySpace in a very long time! Haha, we had 3 different guitarists in the start of last year and none of them really clicked. The band kind of broke down after that so I've been touring and writing on my own the last few months. It's been fun and a real learning curve but I can't wait to get back into the full band thing again... I want to be able to ring my tshirts out after shows and fuck up and no one notice again!! I'm actually currently on a train back from a weekend of practice with our new lineup. It's 6 in the morning as trains are cheap at this hour back up north! It's been a really great weekend. Our guitarist is asleep on the seat opposite me. He looks like shit. It's times like this I wish I never got his name tattood on my leg. Hindsight ehh?

"Murder Of Gods" is a pretty provoking title for a record… have you already received threats by militant Christians or what's the idea of the title in the first place?

Unfortunately we haven't had any threats from militant Christians yet. I'm a huge alkaline trio fan and not a huge religion fan, so I wouldn't have an issue with rattling a few cages if it did! I would go into why but its far too early in the morning for that, so ill just say I think its rubbish. However, the titles taken from a line about personal insecurity- "forgot what they wrote down when listing my crimes. The murder of gods or blurring the lines?". I just liked the line and thought it would make a good title. Any upset militant Christians are just a bonus really.

Did you record the album in Leicester again or were the many differences to the last time you went to the studio?

Yes we recorded the album with Jamie ward at park farm studios in Leicester. I love workiing with Jamie, he's a great dude and he's an awesome producer! I think we got kind of lucky in finding Jamie when we recorded the ep. He understands our sound really well and always seems to get a really nice natural drum sound and a nice blend of the acoustic and electric guitars. Well be spending a couple of weeks with him on another full length in December.

Is it important for a band to tour on an international level or is it more helpful to built a local following? As far as British bands go they often seem to concentrate on the Isles…

The beauty of the isles is that big cities are really close together. People come from Europe and the US and tour for 5 days or one week because the isles are small... But you really can play a good 2- 3 week stretch here without wasting your time. For that reason, I think its easier to build up a following here than larger continents. That said, I love touring Europe. It's something I haven't done enough with bad ideas and I intend to change that this summer. It's Fucking rainy here and petrol costs more than whisky!

"Dear Regret" was your first ep-release and it is available for one pound for download. Who did the artwork and are your shows well attended using this download strategy?

My friend Mitchell Allenden did the art for this... He's a really great tattoo artist as well as just about the most handsome man I've ever met. He has a marvelous mustache! The ep was free download for the first year. I figured as a new band we'd make a free release to get people listening and I think it was a good move. We ended up very poor but loads of people had it and people seemed to know the songs at shows which was made our hunger and poverty temporarily disappear! As for numbers at shows I'd find it hard to say but I'd like to think so!

The video for "One Seven Two" ist awesome and pretty personal stuff at the same time. I'm just wondering why there is nobody from the band around. You do have a backup band, don't you? Was this a conscious decision and are the others fine with it?

Thanks! Yea I had a lot of fun making it with my good friend Steven Haddock. He's also a wedding photographer and just about the most handsome man I've ever met! He doesn't have a mustache. Shame that. As for the band, we've only just had our first rehearsal so I had to make that one on my lonesome! We are shooting a video for 'storm at the shaw' as a band next month though. Maybe Steve will have a mustache by then.

Think I read the name PJ Bond and Bad Ideas on an LP in the vid… is there a split available or did I misinterpret something?

Ahh yes that was in fact a tour poster. Me and Mr bond have done a couple of tours together now. He's a really great song writer and just about the most handsome man I've ever met. He has a huge massive beard! Pj is about to release a split with his little brother, you should check that out its so Fucking good! The alk3 lp in there is a split they did with us. Or maybe I just dreamed that. Hmm.

Which is the song the sums the album up best lyrically? Is "Murder Of Gods" an album about breaking up or was there a kind of concept behind the whole process when writing the songs?

It's a pretty varied album lyricaly. There are actually no songs about breaking up on the album as I hadn't broke up with anyone whilst writing it! There's a mix up of story telling and social politics I guess. Quite a few really personal songs about things that happened and people I love. And a fair few songs based around issues I have with western culture and society. I think It's important to write about what you know but also not to get caught writing the same song over and over. I don't really like full albums with one 'theme', I think if you can say it in a song rather than an album your writing well!

Can we expect to see BAD IDEAS in Germany anytime soon?

Yes! I'm playing some solo shows in July which will include 3 north Germany shows. I'm then touring with a band called fighting fiction in Sep and a full band tour in Oct which will both have de shows for sure. See you there!

Thomas Eberhardt