Splendid's UK-based writer Deirdre Devers reviewed the Gunga Din's Jetset Records debut, Glitterati, last month -- and liked the noir-popsters so much that she decided to interview them. An international conference call and -- thanks to the Splendid Interview Curse -- several frantic e-mails later, she presented us with this conversation with the Gunga Din's Maria Zastrow.

SPLENDID: Let's start with an easy one. What were some of the first albums that y'all purchased as youngsters?

MARIA ZASTROW (Farfisa organ): Some of my first albums were, for example, Devo's first, Television's Marquee Moon, Lou Reed's Street Hassle, Bowie's Low, Kraftwerk's Mensch Maschine... I know that Bill liked Yes a lot and Siobhan liked Bauhaus, Christopher liked Guns & Roses and so on. I dont know exactly which albums they bought when they were young. And don't forget we have large age differences in the band, so the musical influences come from all kinds of decades and styles. Maybe that is what defines our style.

SPLENDID: Give us the basics: How old is the band? How did you and your collegues get together? Describe y'all's musical background. Were any members in NY area bands or bands in general?

ZASTROW: The band at this point is about 2 years old. Me and Jim Sclavunos (who joined the band as a drummer after he produced our first record -- Siobhan used to play the drums first) go back a long time. We met in Berlin when I was still living there. After I moved to NY I met Bill and a year later me, he and Christopher worked at the same video store. Then Bill met Siobhan and asked me and Christopher if we want to start a band with them. And that is how we got together.

Christpher was originally more a guitarist and jammed with some people in San Fransisco. He really started playing bass in the Gunga Din. My original instrument was the bass and I played and jammed with bands in Berlin mostly. I started playing the organ just because I started collecting them and really learned to play it while I was in the band. Siobhan played drums with God is my Co-Pilot and started singing in the Gunga Din because she got sick of just playing the drums and wanted to develop in a different direction. Bill's original instrument was the bass -- he played in NY bands the Spitters and Congo Norvell for a year (where he met Jim). He also played with the Swans on their last tour. Jim is the percussionist in The Bad Seeds and used to play in many other bands like Sonic Youth, Cramps, 8 Eyed Spy, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks...

SPLENDID: Okay, how would you describe your music?

ZASTROW: It is very hard to describe your own music. I leave that to the journalists. I would just call it popular music. And we obviously have very very diverse musical references. It also depends on your instrument. In my case it ranges from Suicide to Booker T. to Dick Hyman. Christopher likes funk and soul. But in the end it doesnt matter what your references are. All together we sound like the Gunga Din.

SPLENDID: What, if any, are some of the difficulties of being a band in NY or a New York City band?

ZASTROW: One important factor that makes it very difficult is that NYC is a very expensive town. That means everybody has to put a lot of time into making money, stupid jobs to pay their high apartment rents and high rehearsal space rents. It is, by the way, really hard to find a good practice space you can afford. It is actually impossible. Their are so many bands and few (good) spaces. And then you can't go on long tours 'cause you dont want to lose your jobs, and so on.

SPLENDID: Speaking of NY, how much of NYC as a city informs y'all's lyrics? Which comes first, the lyrics or the music? Wanna comment on your working style?

ZASTROW: I guess where and how you live will always have an effect on how and about what you write. Most of the time the music comes first and then come the vocals and then we build around the vocals where necessary. Someone comes in with a melody or a part or sometimes even with a whole song pattern that we then arrange together.

SPLENDID: Describe vocalist Siobhan Duffy before she takes the stage and after.

ZASTROW: She seems a little anxious before the show and a little more loose after the performance.

SPLENDID: Do you feel the American music establishment could give guys like y'all a Grammy some day? What I am sorta asking is, have the cracks for innovative and edgy music gotten wider or smaller?

ZASTROW: I think the cracks got wider in one way but I think not always to the benefit of the music/song. Being "edgy" means not caring about the establishment, so in reality the cracks will always be small for real edgy and innovative music. These days "edgy" sells -- but is it still edgy when it does?

SPLENDID: The internet and MP3: good for musicians in general? Yea or Nay?

ZASTROW: In general I think yes. There are some folks out there who are trying hard to help other musicians to reach some sort of financial independence and at the same time securing their copyrights on the web. One of these people, for example, is Jimmy Webb.

SPLENDID: You guys sound like y'all would be badass to see live -- when are we gonna see you in the UK/Europe?

ZASTROW: As soon as a label over there will give us a licensing deal. I would love to tour only in Europe. We actually played one show in Europe last year. In Oslo, Norway. This Norwegian band Madrugada invited us to open up for them. That was great. And it was very encouraging for us.

SPLENDID: What would you be doing if you weren't a part of The Gunga Din?

ZASTROW: I guess we would all be in other really good bands. I would probably move back to Berlin and become a permanent member in Stereo Total (with whom I occasionally guest-tour).

SPLENDID: What's in the immediate future for y'all? In the next few months (March, April, May) we will be touring a lot. An important date is our show at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX on 15th of March. In April we will be playing on the West Coast, which we havent done before. It's always exciting to play where you haven't played before, especially in big cities like San Francisco and LA, plus you see some nice parts of this big country.

Deirdre Devers writes for various magazines on both sides of the Atlantic, covering the music scenery and the sociology of interactive environments. She can be seen speaking loudly into a mobile phone in Brighton while re-enacting scenes from Quadrophenia.