Ex Happy Monday's Star Kav

• 9th Oct 2008

As part of this week editorial Glasswerk caught up with ex Happy Monday’s man Kav Sandhu for an insightful look back at his career and his current projects.

You started off with AKA Weave is that right, tell me about some of the times with them an enjoyable experience some of the gig highlights??

’The band was something I started when I was around 16 and we ended up having a lot of different line ups until I finally settled with what I wanted. It was the true example of youthful energy playing and using all the influences you had grown up with and mashing it up with the sounds you were going out clubbing to at the weekend. The band was madness, we experimented with everything in every different way! Our highlights had to be playing the Astoria in London, being shut off by the police at Edinburgh festival on Princess st and recording at Rockfield and foil in Wales. Working with some real British legends and creating music that didn't really have any rules which really worked at the time. The band always was a time bomb waiting to go off and it finally did! I think the funniest thing we ever did was a ‘Club International’ photo shoot that Mani from Primal Scream set up for us! Our last tour with AKAweave was an introduction to the Mondays for me as we had Bez and Shaun doing some gigs with us

You took a break after the split with AKA Weave moved to London, did you have enough of where you lived or did you move because of more opportunities. You were successful then with club night Get loaded at the Turnmills tell me about your adventures with that?

’I just had to get out of Leicester because it was affecting me in a negative way! My band that was my heart and soul had finally finished. I had always wanted to move, but stuck around because everyone was based in Leicester, but I didn't really have anything to hold me back anymore. I'd started a few touring club nights in the past, getting people from my favourite bands to DJ. At the time this was all a brand new thing. It was fresh and there was a lot of excitement for people to be able to see their favourite bands come and DJ close up. I remember going into Turnmills and I just knew it was perfect.

Getloaded completely surpassed my expectations, because it was a movement . People would travel from all over to come to the club night. People like Tony Wilson, Howard Marks ,Peter Hook, Beta Band, Mani, Bez, Clint Boon, would play DJ sets that mixed anything & everything and the audience loved it! It was a club night for real music fans and to top it off Shuan Ryder was the host! We even had Joe Guest in the DJ box one night. We put on some of the best bands around. It was a great platform for new talent, mixing it up with some real Rock N' Roll legends. The best night was the 1st Birthday when we sold out the whole club and there were queues round the corner I remember DJ'ing at midnight and the vibe in there was unreal. The energy coming off the dance floor was massive. We'd just got the award for “Best New Festival” from Virtual Festivals and we knew the night was done and it's future was on Clapam Common as Getloaded In The Park.

Feel proud what you achieved with it? It was named one of the most ground breaking club nights in the history of London clubbing ?!

Yeah I have some crazy memories but when you see a little club night grow from something you started at the Charlotte in Leicester to a music festival to thousands of people you definitely get a kick out of it! Especially when the only reason you did was to give your band a platform to play to people. I mean my band split up, but I ended up joining The Happy Mondays at the age of 24. I remember when we put on GETLOADED in the Park and Tony Wilson came up to me after I'd played my first gig with the Mondays and he said
“And to think, the only reason you put all of this on Kav was to show everyone what a good musician you are!” I hadn’t thought of it like that but he was right. I just wanted a gig. That’s the only reason I ever put any club night on, I just wanted to play music.
That chance meeting I had with Danny and Holly @ Turnmills after seeing a advert in the NME for Indie band promoters, really ended pulling some tricks out the hat!

Danny and Stix and the Turnmills crew still run GETLOADED now so I guess it's stamped it's place in the festival calendar.

What do you feel made the club night, was it captured in the right time or a change in music culture perhaps?

It was Anti every other night in London, we played what we wanted! People didn't have to feel they could only dance to a certain style of music. There wasn't a night like it in London. It took away all the pretentious crap and brought people back down to earth and it was based on great records.

A real f'n party!

That led on to putting festivals on etc and ultimately led to you joining the Happy Monday’s. What was it like being on tour with Shaun was it as mad as it’s made out or were you just buzzing of what you were achieving?

No I never buzzed about what I was achieving because it was never enough. d I only saw everything I was doing as the start of something, so there was no time to start sticking your hand down your pants because that’s just a load of bollocks! I'd known Shaun for a few years before I went on tour with him and every moment was nothing short of a blast!

How did it all end you were with Sonic Audio weren’t you?

Sonic Audio was a band I was doing while I was in the Mondays and we had some killer times but it never really got it's chance because we were so busy with the Mondays. We couldn't give it everything it needed so we put it on hold or something like that. But most of Sonic Audio are playing with me now.

What followed then?

Well when I parted with Mondays I played a few dates with DATAROCK and then got my head together and started blaring out the noise that I'm doing now.

Still mates with the guys from the Mondays?

Yeah I haven't really seen any of them apart from Bez and that was about year ago. I spoken to Mikey bass & Jonny (aka Bobby Angles the fearless assassin) has been playing some gigs with me over the last few months. I love the Mondays and I always will!

Today your still living in London?? How’s it compare to a say 10 years ago is there any music you like is it just not the same how do you see things going?

Things always change and to be honest 10 years ago I use to visit London with my band or just to go out, and it was different looking in! London is such a fast paced city it is always changing and evolving and I love it for that. The audiences and the vibe are definitely changed but they always will. I was living in Camden until a few months ago and now I'm mainly based in LA coming back every two months or so! I'm sure I will begin to notice the changes a lot more.

You have your own solo stuff going on, how did your solo project come about?

Yearning, energy and desire to just get it out, or I was going to lose the plot! I've had a few things I wanted to get off my chest and didn't want anyone else telling me otherwise.

Are you proud of your debut EP ‘The Blaggers and Liar’s EP. It certainly got rave reviews what have you got planned at the moment any gigs I can plug?

Yeah we are playing The Aftershow in Manchester with The Music on Friday 10th October and then we are playing our own Private Party at Fortress studios near Old St on October 17th. Anyone who’s interested in coming needs to email our myspace so we can send you an invite – www.myspace.com/kavsonic

Finally your favourite 3 – Your favourite track of all time, your favourite gig of all time and your hero?

I have a few favourite tracks of all time and it's hard to pick one out but if I was pushed I would have to say ‘Gimme Shelter’ by the Stones, which is probably completely different to any other interview I’ve given, but it’s the one that comes to mind right now. My favourite gig would have to be either be watching Guns N' Roses on TV live @ The Ritz and it having a massive effect on me as a kid or seeing Primal Scream at Sheffield Uni on The Exterminator tour.

You can buy Kav’s superb The Blaggers and Liar’s EP on ITUNES now.

For more info on Kav please visit

www.myspace.com/kavsonic