Young, gifted and loud

“And the ‘Crap Tabloid Hack of the Year’ award goes to…Stuart Clark!”

I’m probably being a bit hard on myself – this is your cue to shout “yes” – but it’s only towards the end of my interview with Young Heart Attack co-screamer Jennifer Stephens that I twig she’s yer’ one who’s been carrying on with Justin Hawkins.
“Really, you didn’t know?” the Texan says a might wearily. “It’s pretty much the first thing journalists bring up, but it’s not something I talk about.”
Memo to David Beckham: If you’re engaging in extracurricular rumpy pumpy, do it with a member of an AC/DC-obsessed hard rock outfit.
“I’m not comfortable with being in the spotlight because of my attachment to someone else,” Stephens resumes. “It’s not so much a privacy thing as wanting to be judged on my own merits.”
If I was working for Mills & Boon rather than Ireland’s most fortnightly music magazine, my next line would be: “Before falling in love with the man, she fell in love with the music.”
“The first time I saw The Darkness was from the side of the stage at the Leeds Festival, and I was amazed by the way they commanded the audience,” Jennifer enthuses. “Some people are too uptight to enjoy it for what it is which is a spectacle. They’re nice, hard-working guys who totally love the music they’re making.”
With Hawkins declaring a few days after our chat that he’s back with his former fiancé and manager Sue Whitehouse, it’s possible that Jennifer is rather less appreciative of The Darkness now than she was. What won’t have changed a jot is her enthusiasm for excessively loud guitars and jumping round on stage like a hyperactive kangohammer.
“The funny thing is that before joining this band I didn’t know a whole lot about heavy music. The guys put that to rights by buying me Kiss’ Rock And Roll Over for my birthday, and making me up mix tapes with stuff like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Ziggy Stardust and the MC5 on ‘em.”
Stephens’ rock ‘n’ roll education became even more intensive when Young Heart Attack went on the road with Mötorhead.
“Their P.A., oh my God, it’s massive!” she marvels. “I’d heard a lot of things about Lemmy which weren’t all complimentary, but he turned out to be a real gentleman who loved the fact he was giving an unknown band a break.”
Lemmy’s philanthropy doesn’t end there with his trademark growl gracing the cover of AC/DC’s ‘Get It Hot’ that YHA recorded recently for B-side purposes.
But it’s not all old guys – Young Heart Attack have also encountered their share of stage work with Next Big Things.
“Before we started touring, we did a lot of hometown shows in Austin with Mudhoney, Turbonegro and The White Stripes who, early on even, you knew were going to be huge. I like the fact that we can play with pretty much anyone and get a reaction from the crowd.”
Which brings us to Mouthful Of Love, Young Heart Attack’s debut album which is every bit as frisky as its “Ooooer, matron!” title.
“We’re not Beethoven,” Jennifer concludes. “People should put the album on when they’re getting pumped up to go to a party. It’s an inspiration for a good time.”

Young Heart Attack’s Mouthful Of Love album is out now on XL