Death By Denim & Roy Bing Interview Each Other Ahead Of BIGSOUND

Nik: First of all, talk us through meeting the great Ray “Rabs” Warren and what other iconic voices you think could be another hit?

Roy: It was all happening during the Covid lockdowns, so I never actually got to meet the great man in the flesh. But we did have some great conversations on the phone which was surreal. Rabs is the humblest guy you’ll ever come across – a true legend and GOAT. I’ve had a lot of people ask me to do a Gus Gould mix, haha.

Nik: I hear you are a big Ricky Martin fan in the karaoke room, how often would you belt out a Livin' La Vida Loca and do you have a crazy karaoke story suitable for the internet?

Roy: There is no question that Ricky gets my blood pumping in the karaoke room – and yes, always Livin' La Vida Loca. Not sure if the stories are internet appropriate but I can confirm they all involved Ding Dong Dang’s Karaoke bar in Sydney (RIP).

Nik: The remix that you’ve done for Cigarettes & Honey is so good so thank you for that firstly! What inspired you to make it a club banger instead of our now boring version?

Roy: Haha, thanks, thanks (and thanks for having me!) - but the OG version goes HARD. TBH it all came together super naturally. I started with some D&B drums, and everything fell into place from there.

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Nik: Do you have any weird rituals/superstitions? Could be pre-show or just life in general?

Roy: The only time I’m superstitious is when I fly, 'cause I’m hella scared of flying. I do this weird thing where I have to close my eyes whenever there’s turbulence.

Nik: You get invited to two different dinner parties which are on at the same time. One is with Childish Gambino and the other is with Hans Zimmer. The question I pose to you my good son, is which party do you attend?

Roy: Say less. My man Hans all day. I’d love to sit between Hans and Christopher Nolan, and get sucked into their movie ideas vortex, haha.

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Roy: What is the wildest thing that ever did happen at a DBD show?

Nik: Our crowds are funny, some gigs they are pretty chill and feeling wholesome. Other times they are just nuts, haha. Craziest thing that’s happened was probably having a laugh and a short with Lewis Capaldi after our little appearance at Falls Festival a couple years back. Very funny bloke.

Roy: Aliens invade. Chaos and destruction begin to rain down upon planet Earth. You are captured by said aliens. ‘Play us the greatest song of all time or we will destroy your planet.’ What song are you playing?

Nik: I think the aliens would be really keen for a hearty singalong knowing them. So I’ll go with Feel by Robbie Williams. They will put down their weapons, grab a beer and be belting out the chorus with me for sure.

Roy: The OG version of Cigarettes & Honey is such a jam – there was clearly some magic in the recording studio that day. Tell me how the song came together?

Nik: Yeah the OG came along in a funny way. Birthed by a stupid party trick in the studio literally containing cigarettes and honey. It somewhat felt like a bit of a joke song when we first wrote it and we didn’t love it until we recorded it. It was our first "oh shit" moment with our producer Andy Lawson.

Roy: Teleportation or time machine? Why?

Nik: That is a fantastic question. I’m gonna go with time machine though. I’d try not to go into the future too much even if my anxious mind is dying to know what will happen. I’d use it to go back and go see an INXS gig or be there when The Doors were kicking it. Also would have to go watch the Chicago Bulls play in the '90s, because MJ is the GOAT and Lebron fans can go have a cry.

Roy: You guys spend a lot of time on the road. Any great tour-life hacks you can share?

Nik: It’s hard to not just drink and party every day when you are on tour but having a day or two where you buy some groceries and cook a meal instead of having your 5th parmi for the week is key. Not really a hack but we have these weird traditions and routines like we have to sit in the exact seat in the van. We also tend to have a bit of a large night on the first night we arrive which always puts us in a bad way for the gig the next day but we pulled through every time… so far.