Media Assassin -  #8 (September 2005)

Green Eyed Ministers

Envy is such a terrible thing, except when it is dressed up by four absurd indie crackpots called Envy & Other Sins, and turned into a positive melodic force, as Andy Roberts found out...

Sometimes you shouldn't ask why. Sometimes you should just accept what is happening no matter how hard is it to fathom the events that unfold before your very eyes and ears.

Questioning, in some circumstances, will only get you so far and by the time you've reached a level of understanding you've missed out on half the fun. Envy & Other Sins are a band that, if you are not careful, will have you crying in shrieks of confusion; "Why God? Why?!" And by the time you have calmed down you may have missed out on the feast of pleasantries that they have on offer. Let them ask the questions ,let them do the talking and in return you will enter into a world of childhood fantasy mixed with devious and contorting indulgence.

A band that know full well that your animal instincts will always overpower your will for good, Envy & Other Sins are a paradox of escapism and stark reflection of your fragile morality. On stage they are four fictional characters adorned in flamboyant costume and pompous posture, while lyrically they hold a mirror up to each audience member, perhaps laughing on the outside, but weeping on the inside - as hammy as it sounds. Man Bites God, a bouncy indie riffathon captures this zestful yet regretful spirit perfectly in the words; "We're rotten to the core, we're all the same, we are scum. You were like us, but when did you become so righteous? Let's do a roaring trade, 'til the day the Messiah comes. And stops us having fun."

"Religion is hugely important in the world we live in," explains lamb chop sideburn sporting synth wizard, Jarvey Moss, when asked of the religious content to much of the band's output. "Although none of us is religious, the world around you seeps into the things you create. Having said that, we have a lot more songs without any biblical references at all. Our lyrics are crucial to our music, and we hope that people pay them sufficient attention to be intrigued, even if it isn't always instantly clear what we're on about. The lyrics are all to be found on our website and we're very open to hearing people's interpretations of our words.

The website is a wonderful museum of curiosities containing everything from a page where you can buy cufflinks to instructions on how to play Pheasant, a kind of ye olde amalgamation of football and tennis that requires gentlemen to wear hats and young females to sit at the side of the court wearing long skirts. All very bewildering, all very entertaining.

And entertainment is the key to their conviction, as Jarvey states; "We firmly believe that a live concert should be a show, that people come to listen to the music, but also to be entertained. We try to make our audience feel part of something a bit different. Some people love it, and some hate it, but there is very little indifference, and that's how things should be. We want to be the best or the worst band you'll ever see, "Ok" is not Ok. We're starting to get people turning up to our shows in Envious costumes, which is fantastic. There are too many bands who look the same, play the same chords with the same words. What's the point? Everyone has stories to tell and ideas of their own, but you need the courage of your convictions to tell them." So, are you the Preacher Men? "We're definitely not the Preacher Men, although some of our fans are a bit like missionaries!"

Don't ask questions, just go and see them.