TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1998

Rock stars feed off attention of L.A. limelight

By Denise Starbird

Special to the On-line Forty-Niner

The Candyskins, from Oxford, England, have not toured the United States since 1991.

The band is now on the road promoting its fourth album, "Death of a Minor TV Celebrity." Last week the band played at the Dragonfly in Hollywood.

The band's big single, "Feed it," is part of "The Water Boy" soundtrack and made Top 50 on the charts.

1According to Kat Korbit, 107.1 FM, Y107 radio personality, the band filmed the video for "Feed it" in the Lazarium at Griffith Park.

Credited for helping to open doors for other British pop artists, the Candyskins' first album, "Space I'm In," came out in 1991. The band's second album, "Fun," came out in 1993, and the third album, "Sunday Morning Fever," came out in 1997.

The single "Feed it" was inspired by the Heaven's Gate cult mass suicide.

Nick Burton, guitarist and back-up vocalist, commented on the inspiration for "Feed it."

"It's about finding a better place. They thought they were going to a better place.

"Feed it" is about striving for a better life."

When asked whether the CD had a theme, Burton responded that all of the band's CDs are about distrust, poverty, hope, and American television, because he likes American television.

Burton said his favorite song off the current CD is "Friday Night and Sunday Mornings."

Influences for the band were The Clash, Stereo lab, Sonic Youth, Nick Drake, and the Mamas and the Papas.

Burton commented that his favorite CDs right now are "Fat Boy Slim" and "Daft Punk."

"We always feel like rock stars when we come to L.A.," Burton said. "That's just the way everyone treats you here."

Each member of the band has come from an entertainment background.

Nick Burton, the guitarist, back-up vocalist, and most friendly and talkative during the interview, has a father who is a writer.

Both Nick Cope, the lead singer, 33, and John Halliday, drummer, 33, are the sons of actors.

Lastly, 33-year-old guitarist and keyboardist, Brett Gordon, had a father who was a band leader and vocalist.

The band was originally called Badlands, Burton said, surprised at his own admittance of the fact.

That name lasted only a year until the members heard the song "Candyskin" from the Scotland band Fire Engines.

The members changed their name to Candyskins and have been together for nine years.

The band's favorite show so far was San Francisco.

Their U.S. Tour is over, but do not worry, they will be back in February of next year.

The show at the Dragonfly after the interview was incredible.

Burton had seven pedals for his guitar that made an array of distortion sounds.

Nick Cope had a sweet melodic voice and Cope and Burton' s harmonies made the music all the more rich.

Burton, Cope and Halliday's shag haircuts carelessly draped their faces while they played the softer songs to more than 350 people in the mostly standing-room only audience, but flailed in the air when the energy sprung up in the songs, "Feed it," "Teenage Suicide," and "Car Crash."

Fans shouted out requests for songs from the band's older albums throughout the night. Eighteen songs were played. Each one kept the crowd in motion.