Could you introduce yourself/the band? Who does what?
Mark: We are collectively known as 'Mesh' and are three people living in Bristol - Mark Hockings, Neil Taylor and Richard Silverthorn. We are pretty self sufficient in terms of the skills needed to make records and our roles within the band tend to overlap, but broadly
- Mark: Vocalist/Production/Songwriter,
Neil: Programmer/Artwork/Photography/Business
Rich:Programmer/Production/Songwriter.
That's a pretty over-simplified breakdown of things but it is fair I think.

How would you describe your music?
Mark: Primarily we are a band that tries to write good songs. We have our roots in electronic music and bring that into the records but we use guitars too. The music has energy and emotion.

Who inspired you at the time you started the band? Which style of music did you listen to back then?
Mark: I was into Yazoo (Vince Clarke / Alison Moyet) and OMD at the time. Also Depeche Mode. It was the combination of electronic music and the emotion and atmosphere that made me want to buy a keyboard and a microphone. It was the same 'I can do that' attitude that I guess inspired the rock and roll and the punk generations.

I’ve read that you’ve had your fair share of label troubles. Could you tell us more about it? What about your own label Tolerance Records?
Mark: We originally started the Tolerance Records label just so that we could get a CD out there. […] We ultimately got a deal in Sweden with Memento Materia. We released 2 albums on MM and eventually got signed to Home Records in Germany who were tied in with Sony. We are still with them (they have change their name though) and on our second album with 'We Collide'. The last year or two has been difficult in this area and things have been delayed, not through any other reason than business politics. It was a little frustrating but we are over it now.

Do you still live in Bristol? Have you been tempted to move to London (or even Germany?)
Mark: Yes we all live in Bristol (Well, Neil lives in Bath he reckons). There is no need to move anywhere else in the UK from a business point of view - there is very little more that we can achieve by moving to London - the World is a smaller place than it used to be. I guess that some days we wished we lived closer to Germany just because of the amount of time we spend there, but I think we have our roots down now - we are creatures of comfort and we are comfortable here.

Talking about Germany, how do you explain the fact that you are probably more popular over there than in the UK?
Mark: It's the location of the label of course and the fact that the UK can be a little weird when it comes to music. The UK encourages innovation which is good for new styles and new music, but if you don't fit the mould then you have few opportunities. There are minimal outlets for a band like us in the UK mainstream but thankfully the internet is now replacing that lost exposure. Germany offers alternative bands like us more opportunity in a larger market - it's probably as simple as that.

Some musicians actually don’t like touring and playing live. What is it like for you? Is playing live important for the band?
Mark: It's crucial of course but it's a two edged sword. The thought of it is daunting before you go and it takes a lot of organisation. There is also the disruption to your life - we have families and wives and it isn't great from that point of view because it's no fun for them when you are away for such long periods of time. But we are great friends and we have such a good crew now that once we are there it is the greatest thing in the world - it's the strangest yet the most satisfying experience and is difficult to convey to people who have never done it.

Are you very image conscious?
Mark: We are not really that image conscious - we try to remain true to ourselves in the way we dress and act outside of the band. We have a very 'dark' following yet we don't look like that in any way - that's a testament to the music I think in the way that people see beyond the way we look. At the same time we try to make an effort - you can perhaps stretch peoples loyalty too far....

How do you think your music has evolved from the debut album to current ‘We Collide’?
Mark: We have just continued to write better and stronger songs whilst refining our production skills with each release. Each album is bigger and better than the last and I think we can keep doing that because we are so involved in the production process. 'We Collide ' represents the best music we have produced to date certainly, but the next album will be better....

Have you been changed by your growing popularity?
Mark: […] The popularity doesn't come into it any more although it of course enables us to continue releasing records. If anything we are less conscious about the popularity than we were when we started - 50 people at the Bristol Bridge Inn in 1994 was scary - 8000 people at a festival recently was just another great day at work and I think that is the way it should be.

Some people have said you represent the “romantic side” of electronic music. Any comment?
Mark: We put a great deal of emotion into our songs and try to be as honest as we can. We get so many moving letters and emails about how the music has helped them through difficult times in their lives or has been the backdrop to some life changing moment. I think this is why we strike a chord with the Gothic audience yet sometimes we look like three skaters on stage - the music touches that genre which has its roots in romance and emotional openness.

What inspires you when you’re writing?
Mark: It can be anything really and it's still not clear to me what triggers the urge to write. 'We Collide' was very much inspired by things that have happened to friends and family or things that I've seen on the news and been upset by. I think I've moved through my 'writing about myself' stage but I've very much done that in the past. I'm not sure it matters at the end of the day as long as someone sees some merit in it or draws from it in some way.

On the new album, you’ve been working with Gareth Jones. How has he influenced your sound?
Mark: Gareth mixed just over half of the album which gave those tracks a depth and clarity that we felt was missing from the original tracks. He got involved too late in the day to influence the sound to be honest - it wasn't really a production role. He is a talented guy who works very much on the cutting edge and we would perhaps like to get him involved earlier next time - he has a freshness and enthusiasm that is infectious.

Some people have written about your band having the potential of going “indie / mainstream”. Have you got any problem with that?
Mark: That would be fine for us. We are not affraid of any kind of mainstream exposure. We have the experience and the substance to move forward with confidence whilst remaining true to ourselves and I hope that time is fast approaching. Mainstream success just enables you to continue making records for longer- if we get there then it will be a testiment to 'pig-headed determination' that's for sure - or 'blind stupidity' of course....

What is the future for Mesh?
Mark: We are of course continuing to promote 'We Collide' in Europe and looking forward to our first real distribution in the UK. We are also hoping that opportunities we have created in the US will bear fruit this year. In the short term we have a lot of live touring to do as there is really no substitute for getting the music out there and delivered in the way it ws meant to be. We have started on the next album to avoid the kind of comical delay that preceded 'We Collide' but ultimately it is this album that we think holds the key to our collective futures at the moment.

Photo: Cuty
Thanks to Mark for taking the time to answer these questions given the very tight deadline!
This interview has originally been conducted for the feature appearing in Alternative Magazine, issue 1, June/July 2006. More info www.alternativemag.co.uk