Meet Jon, self-confessed ‘control freak’, band dictator and one-time roadie for Status Quo, Human League and a very demanding David Essex. (We’ll say no more, but it involved several rolls of strong white gaffer tape).
Meet also Transformer-tattooed danger-freak guitarist Si, who “developed a taste for being electrocuted” during his time as a bowling machine mechanic: (“I’ve nearly killed myself three times, been crushed by machinery, fallen off stage, and split my head open.”) Say hi to mysterious ex-glam rocker and erstwhile Darkness support (don’t ask) Kitty on bass. Finally, let us introduce you to Agoraphobic Nosebleed obsessive, drum teacher, and dread-headed maniac Ben.
This is Plastic Toys, a Southampton phenomenon that perfect hard-hitting electro rock with stadium-bound choruses. And with such an unusual cast of players, it’s no wonder they exist far from the realm of the conventional. Take everything you know about normal bands, and these four subvert it: Gigs? Chaos reigns, from plummeting down dry ski slopes on dog shit bins with Sikth, to unplanned psychedelic jams at sunrise complete with politic rants from audience members that continue until the power’s turned off (as at the recent Rootsville festival in Birmingham). A Plastic Toys gig boils your spinal fluid with visceral thrills while throwing sing-along choruses at you from all angles. Interests? Fishing and fucking. Influences? Grindcore, U2 and Van Halen – all at once.
Weirdly though, this fucked up mix of music can be picked out of every Plastic Toys tune, although their closest reference point (and the one they all agree on) is Nine Inch Nails. NIN’s producer John Fryer even helped produce their early material.
Their work with the legendary knob-twiddler was to attract the attention of the Dreamcatcher label who picked up an earlier incarnation of the band, Karmic Jera, after they won Kerrang’s international Battle Of The Bands competition in 2000 and released an album. “They knew nothing though” says Jon “we were a White Zombie-esque band, so they made us do photoshoots in graveyards like we were Cradle Of Filth or something. We recorded an album we hated, all the kids preferred our self-produced demo and we lost our hardcore fanbase.” The band fell apart.
Now Plastic Toys, the four turned their noses up at countless deals, and decided to go it alone, funded by a mysterious ‘financial backer’. They set up their own label, ‘Hill Valley Records’ which is named after the town from ‘Back To The Future’ – Jon’s favourite film. Recording in his bedroom, Jon forged almost all of debut ‘For Tonight Only’ alone, spurning producers to keep it exactly how he wanted it. Andy Gray (Gary Numan / U2) heard their stuff and asked to mix a track (new single and industro-pop anthem-to-be ‘Let Me Feel The Love’). “We let him, but we kept an eye on him. We’re control freaks” Jon admits. The track rocketed straight to the top of the One Music listeners chart and is now spreading across US radio like syphilis.
The rest of the album is an intravenous shot into the corpse of electro-rock, a relentless collision of seemingly disparate noise and pop hooks. Take the opening salvo for example, as the plinky plonk piano intro of ‘Curtain Up’ collides with headfuck confessions of “Last night I fucked your girlfriend” on ‘Devil’’s evil racket. Or ‘Tonight Only’ which sees diseased synths locking horns with scuzz guitars as stadium drums creep in through the backdoor.
It’s a dark peaen to debauchery that lyrically epitomises Plastic Toys’ manifesto: “It’s about getting wasted, going out and picking up a girl and being so completely brutally honest that people don’t believe you,” Jon admits, “taken to the extreme you could have sex with someone by saying ‘I’m going to use you’. They think you’re joking and love you anyway, but you don’t”. Nice. However, he shows a more sensitive side with the meltdown despair of ‘I Miss You’ and ‘Goodbye’’s robotic finale. “‘Goodbye’ deals with perfect love – and that when you die you know you haven’t been a perfect arsehole” Jon explains.
This dichotomy pierces the heart of Plastic Toys – they’re uncompromising rage shot through with pop sensibilities (how many other industrial-rock groups do you see covering Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever’?), evil and sensitive simultaneously, insular obsessives with one common goal. “I want to live my life like a fucking messiah” Jon screams relentlessly as ‘Tonight Only’ prolapses into silence, awaiting the devoted faithful. We doubt they’ll be long.
