Jarvis Anderson had never heard of Take That until the day they tried to have him evicted. “Our apartment is a floor beneath their practice room and apparently we were making a little too much noise for them,” laughs the Iglu & Hartly frontman. “We were just having a good time is all. We’re still waiting to see whether we’re actually going to be thrown out. I guess these guys are a pretty big deal over here, huh?.”

Gary Barlow probably won’t agree, but Ilgu & Hartly’s keg-party antics are at the heart of their charm. The spiritual spawn of The Beastie Boys and Chili Peppers, this Los Angeles quintet (there is, alas, no ‘Iglu’ or ‘Hartly’) ply boozy rap-rock, larded with just enough killer hooks to keep the ghost of Kid Rock at bay.
“Iglu & Hartly was a British ship that went to Hawaii in search of pineapples, but the local tribe wouldn’t let them have any,” says Jarvis of the band’s name. “Then another tribe offered cinnamon, and it turned out to be more lucrative and lighter to carry back. So the metaphor is that you might go off in life searching for something and find something else that’s better.”
Long haired and frequently bare-chested, the fivesome have spent the past 18 months living it up fratboy style in Los Angeles. A party pad in exetremis, their Hollywood Hills house became a drop-in centre for local hard living types – including actor Matthew McConaughey, to whom they remain close.
“Matthew is one real chilled out dude,” Jarvis smiles. “In fact, I think we’re pretty much on the same wavelength. He’s totally the kind of guy you want to have around to your house for a party.”
Since signing to the British wing of Universal Records, Iglu & Hartly have relocated to London, where they’re being hot-housed for imminent chart success (hence their tete-a-tete with Take That). And though they miss sun-kissed LA, there’s still an upside to life this side of the Atlantic.
“The other week Simon our guitarist went surfing in Bundoran. He had a cool time, though he did say the water was pretty frickin’ cold.”