Last seen fronting death metal/electro cross-over (and rather controversially named) riot-starters, Bono Must Die, these days Tobi Kandi is at the helm of a rather more grown-up project.

With an infectiously dark slice of electro goth pop in the shape of new single, ‘Dead Disco Dancer’, Kandi’s new band, O. Children, makes Bono Must Die look like what it was: “kids just playing around”.

Disillusioned with the teen scene that had built around his old band, and slightly perturbed by some of the legal threats that had been a result of the name (apparently Bono wasn’t too keen), Kandi quit the band and emerged a year or so later with O. Children. These days he wouldn’t wish death on anyone (though he’s still singing about a dead disco dancer). ltd caught up with the singer… All six foot eight of him.

We love ‘Dead Disco Dancer’? Where did you record it?
We recorded it at Miloco Studios (in Hoxton Square) with James Rutledge (Bloc Party/Late Of The Pier/ My Bloody Valentine). It took about two days and it was a whole lot of fun.

We love the lyrics too. What’re they all about?
A lot of people have come up with their own interpretations of the lyrics, ranging from the simple to the downright strange (“it’s about Michael Jackson, etc”) and I think that’s great. I’d rather leave it open to interpretation than put a label on it. For me the lyrics have various meanings; some personal, some not so.

Is there an album on the way?
There’s definitely an album around here somewhere. Maybe two. We write and seem to advance our sound constantly so we have a whole load of material. We should be going into a studio sometime next year to start work on separating the demos from the album tracks. Hopefully it will sound good. We think it will.

It’s a very different sound from Bono Must Die. What’s the journey been like from then to now? Why the change?
It was purely boredom. Bono Must Die started as a joke, and all jokes get old eventually. There was also a kind of scene building up that I wasn’t really that into and I definitely wanted out of. So that’s what I did. I quit the band, left the scene, didn’t really go out for like a year or so and just stayed in doors with friends making music. There was no boredom anymore.

How do you think you have moved on from that band?
We have good management. Better songs, I would hope, and a work ethic.

We loved the old name... Did it cause you any legal problems?
A few threats here and there. In the long run, I’m not in jail or bankrupt so I suppose it was all a load of hot air.

Despite the change in name, do you maintain the old ethos on Bono?
We were all a lot younger in the Bono Must Die days. These days I wouldn’t wish death on anyone. I mean, technically the name ‘Bono Must Die’ isn’t even a threat when you really think about it, from a slightly skewed perspective. It’s really just a logical statement. I Must Die. You Must Die. Bono Must Die. Everyone must die eventually. Sorry to be so morbid. But on a serious note, we were kids, just playing around. Bono can do what he wants as long as it does not affect me in an adverse way.

Who does the writing?
I do pretty much all of the original compositions. I sit in a room for hours at a time and work on ideas. Sometimes more than one at a time. I have a load of unfinished tracks because of this. I start with the music, then work on lyrics. Then take it to the other guys in the studio and say, “make it sound better”. They always do.

How have you moved on as song-writers from the old line-up? It seems more lyrical and melodic these days?
That’s what happens when you listen to a little less Limp Bizkit and Slipknot and replace it with The Bad Seeds, Echo and The Bunnymen, Deerhunter and all the rest. I guess we hit some kind of musical evolution. I swear, angsty teen years are the worst. Twenties are where it’s at.

There’s a dark feel about the sound of the band? Is that something you aim for?
Not especially. It just seems most of what I do has some sort of dark edge. If anything I’d say we’re a pop band hidden behind a wall of noise. All we planned to do was hang out and make a good record. We’re hanging out now and we’ll see how the other half pans out next year.

It’s very eighties. Is that a decade that particularly inspired you?
I’ve always loved the sound of the 80s because everything just seems to shimmer a lot brighter. It was also the era of drum machines, but drum machines back then did not always have to sound so mechanical, unlike now. Anyway, we’re influenced by a lot of other stuff that’s not just from the 80s. Frank Zappa, Donna Summer, Spacemen 3, The Velvet Underground, Christian Death, Ariel Pink, Jesus Lizard, Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins. I could go on forever but I won’t.

What do you think of the current storm of synth femme pop on the charts? Has it moved on much from Kylie?
I feel like I missed out on most of it. I’ve heard the La Roux/Skream Remix. I thought it was OK.

What’s coming up?
Recovering from our single launch party. Maybe going on tour. Recording a new single. Having another party.

O. Children play The Flowerpot on 7 November 2009