Bobble Tiki doesn’t buy into hype, or at least he tries not to. Sure, he’s got a Vampire Weekend T-shirt, and he recently purchased “The Perfect Pushup,” but for the most part hot air and persistent marketing aren’t enough to peak Bobble Tiki’s interest or inspire him to open his wallet.



Of the seemingly endless number of bands Bobble Tiki has heard referred to as “the next big thing,” it seems few of them ever get there. The title has lost its meaning for Bobble Tiki.



So, when Bobble Tiki started reading all sorts of complimentary things about London’s PRE, initially he passed it off. PRE reportedly tore the doors of the CMJ Festival in ’07, but Bobble Tiki wasn’t there, so to Bobble Tiki it was just hearsay. Then Bobble Tiki started reading about PRE in all the big music magazines, but the well-spun words of music critics are never enough to truly convince Bobble Tiki that something is cool. Bobble Tiki remained rather uninterested in PRE.



There’s a good chance that’s all about to change. While magazine articles and music industry marketing don’t do it for Bobble Tiki, a knockout, livewire, sweaty and bruised rock and roll performance always does. PRE is set to play Le Voyeur in Olympia tonight. If what people have been saying about PRE is true, Bobble Tiki should get what he’s been looking for.



Based on Epic Fits (released on Skin Graft last year), a 14-song “full length” that clocks in right around 20 minutes, we’re all in for quite a show. Unabashed and unleashed metal noise led by the vocal theatrics of female leader Exceedingly Good Keex (aka Akiko Matsuura) — who’s best compared to Karen O with rabies — PRE have been turning heads since they started, and are ready to bring that action to Oly.



Bobble Tiki caught up with PRE bassist Kevin Hendricks this week, to see if what he’d heard was true.



BOBBLE TIKI: What has the hype in the states caused by your CMJ performance been like for the band?



KEVIN HENDRICK: We are buried under London, blissfully unaware of any hype. It’s hard to see past all the people here in England, we spend our lives on tip-toe. The MySpace friend requests nearly blew our computers after that two page feature in SPIN magazine. Is that a gauge of cultural impact? I suspect not.



TIKI: Describe the feeling you were trying to capture when recording Epic Fits? Bobble Tiki understands it was recorded in a pizza freezer with engineer Westminster Brown. How did that help?



HENDRICK: We were trying to nail our feelings to the wall. It was SO cold in there. We had to generate extreme heat. A bit like one of those futile polar expeditions, but over two days and running really fast. We had to jog on the spot while we played, to keep blood circulating. We’re still trying to shake off that jogging style when we play live. Why pizza freezer? It’s Westminster Brown’s scene. We were safe in his big hands.



TIKI: What are some of the differences between American crowds and crowds from the U.K.? Do you have a preference?


HENDRICK: If we play in London, a good London show, it’s wicked. London is spoiled for good shows. There are so many good shows all the time. But if the show is good then it’s amazing. There is a very transient, stampeding culture over here ... it’s hard to take stock. It’s hard to stop and hold hands, y’know? When we go to America, we exhale. I won’t generalize, because we’ve had good and bad crowds and we can’t demand a certain response from an audience. Like Cyndi Lauper, we just want to have fun, and maybe hurt ourselves a little. We need to feel.



TIKI:What’s the biggest misconception people in the States may have about you?


HENDRICK: That we have all slept with the band FUCK BUTTONS. Not quite true, we just make out, sometimes.



TIKI: What have you heard about Olympia? What are you expecting from your show there?


HENDRICK: Have no idea what to expect, can only hope for a cool time. But Olympia’s musical heritage means a lot to this band. We grew up with music that reached England from Olympia and the Northwest. Fascinated and inspired by the ethic of K records and Kill Rock Stars. And more specifically fired up and illuminated by the incredible female cultural production and resistance and ultimate impact that forges on today. Bikini Kill is our Beatles, so Olympia must be our Liverpool. We can’t wait to stomp on your ground.



Not surprisingly, Bobble Tiki doesn’t care what you do this week because he doesn’t even know you. And if you’ve met Bobble Tiki, there’s at least a 46 percent chance Bobble Tiki was in the midst of an alcoholic blackout and doesn’t remember a bit of it. Hope that doesn’t ruin your weekend. Check out Breakfast with Bobble Tiki every Monday through Saturday at www.weeklyvolcanospew.com and consider yourself lucky for the invitation. Bobble Tiki has blood relatives he refuses to eat with.



[Le Voyeur, PRE, Twin, Mai Shi, Midwife, Thursday, April 24, 10 p.m., no cover, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.943.5710]