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Who are Ego-armalade?

Five lumpy lads from Beaumont Leys who share a love for maypole dancing– check our website for the finer details.

Just think Lego and Marmalade

So how did you all meet?

Mike and Will met at Primary School (Beaumont Lodge) and so did Grahame, J and Lewis (Wolsey House) – skip to the teenage years.

After sightings of each other at various gigs at The Charlotte, we decided to get chatting; we'd often joke with each other about being in bands, so basically we got together from a web of lies.

Grahame and Lewis told Mike and Will their band 'Mucus' were splitting up, so it was decided on 28 October 2000 (an Ooberman gig) we should have a practice at 'Big Wheel.'

Gray, Lewis, Mike and Will formed Mk. 1 Ego-armalade.

Skip another couple of years and Mk. 1 Ego-armalade were performing a lot tighter and without cover songs, and J was in a band called 'Dashboard Porn', but also joining us onstage every now and then, being a sort of 'Bez' character.

Who or what are your greatest influences?

Our mam's and dad's really, along with each other. The likes of The Who, The Libertines, The Specials, Cream, Led Zep, Oasis, Kula Shaker, The Coral and Beastie Boys contribute musically, along with comedians Peter Kay, Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan.

What do you make of the music scene in Leicester?

It's so much better than it use to be, there's a load of potential coming through now and a real good place to see it is the Leicester club night 'Porked', which is run every two months or so.

Who are your favourite local bands at the moment and why?

Jack of Hearts Band – They got the blues man!
The Dandilions – Lovin' the energy and ska feel, they're doing it for the love of it.
The Displacements – King Laugh innah!
Charlie Jones – Melodic cheeky chimp

Where are your favourite Leicestershire hangouts?

It used to be Unit 84 but now it's all about Unit 15 (everybody's welcome), dropping by Brighton Beach and KFC along the way. Oh, Lewis wants 'Legends' in as well.

Mike: Oasis at Shepherds Bush
Lewis: Lenny Kravitz at The Attik
Gray: Libertines at The Charlotte
J: Zutons at Birmingham Academy
Will: Paul Weller at Sherwood Pines

No, not really, our best gig as a band will definitely be Summer Sundae at De Montfort Hall and gardens, this August. Oooh! It's gonna be a sizzler.

What do you do when not playing gigs or rehearsing?

Gray: Chain smoking and bobbing!
Mike: Likes to cycle in high-visibility jackets late at night. Catch him struggling up Beaumont Leys Lane most week nights.
Will: Sleep
Lewis: Have BBQ's

Have you got a large fan-base?

Yeah, but there's always room for more!

Favourite track you've written?

Gray: Mamas got Milkers or 54 'cos the crowd always sing it back at us. Lovely!
J: The Fox cause we have a costume, nah it's got to be Madman Whitey, innit.
Lewis: See No Evil
Mike: Sunshine Indoors 'cos Wills put it.
Will: Sunshine Indoors 'cos Mikes put it, we are one in the same mind. We are Babington boys.

Would you ever go on a reality television programme to promote your band?

Only if Simon Cowell were going in there too, we'd pull his pants down and then leave!

Mike: PJ and Duncan - Greatest Hits
Lewis: Franz Ferdinand ay! Hate 'em.
J: I only buy good 'un's
Will: Gala – Freed from desire
Gray: Guano Apes – ‘Open your... can't remember the title but it's poor.

If you could swap lives with anybody for a day who would it be?

We've picked somebody dead and somebody alive (Will's idea):

Will: Ashley Cole / Jimi Hendrix
Gray: Gary Coleman / Ayrton Senna
Lewis: Ainsley Harriot / The geezer who played Morse
J: Superman / Elvis
Mike: Plan B / Biggie Smalls