Children of the State

Photo: Olivia Williams

Name, where are you from?
John + Harry: Hello, we’re Children of the State from Doncaster, Yorkshire.

Describe your style in three words?
Reinterpreted thrift clothing.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
J: Probably Bob Dylan at Byron Blues Festival in Australia, 2011. The setting and atmosphere was unlike anything else I have ever witnessed before. My fondest memory of my youth in Australia with 20,000 people in awe of the poet laureate on the beach.
H: The Rolling Stones in Paris, they took fan requests and performed my favourite track of theirs 'Dead Flowers' for the first time in years. I couldn’t believe my luck, the image of Jaggers jagged features is still tattooed on my Hippocampus.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
J+H: The Velvet Underground and Patti Smith in some run-down venue in New York, in the 1970s with sweat beads decorating the walls. The New York scene heavily inspires our image, sound and lyrics, so this would be the perfect gig for Children of the State.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
J: Growing up I became transfixed with the mod movement and spent a lot of time listening to the likes of Small Faces, Kinks, Weller, especially while I was doing my solo albums, sporting a bowl haircut and the likes, but now I try to keep an open mind and go with my gut instinct when it comes to style. '60s/'70s, open-collar shirts, generally smart.
H: I’ve always thought the Teddy Boys were pretty cool.
J: What I’ve got on now used to be a normal jacket but I set it on fire, now it’s a blazer.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
J: It’s got to be John Lennon for me. My middle name is even Lennon. There are so many questions I need to ask him.
H: I’d go for David Lynch, that fella has the most intense imagination I’ve ever been exposed to, his ideas are steeped in popular culture.

Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
J: The Arts Club in Liverpool. We were very lucky to be asked to play there with The Mysterines a couple of months ago. An absolutely incredible venue, it felt majestic, it felt right.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Edie Sedgwick, she inspired a lot of our favourite music in the '60s from Dylan to the Velvet Underground.

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