[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Diet Cig are excited. Constantly, completely and wholeheartedly excited about everything they do, whether it’s posing for photos underneath a train station, bouncing about their stage to a ‘slop-pop’ soundtrack of their own making or just being given some strawberry bubblegum, they’re here for a good time. And it’s infectious.
“Just be yourself, have fun and dance like a stupid idiot ‘cause it makes you feel good,” beams Alex Luciano. “That’s what we’re doing. We hope if we’re having fun and dancing around then that energy will be contagious. Maybe people will forget about all the stupid shit that’s happening to them for half an hour.” Instead of worrying, Diet Cig are proof that “you can be exciting, you can have fun and you can say your own feelings. You don’t have to hide behind any sort of mask or pretend to be someone you’re not.” And most importantly, you don’t have to care if your dances moves are cool or not.
“I don’t want to be considered one of the cool bands,” continues Noah Bowman. “I don’t want to be cool. We won’t be wearing like, crazy outfits unless there’s a cause for it.”
“I like wearing crazy outfits,” interrupts Alex with a smirk. “We’re just normal people having fun. There’s not a wall between the stage and the crowd, we do all the things they do, we just have a way to share what we’re feeling and hopefully people are listening.”
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVUcgmnm2GQ” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
And they are. Since the release of their ‘Over Easy’ EP at the start of last year, it’s been non-stop for Diet Cig. They’ve found time to put together the ‘Sleep Talk’ single but apart from that, it’s all systems go.
“Performing is so fun. It’s just such a rush,” starts Alex before briefly adopting a hyper-American accent. “Oh my god, I’m on stage and everyone’s looking at me for thirty minutes. It’s my show,” she sings. “I’m slowly learning how to play guitar more and it’s so satisfying when you learn a new part. It’s like painting but you don’t see it, you hear it. I didn’t grow up as a musician so I’m just finding the joy of it now.”
[sc name=”pull” text=”I don’t want to be considered one of the cool bands” ]
By comparison Noah is a seasoned pro. “It’s definitely cool starting this because playing in bands before, everyone’s been a musician their whole life and they get bitter ‘cause they’ve been doing it for so long. When we started this, Alex was so wide-eyed. I could see that she was going to be so into this. Other people I’ve played with were only doing music ‘cause it’s all they knew how to do. We’re doing this because we enjoy doing it.”
If you needed further proof of just how different their musical upbringings were, turn to their earliest memory of making music. Noah’s is joining his twin brother in his dad’s studio aged four, singing the jingle that the monkeys in the first Rugrats Movie chant (‘Witch Doctor’ by The Cartoonz, if you’re curious). “I can’t remember the song or I’d sing it to you,” he promises, as Alex beams: “that’s so cute though.”
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2892″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Alex’s is learning guitar aged 15. A guy that worked with her step-dad would come over once a week to teach her to play little songs, “but it would just turn into everyone hanging out. It’s really cool how it started this better friendship, they’re now best friends with our family.”
Regardless of when they were introduced to music, both Alex and Noah have grown up with it breeding connections that last a lifetime. Diet Cig sees that blossom.
“At shows we’ve been getting fans excited to see us. That fuels us because it means something to somebody. When you’re driving for eight hours to the next show, you can forget why you’re doing it but then you get to a show and see all these people and realise ‘oh, you guys like it too’. We’re all on the same page,” offers Noah, as Alex adds: “I feel like we’re starting to realise we’re making something that’s bigger than us. And it’s so crazy. Holy cow, our stupid little songs resonate with so many people and it’s such an amazing, validating, driving force to keep making music. We have so many feelings and so much to share, and to get that response from so many awesome, amazing kids who can relate too… holy hell what we say matters. People want to hear us shout about boys and stupid shit like that, it’s really exciting to have those feelings and have those feelings validated by loads of people.”
Pouring fuel on the fire sees Diet Cig getting excited for what comes next. “As we progress, there’s different levels of success that we’re seeing and I want that. As any proud, motivated people would, it just encourages us to work harder and keep doing our thing in an honest, passionate way.” With a gap forced into their schedule, Alex is stoked, “to get home and just lock myself in the studio and write some more songs. I’ve got so many pieces floating around my head after this whole year of touring. I’m so ready to get in there and start pumping out some awesome songs.”
“We’re just going to write, record and have something done. That is our mission, that is our goal,” declares Noah. With a couple of new ’uns already sneaking into the set that talk about sleeping with someone with the same name and how “it’s hard to be a punk while wearing a skirt”, the band aren’t losing their unabashed honesty.
“We just want to keep having fun. The more we keep having fun and are genuine with it, the more successful we’ll get anyway. We’re just dancing around like idiots,” laughs Alex. “We’re just so eternally grateful, everyone’s been so generous with their love. It’s so overwhelming. I just want to throw a party for everyone and say, ‘Thank you for letting Diet Cig be a thing’,” she shouts, arms aloft.
“I don’t want to come over here and mope around,” reasons Noah, before he turns to Alex and grins. “I’m excited, are you excited?” [sc name=”stopper” ]
Taken from the July issue of Dork – order a copy now.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]