Gulp! Although I’m here to meet Australia’s most exciting new group, Ratcat, the first person I lay eyes on is not their smiling hunk of a singer Simon Day, or their polite bass player Amr Zaid, or even their flu-ridden drummer Andrew Polin. No way! The first sight to greet me - up close - is a rather large and scantily-clad woman hanging from the ceiling! But before you jump to any conclusions, Ratcat has not turned into a bunch of perves. Nor have they seen The Silence Of The Lambs a few too many times! No. The large woman actually appears on a painting which is suspended from the ceiling of the huge film studio where Ratcat are making a video for their latest hit, “Baby Baby”.

Director Andrew Horne, spotting my obvious amazement, leaps out and helpfully informs me that she has been nicknamed “Dolly Dimple”. Dolly, puppeteers and flamethrowers are just a few of the wild and colourful characters that Andy and his team have enlisted for today’s circus-based shoot. He goes on to explain that the tassles over Dolly’s boobs are a last minute addition to comply with TV regulations. “We should have got little motors so her nipples spun round!” says a cheeky voice in the background. The mystery voice belongs to none other than Ratcat’s ‘even-more-handsome-in-the-flesh’ lead singer, Simon Day. But before I can quiz him about his pervy suggestion, Simon is off, guitar in hand, to resume filming. Although he’s been here since nine in the morning, Simon still manages to flash his trademark grin at the cameras. The other two members Amr and Andrew also look cool.

As any pop group will tell you, making a video is a fairly long and slow process. Nevertheless, the members of Ratcat remain patient and good humoured. They need to be; when the director calls a lunch break, Ratcat are the only ones who have to keep working. The workload includes an interview with Richard Wilkins for the Today show and more importantly, a chat with TV Hits!

Is it glamorous making a video?

Simon : Well, it looks glamorous (laughs), but it is hard work. I know everyone says that, but it is and you gotta get used to it. You gotta work hard if you wanna do well at anything.

So you’re not having much fun?

Amr : Well, as Simon said, it’s hard work - you have to stand up and stand around a lot - but it is fun.
Simon : I’m really impressed by the props and the set, so that makes it all the better, you feel confident. It makes it easier to perform. I enjoy seeing the finished product.

Does the circus theme appeal to you?

Amr : It’s a very appealing idea. The artwork is like and old-style sideshow and a bit Sixties.
Simon : I loved the circus as a kid, just the whole mystique, running away to join the circus was a fantastic idea. I liked all the freaks and stuff! I wish there were still freak shows around today.

But aren’t you nervous about the flamethrowers?

Simon : No, I’m looking forward to it actually. I’m looking forward to the pyrotechnics. They’ve got sparklers and bangers and a whole lot of things.

Make sure you don’t catch fire like Michael Jackson!

Simon : Yeah, I’ll have to make sure there’s a fire hose standing by (laughs.

If you could choose anyone to direct one of your videos, who would it be?

Amr : Well, we’ve been happy working with Andy because he’s got a lot of ideas, he’s interesting to work with and easy to get along with.
Simon : I’d really like David Lynch (of Twin Peaks fame) to do one, wouldn’t that be wild?

Which pop stars do you think make the best videos?

Amr : I really love a lot of R.E.M.’s stuff because the visual imagery is so strong and it helps give the music an even greater lift.

You’re known to be a bit of an artist, Simon. Did you have a hand in this video?

Simon : We got a lot of proposals and we picked this sideshow one because we could relate to it more. A lot of other ones were really good but I don’t think they suited the song as much as this one. As for coming up with the ideas for it, we didn’t have time.
Amr : We got a lot of submissions from different video companies, different interpretations of the song, and in the case with “Baby Baby” we loved the idea of the fairground. We had one submission with a sort of Johnny Depp Cry Baby theme.

How are you coping with the sudden success of Ratcat?

Simon : Day by day, basically. I’m handling it okay. It’s happened really suddenly and I don’t know whether it’s sort of sunk in. It’s still a bit of a mystery to us. Everything’s happening really fast, we’ve got to talk to a lot of people and do a lot of things like shoot videos and it all seems to flow on and happen.

So what’s next for you?

Amr : I think we might have a little bit of a break before we do a promotional tour of England. Then we’ll be coming back and going into the studio and recording another album.

Did you ever imagine that you’d become rivals to New Kids On The Block?

Amr : I’d like to hope that we can appeal to everyone and that anyone can like us. We like to put across a fun image and if that appeals to that sort of market then that’s fine. We’re having a lot of fun doing what we’re doing.
Simon : I never really expected it. I mean, a lot of our songs can relate to young people but we never thought it would happen to this extent. There’s a lot of screaming at our concerts now, that’s for sure!