Interview: Marvellous Medicine

Last gig tomorrow night! We talked to them about musical influences and masturbation…

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Oxford’s own Marvellous Medicine have a rare charm to their sound, combining ska, folk, reggae and all things funky.

They’re playing their last ever gig at the Wheatsheaf this Tuesday which almost marks the date of the band’s first performance two years ago.

We liked their groovy attitude and checked in with them to see what’s what.

Left to right: Jake, Jamie (with beard), Holly (far right)

The Tab: Hi friends! Why is medicine marvellous?

Jamie: Medicine is marvellous because it tastes like strawberries. You can open a bottle and it doesn’t go off for 13 months.

Holly: I think it’s marvellous because it tastes like coconuts.

Jake: It’s marvellous because it’s not rubbish.

Left to right: Jake, Jamie, Rob

What’s your favourite Roald Dahl book?

Jake: “The Witches” because it appeals to my darker side.

Holly: “Esio-Trot” because I like lettuce.

Jamie: “The Giraffe & The Pelly & Me” because the monkey is rad. Not “George’s Marvelous Medicine” because it’s really sad at the end where the Gran shrinks into the mum’s hand.

How did you guys come up with the band name?

Holly: With George – it was just a happy coincidence…

Jake: …and we wanted some alliteration.

Jamie: It looked really good on the poster, especially with the 45 degree rotation.

Who are your chief musical influences?

Jake: I try to replicate the raw sex in Jimi Hendrix’s performances when I play. All I know is how to make love to my sax. Interestingly, Hendrix was kicked out of the army for excessive masturbation.

Holly: The Manatees. The Roots.

Jamie: James Brown. Rancid. I’m also inspired by the desert trek Roald Dahl embarked upon when his plane crashed.

How would you describe the band’s vibe in 3 words?

Holly: Meticulous, melodramatic, meta-musical.

Jamie: MDMA, Mohawk, metal.

Jake: Playing music together.

What’s your favourite of your own songs?

Holly: ‘Bedtime’ because you can get low to it & I love the sax piece at the end.

Jake: ‘Wim-Wam’ because it’s a feel good song.

Jamie: ‘Stone Cold’ because it’s the best to wear jazzy t-shirts to.

Who started the band? How long have you been playing?

All: Jake and George conceived of the band in their Fresher’s week through their shared love of all things jazzy. A young Jake also played the clarinet with George, Holly joined when Rob gave her some drum beats to learn and Jamie was found on the street warming his hands by a fire.

Jamie without shirt, with guitar

 

As musicians, would you rather have banjos for hands or violins for feet? (If both were unbreakable, mentally controlled and neither would prevent you playing football….)

Jake: Violin without a doubt, the banjo is too gimmicky.

Jamie: Violins because it would be cool to play different harmonies with each foot.

Holly: Banjos would be way more cool.

Do you ever get instrument envy?

Holly: I’d love to play the guitar, you just can’t dance with the drums.

Jake: Yeah, the guitar’s so good to rock out to.

Jamie: I’d like the drums, I’d love to drum on Holly’s bongos, although the sax is great to dance with especially if you have Jake’s snake hips.

Holly: I wana twang Jamie’s g-string.

The Beatles or Stones?

All: The Stones, but the Beatles were better technically.

Jamie wants to be Jagger and Jake wants to be Keith. Jagger asked Holly’s mum for a threesome once.

What about beetles or stones?

Jake: I hate beetles & have nothing against stones.

Jamie: Have my own rock collection so stones, I particularly like the ones with cool extrusions.

Holly: Definitely rocks.

Is it really your last gig?

Holly: Yeah I’ve cried twice already, Rob is going to Indonesia for at least a year.

Jake: This could well be the end of the current incarnation of Marvelous Medicine.

Jamie: Next up will be Gnarvelous Medicine, expect some jazzy funky rock grooves.

Why are you breaking up again?

Jake: Rob felt a pressing need to help people in Indonesia. I said that there were plenty of people to help in this country but he said “na man, I gotta go.”

What will you do to fill the Marvellous Medicine void?

Jake: Rob has written a book, which will undoubtedly be arty meta-literature with lots of meaning. He’s basically going to be Jack Kerouac in Indonesia. I’m also an aspiring author and have written my first novel, which is a social commentary inspired by the acerbic wit of waugh and the anti-establishment beat generation.

Holly: It’s about Jake having sex in Oxford.

Jake: It’s a literary incarnation of the self in order to act out my deepest and darkest fantasies.

Jamie: I’m gonna kick-start my solo career.

Holly: I’ll probably be Jake’s sex therapist.

Thanks guys! Details of the gig tomorrow are here.

First two pictures by Alex Brett.