My name is Abi. I make music. Sometimes I talk to other people who also make music… but mostly I just talk about myself. Here is me meeting Iain (guitar) and Rebekah (vocals/synth) of indie four-piece Stricken City.

So you’re friends with Tin Can Telephone who played their second gig at Motherfucker on Saturday aren’t you? I also played my 2nd gig at Motherfucker and my brother tried to get himself run over after I played. Has anyone ever tried to get run over after any of your gigs?

Rebekah:  I don’t think our music is that depressing to be honest.

Iain:  Maybe there was a stranger who died who we don’t know about. [Pause] Is your brother alright?

Yeah he was arrested and spent the night in a cell and had to pay £80 because the car he tried to get run over by was actually a police van. I also played a gig in New Cross where an old man fell asleep and pissed himself when I was on stage. Has anyone ever pissed themselves at any of your gigs?

I: [Pause] I...don’t...think...so...

Have you ever pissed yourselves at any of your gigs?

R: No, but I saw Ari Up from The Slits wet herself on stage.

I:  She does it all the time – on Cut there’s a song where she says she pisses herself.

Maybe it’s to make people think she does it on purpose when really she feels awful about it.

R: Maybe...

I: Maybe Ari Up needs a hug.

R: Yeah but you might squeeze her too tight and she’ll wee.

I: Talking of which – we did a photo shoot earlier and I had to hold a rat.

R: It pooed and weed on him.

That’s nice. On Grimebusters last night they were trying to get rid of rats, but from the wild – what’s the point? They’re allowed to be in the wild. Also on Grimebusters there was a telegraph pole with trainers hanging off it where if you stand under it you’ll either get mugged or offered drugs. So a 50/50 chance. I‘d go for it. What would you do?

R: Oh is that true...? We were in Glasgow and we saw some of those things and somebody told us it was to mark a gang’s territory. I’d go for the drugs... I don’t think anyone would want to get mugged.

It depends what you have to give away to the mugger.

R: Well if you’ve got a really shitty laptop that you’ve been paying insurance on for two years and you really need a new one then it might be good to get mugged.

My brother’s friend sat on some faeces on the toilet seat in Motherfucker and was molested by a tramp the same day that my brother tried to get himself run over. Have you ever failed to look after anyone properly?

I: I’m quite good at looking after people.

R: You’ve looked after me a lot.

I: Yeah... but Kit (drums) gets into a lot of trouble doesn’t he?

What sort of trouble?

I:  He likes fighting. 

R: He gets very angry. 

I:  Not to strangers, but he came to practice once after he’d been beating his flatmate up. Maybe we need to show Kit more love.

R: We’ll give him a cuddle when we next see him.

Has Kit ever been arrested?

I:  No, but me and Kit were play-fighting on a platform at Baker Street once and a policeman came over and said, “Last time anyone did that they ended up in front of a train.”

Terrible. But good advice. You have a song called Terrible Things...

R:  Oh yeah... how do you know that?

Um... it’s on your Myspace. What are your top three Terrible Things?

R:  I know my Number One Top Terrible Thing. I added up all of the money that goes out - rent and bills and stuff - then added up all of the money that comes in and I’m left with £120 each month.

I: That’s terrible. Number Two Top Terrible Thing: Supporting Manchester City. That’s really terrible. The Number Three Top Terrible Thing is working overnight on X Factor.

Doing what?

I:  Digitising tapes and waiting for Mariah Carey to finish her shoot. Bloody Mariah Carey – she’s the Number Four Top Terrible Thing... how many terrible things did you want?

Um... just three. No... MY songs are all about Terrible People. What qualities do you think make a terrible person?

R: Mean...

I: Selfish... [Pause] I don’t like most people... or at least most people I come into contact with. A lot of people are idiots. I don’t like idiots.

R:  He has some friends - a limited few....

It can be annoying having friends can’t it?  Because then you have to see them… converse with them and that kind of stuff.

I:  Yeah - talk to them, keep up with them... Never have more than five friends at any one time. I have lots of acquaintances though.

Are you an Aquarius?

I:  No – acquaintances...

No... are you an Aquarius?

I:  Oh. No. I’m a Capricorn.

Oh. You should be an Aquarius.

Stricken City’s new single Lost Art is released on 17 November on Blue Flower Records. The band are currently playing a string of UK dates including The Wilmington Arms on 28 November with Tin Can Telephone... but not Abi Makes Music. That’s a shame.

Download the Tin Can Telephone remix of Lost Art (out now!) here:

www.bangonpr.com/media/stricken_city/lost_art_tin_can_telephone_remix.zip

Here's the video to Lost Art:

For more shameless self-promotion, visit www.myspace.com/abimakesmusic