November 19, 2004
[interview by Andrew]

Estrella: Could you please tell us your name and what you do in the band.
Neil: I’m Neil, I sing and play guitar.
James: I’m James, I play bass.
Sam: I’m Sam, I play drums.
Iain: I’m Iain, I play guitar.

Estrella: Where did you come up with the name of the band?
James: Well we had to change are name because we were originally known as Super Unknown, so we had to change because everyone just thought that we were a Soundgarden tribute band. I don’t know why Dopamine, it was just a good word.
Neil: We heard there were other bands also called Dopamine.
James: That was after we already that the name though.
Iain: Yeah, to the best part of our knowledge.
James: They’ve all changed their names now because we were the longest running known band with the name, to our knowledge.

Estrella: How did you guys all meet?
Iain: I was imported as a slave.
Neil: Yeah, Iain was working in India. Well, I went to school with Sam and also Iain but he was a lot younger than us so we didn’t really know him in school.
James: I knew Sam because he was doing A Levels for about 20 Years, that’s how we met.
Neil: James was in another band where we’re from, Caerphilly [Wales], and we were two rival bands who formed into one band.

Estrella: How did your current label situation with Golf Records come about?
Neil: Well we were on a tour with Waterdown, Linea 77, & The Hurt Process this time last year and the drummer from The Hurt Process works for Golf Records, so he spoke to the label and recommended that they sign us so they did, so there we go. Well it wasn’t quite as straightforward as that

Estrella: It's not that long since the release of your second EP, "A Lesson In Dying". How’s everything been for you guys since its release?
Neil: We’ve toured a lot since then.
James: We did a tour with Dead Poetic.
Neil: Yeah, we’ve pretty much toured most September and October. We’ve been pretty busy really. We’ve also kind of kicked off on Myspace as well, that’s going really well. We’re reaching a wider audience on that.
James: Especially as our website never gets updated.
Neil: Because of that, that’s why we use Myspace.
Estrella: Yeah, I noticed there aren't many updates on your website.
James: Yeah, we’ve still got the flyer on there from last years tour.
Sam: They don’t tell us how to do anything [on the website.]
Neil: If we could do it, then we’d do it. So that’s why we use Myspace.

Estrella: How’s the new stuff coming along and when can we expect your debut album?
James: It’s all recorded, we’re just mixing the last part of it.
Neil: We started in June.
James: It’s hard to do when we’re touring all the time, its taken so long.
Neil: We’ve just been touring a lot since July. We haven’t evening been going in [to finish the album] on whole days, it's just been evenings here and there but its sounding good.
Estrella: So when can we expect it?
Neil: We’re aiming for Valentine’s Day next year, but it all depends on when we can finish it.
James: Golf [Records] said that it’s gonna take 2 months to do all the marketing and stuff so we really need to get it done by the end of the year.
Neil: Well we’ve got 7 tracks mixed now, so we have tracks still left to mix and a few other bits and bobs.
Iain: I reckon we’ll do it.

Estrella: So how’s all the touring going?
James: I’ve enjoyed myself, it’s been quite nice.
Neil: We’ve been touring with bands that we really get along with. It’s just been a lot of drinking and a lot of fun really.

Estrella: It’s not far away from Christmas now, what’s the worst Christmas present you’ve ever received?
Neil: That’s a good one.
James: My parents went mad on Friends stuff for me one year, they got me a Friends t-shirt, Friends videos. I was like, I don’t know how they got the impression that I like it, maybe I smiled once during an episode or something.
Iain: Seasonal presents are the worst, I remember once my mother bought me a fucking Santa Claus Homer Simpson thing.
James: Was it a big inflatable?
Iain: No, just a little Homer wearing a Santa Claus suit.
James: My dad went down Makro to get an 8 foot inflatable Homer Santa.
Neil: My your house is gonna look classy.
James: Yeah.
Neil: I can’t think of anything but I think the Friends stuff has to be the worst.

Estrella: So what’s the plan for Dopamine in 2005?
Neil: Release the album, tour in support of it.
James: Be on a bigger profile tour.
Estrella: What kind of bands would you like to tour with?
James: We want Beloved to come back over because we toured with them on the Dead Poetic tour and they were an awesome band and awesome guys.
Neil: It would be cool to tour with Funeral For A Friend or someone like that, people who we already know.
James: Metallica.
Neil: Silverchair would be the ultimate.
James: Yeah, but there not ever touring again.
Sam: The Darkness.
Neil: What??!
Sam: Yeah, think of the venues.
Neil: Think of the people.
Sam: We would be playing in Arena’s.
Neil: Basically we want to play a big Rock venue.
James: So that we can strut onto the stage like we’ve got a big chip on our shoulder. People who are into The Darkness though are people who like all the kind of stuff that’s in the charts.
Neil: Yeah, so basically we want to release the album and hope it does well.

Estrella: What could be the greatest thing to happen to you guys in 2005?
Neil: I’d love personally, to do the Warped Tour.
Estrella: The Hurt Process did it this year, didn’t they?
Neil: Yeah.
Iain: I’ve heard it's shit.
Neil: It probably is, but it would still be a wicked experience.
James: Apparently, it breaks you. There’s a lot of traveling, you travel all the time, you don’t get to see anywhere, you just travel and then they stick you on at 9 in the morning.
Iain: Think of the bands you’d be playing with though, it would be amazing.
James: Yeah eventually, 12 hours after we’d been on, Taking Back Sunday are on.
Sam: It would be nice to do a tour next year and actually make money off it.
James: Yeah, it would be nice to tour out of the country.
Iain: I’d like to tour in Europe.
Estrella: What about doing Reading Festival next year?
James: Yeah, that would be wicked.
Neil: Although, it does clash with a local festival that we do every year Mega Day, it's charity event.
James: We do it every year.
Iain: I’ve done it the past years and I never wanna do it again.
James: It’s just us and all of the rest of the bands are just cover bands and they actually have to check the set lists because one year about 5 bands played the same song.
Iain: It's shit.

Estrella: Do you guys have any last comments or closing statements?
Neil: Thank you for an awesome interview.
Iain: We’re gonna get the shit kicked out of us when we get back to Caerphilly now.
Sam: Buy our EP and our album when it comes out. Oh yeah, if anyone sees our old manager John, tell him to call us.
Iain: Oh actually, tell a lie I want my closing statement to be, come see us live.
James: Cancel all Third World Debt.
Sam: ... and then buy our EP and our album.
Iain: Nah, just come see us live and if you like, then invest in it.