Extraterrestrial (apparently) four-piece Jingo crash landed in a big way last year, with the beaming down of their debut album, The Art of Loving. You see, these intergalactic types weren’t in for invasion, but for an intergalactic love-in. They wanted not to conquer us, but to tally us off as a conquest. Earth was to be just a notch on their space-travelling bedposts, but alas, they only went and fell for us metaphorically after having done so literally. Those kooky romantic alien types.
Though, they’ll ask that we ‘Don’t Call It Love‘, it’s abundantly clear that it is. What other reason would they stick around to follow up their brilliant debut (picture a little of Muse when they were good, a soupcon of Radiohead, a snifter of Bat for Lashes, possibly a sprinkle of Kate Bush in there somewhere, perhaps a pinch of Placebo, and maybe even a smidgen of Arcade Fire) with an eagerly anticipated EP? It’s love, obviously.
Anyhow, we caught up with them for a quick natter, and aside from being able to compose potently emotive and insistently melodic music, these aliens apparently have a good grasp of sarcasm, and humour of the human variety in general, if these answers to my dull questions are anything to go by. Who’d’ve thunk it? So read, thoroughly enjoy, fall a little bit in love, and listen to Jingo. I did.
First and foremost, hello there, how’s things? And who might we be talking to today?
Gree-tings Vultur-lings, we-are Jingo and I’m Katie, take us to your readers..
For those of our readers who may be coming to you completely fresh, how would you describe what Jingo is all about? Give us the hard sell.
We are aliens from outer space who have created Super Rock for the benefit of  planet earth. We will rock your socks off to plant your little bare foot-paws firmly into the chocolaty-earth-mud. Our guitar licks will stimulate your dangly bits but we’re also into your personality too. Our beats will take you back to your super-nova roots and our lyrics will bring you to tears thinking of your grand-mama’s-mama’s-ma-Ma’s famous spaghetti blackholegnese.
You’re a band of London by way of New York beginnings, how’d you all come together?
We all came to love each other in a Bohemian wonderland called Bushwick, Brooklyn in 2010, right before the hipster explosion. Jack and Joe were in a band on tour called Tampax and Katie was in another band called Sparklepussy. It was a natural fit. Katie and Jack became cosmically intertwined and we all brought the DIY spirit we found in NYC back to London and found Nima Safai in the last couple months who informed us that he was born to be in our band as well.
Speaking of London, having previously run a DIY open mic night there, do you still have an attachment to that whole scene, keeping things DIY still?
We were surprised when we landed on earth to find that people are measured by their material processions rather than social merit. We like to handle dirty-earthling money as little as possible. We hosted free nights where people could bring their own booze and sign-up unannounced. We also like to host bands who wish to travel to play in London and are returned the favour when we tour Europe. Community and collaboration is key to what we do and will someday save the planet. Artists need to support each other and learn to do thing themselves until the world changes to support them. Jingo has found that the interweb-motherboard is one key to this.
Having made quite an impression with last year’s debut album, The Art of Loving, with its deep and brooding, but equally emotive and powerful, sound. You’ve since teased at your upcoming EP with the single ‘ADD’, and more recently with ’45 Friends’, with both showing an evolution and expansion of that sound. What can we expect from the new EP, and what went into influencing it?
Jingo’s members have a variety different influences to add to the pot, but we are influenced by other alien ex-pats such as Jeff Buckley, Prince, Neil Young, Eddie Vedder, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, BRNS, Lana Del Ray Bans, Not Blood Paint, Stevie Nelson and the Kids, and BRNS. But as far as our band changing, we are getting to know each other better and finding new members to help us grow. Also you can hear the desperation increasing in our efforts to help people become more human before it’s too late and will retreat to a moonbase before detonation.
Speaking of your debut though, after its release you were able to head out on a tour of the US, how’d that go?
We put surveying unseen parts of the planet at the top of our priorities in Jingo. I’m an expert on that land mass so I was able to explain the law of the land and we also brought Not Bloody Paint Again, a Bushwick band as protection against evil spirits. We found the native people to be strange but hopeful and hungry for musical good times; a great place for community to sprout up. We have planted seeds in the great Midwest and New England and will maybe be return next year, though that is Top Secret Information.
How are things looking on the live front at the moment? Where can we come catch you live?
The Borderline (London) on October 29th
Having got to know yourselves a little better, who should we get to know next? Any other bands or artists you’d recommend?
BRNS, Not Blood Paint, Steve Nelson, Bailiff.
Lastly, at Cultured Vultures we have our own vulture that goes by the name of Voltaire, but what would you name a vulture you found to be especially cultured?
On planet Jingo, we are equals with Vultures and as individual vultures name themselves after first flight, attempting to name one would be akin to insult. But the first vulture to name himself on planet Jingo called himself Saviour. You can find portraits of the cultured animals of planet Jingo at www.katiebuckett.com
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