Since Method Cell's formation in 2008 they have taken the electronic, industrial, goth and many other scenes by storm. Whether creating catchy club anthems with intelligent lyrics or playing live shows, Apollos and Alex are contributing immeasurably to the current musical climate. To learn more about the band creating waves amongst numerous genres, read on.

For those unfamiliar with Method Cell, please describe the sound?

Apollos: We try to avoid sticking too closely to a specific genre. We're obviously electronic and seem to get far too excited pinning down good vocal harmonies. Outside of that I guess we write tongue in cheek club songs - a kind of candy coated razor blade.

Alex: We've been described as industrial, EBM, synthpop, and even futurepop. A recent review described our music as "Blending catchy club hooks, unique electro layers, and downright fierce lyrics". I think it's quite hard to describe your own music. It's probably easier to check us out online.

What is it that Method Cell set out to achieve when writing and composing music?

Apollos: As long as we're writing songs people want to listen to we're happy. We both spend a lot of time in clubs and I guess that's what we're envisioning when we start writing tracks.

After a hugely successful debut album, 'Curse of a Modern Age', you really are becoming a force to be reckoned with in both the club and goth scene, where did it all begin with Method Cell?

Alex: We met many years ago on the Nottingham club scene and soon found ourselves in a local band. It quickly became apparent that we had very similar taste and views when it came to writing music. We started collaborating on some tracks and found we had really great chemistry. A few years down the line and we practically read each other's minds in the studio!

Apollos: We were both really surprised by how quickly our writing styles gelled. I've tried writing in a few partnerships and it can take ages to figure out how to work together, how to compliment each other's strengths and compensate for any weaknesses. We had fun with the Method Cell thing from the start, and I guess because of that it just worked. We've already got a huge list of ridiculous things to try for the second album so we're not done having fun with it yet.

There are a lot of obvious electronic, cyber and industrial influences in the Method Cell sound, but please talk us through some of the more obscure influences?

Alex: We seem to take inspiration from wherever we find it. We're quite happy to incorporate writing and production tricks that are used in genres not usually associated with our own.

Apollos: I guess you can still hear a lot of the underground 70's/80's influence in our music, John Foxx, Yazoo etc. They had a real grasp of song structure. More modern Scandinavian electronica such as The Knife and Royksopp simply reminded us of the importance of strong melodies and story telling within well written songs.

Aside from music what else influences Method Cell?

Apollos: Mostly other people, little soap operas between friends can spark inspiration, 'Drop Dead' was written for an old guy who sat next to me on the bus and told me about living in his spare room. Sometimes it's simple word play like in 'Scissors': "flirting with danger or whatever his name was" or descriptions that fire a scenario like in 'Blame Me': "Was it me who scratched the surface and made your armour bleed'.

Alex: Even things like books or films. Anything that can make you think a certain way or provoke a feeling. We wrote the title track, 'Curse Of A Modern Age', on the back of playing way too much Bioshock!

How important are lyrics to Method Cell?

Apollos: It's one of those things I feel really passionately about and get very irritated when hearing lazy writing. Songwriters that ask the listener for five minutes of there time and then use that opportunity for meaningless chants are putting the opportunity to waste. We're not necessarily trying to change someone's life or fight for a cause. To be honest I'm rarely that sure of anything, but telling a story, documenting emotions, I hope we manage that for the most part.

Lyrically there's a romantic yet tainted view of the world presented, talk us through this.

Apollos: It's funny, in reality I'm an optimist. I honestly believe in people's ability to thrive in the most difficult circumstances. I work counselling people who've generally had far worse luck than myself, and who just need a little help to see what they're actually capable of.  Although a lot our songs can seem bitter and tainted, albeit wrapped up in humour, it's our flaws and mistakes that make us interesting. Even at our most scathing and bitchy, like 'Call It Cutting' for instance, the songs ultimately reflect the insecurities and jealousy of the storyteller. Maybe I have a skewed view of romance, but perfection sounds very dull.

What do you think are the essential ingredients for a great song?

Apollos: A MIDI controlled banjo, a cow bell solo and ideally plenty of tambourine. Sorry, it's really hard to pin down the magic ingredients, everyone seems to have their own ideas. Personally, good lyrics and catchy enough that I end up singing it in the shower.

Alex: It almost goes without saying but I think it's important to write a song that has enough variation to keep the listener interested while maintaining some sort of theme or developing a journey throughout the track. I also really like it when a song manages to get across something catchy or original enough to stick in your head after listening to the track. I think working hard on melodies is a great way of doing this.

What's the next step in the evolution of Method Cell?

Alex: As ever, our quest for world domination continues with some really exciting live shows - playing with Combichrist, Aesthetic Perfection and Mortiis this summer then joining Covenant on tour in September. We've already got our teeth into some new material that we're extremely excited about and are working on some remixes for a few of our favourite bands.

Apollos: Oh, and hopefully a video in the next few months as well. We're definitely keeping ourselves busy.

Since your formation in 2008 you have gone from strength to strength. If you could do it all again would you do anything differently?

Alex: We've been pretty lucky. The reaction Method Cell's had from clubs, DJs and promoters has been phenomenal. We had some near misses with some of the equipment live - the age old adage of "keep it simple" still holds true.

What advice would you give to newly formed bands starting out?

Apollos: Firstly, don't rush it. It's tempting to release the first demo you write and play the first gig you're offered, but people's first impressions count for a lot. We spent over a year simply writing material and improving our production. We delayed releasing anything, even on Myspace, until we were absolutely happy with the sound and direction. We turned down supporting Scandy a month after releasing Scissors because we simply weren't ready. Very pleased we did now but it was heart breaking at the time!

Alex: When you're gearing up to launch a band it's very easy to get sucked into your own music after countless sessions refining your tracks. It can help to step back and look at how you compare to the bands you love and admire. Everyone would love to be Combichrist, but remember there's someone out there already doing that pretty well. Remember - you're trying to create something that will grab people's attention. Coming up with something fresh and original is often the best way of doing that.

Which upcoming artists do you think will make an impact in the EBM and cyber scene in the next year?

Alex: It seems like the UK electronic scene is having a bit of a resurgence lately with some excellent bands appearing. Terror Nation and Surgyn have caught our attention recently and are definitely worth checking out.

Apollos: Simply because I love a bit of pure synthpop, 'Lights and Offerings' by Mirrors has been getting far too much play time from me recently. Outside of that the new Binary Park album is worth a look.

Why should people listen to Method Cell and how do you stand out from other bands?

Apollos: If you were hoping for a band that feeds your shallow grasp of homogeneous self-worth you probably won't get much out of our music. We don't take ourselves too seriously, we probably won't solve world hunger but if you're not afraid to listen to an album that celebrates every glorious human defect you could do a lot worse than 'Curse of a Modern Age'.

Method Cell Official Website