Flesh
Plastic Toys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Maybe I haven't fallen out of love
But it's time to live kinda selfishly
Little by little I feed my need
This is what
I used to believe
Chorus:
I want your money
And then to throw you away
It makes me happy
I want you flesh
I want your money
And then to throw you away
It makes me happy
Maybe it was meant to be this way
Step back take time to rearrange
However hard I try to kill
what we have and how I feel
There's no change
It always heals
Chorus:
I want you flesh
I want your money
And then to throw you away
It makes me happy
I want you flesh
I want your money
And then to throw you away
It makes me happy
And now I realize
What I am throwing away
A part of you and me
That I might never get back again
I can't promise you anything
But at least you know who I am
It's you and me against the world
And we'll take them on hand in hand
I want your love
I want you with me
Then to hold you close and make you happy
want your love
I want you with me
Then to hold you close and make you happy
The lyrics of Plastic Toys' song "Flesh" express the conflicting emotions of the singer towards their past relationship. The singer acknowledges that they miss their ex-partner, but at the same time, they feel that it's time to prioritize their own needs and desires, which includes using their partner for physical and financial gratification. They admit that this is not what they used to believe or want, but it's what they feel they need to do now. The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's desire for their ex-partner's flesh and money, but after using them, they want to throw them away because it makes them happy.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on their attempts to move on from the relationship, but despite their efforts, they find themselves stuck in a loop, unable to kill their feelings for their ex-partner. They realize that throwing away their partner would mean losing a part of themselves, which they might never get back. The final verse is the singer's plea to their ex-partner, acknowledging that they can't make any promises but hoping that they can work together against the world and find happiness.
The song portrays the struggle of balancing personal desires and genuine emotions in a past relationship. It highlights the importance of acknowledging one's desires and needs, but at the same time, it emphasizes the value of relationships and emotions. The song's blunt and honest lyrics and upbeat pop-electronic beat create an interesting juxtaposition, making it stand out from other breakup songs.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm missing you so much
I am yearning for your presence and companionship
Maybe I haven't fallen out of love
Perhaps my feelings towards you haven't entirely disappeared
But it's time to live kinda selfishly
However, I must prioritize my own needs above anyone else's
Little by little I feed my need
Slowly but surely, I am satisfying my own desires and wants
This is what I used to believe
In the past, I had other opinions about how I should live my life
I want you flesh
I desire the pleasurable physical contact that we once had
I want your money
Additionally, I seek the financial benefits that come with a relationship
And then to throw you away
Once I have satisfied these needs, I intend to blatantly discard you
It makes me happy
This behavior brings me joy and satisfaction, despite its harmful impact
Maybe it was meant to be this way
Perhaps this is how our relationship was destined to end
Step back take time to rearrange
I need to pause and reevaluate how I am handling this situation
However hard I try to kill
Although I am attempting to erase my feelings for you
what we have and how I feel
and perhaps even our entire relationship
There's no change
Unfortunately, I am still unable to detach from you
It always heals
It seems that with time, my wounds will eventually be mended
And now I realize
Currently, I am finally comprehending
What I am throwing away
The true value of what I am carelessly discarding
A part of you and me
A precious piece of both of our relationships
That I might never get back again
I may never be able to retrieve or regain it
I can't promise you anything
I am unable to make any commitments or guarantees to you
But at least you know who I am
However, you are now fully aware of my true intentions and character
It's you and me against the world
Despite everything, it's still you and I together against everything else
And we'll take them on hand in hand
We will face and confront any problems or obstacles together, unified
I want your love
Ultimately, what I truly crave and desire from you is your affection and devotion
I want you with me
I also seek your loyal and unwavering commitment to me
Then to hold you close and make you happy
I truly wish to embrace you and provide you with all of the joy and contentment that you deserve
Contributed by Taylor D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lux666tiamat
good good music!! do all same! and you be BEST)))