Triumph Of The Will

Forget the dead-eyed posturing of Razorlight, the Libertines et al. Right now, there’s a much quieter, though no less significant, revolution sweeping across the UK. Or more specifically, across the UK’s coastlines.

Behold the latest addition to the scene inhabited by the white-washed Coldplay and the windswept Keane. Mooted as the ‘English Mercury Rev’, the rather fresh-faced Thirteen Senses have been making in-roads into the UK music industry – by circumventing the bands that populate the capital.
“I think the industry is kind of unstable right now, but I like to think our music is pretty timeless,” offers vocalist Will South. “We’re not the Libertines, or one of these London bands that are flying at the moment and will be gone in a few years. I do like a lot of that stuff, but it gets a bit sickening when there’s so much of it.”
Having grown up in the remote wilds of Cornwall, the band insists that their isolated upbringing was a double edged sword when it came to their artistry. There was a six-year-long gig drought to contend with, for starters.
“I went to see Ocean Colour Scene and I did enjoy it!” laughs South. “I didn’t go back to a gig for about six years though, until I was signed.”
Six years without live music? Surely these are not the actions of any music enthusiast?
“The bands never came down!” he counters. “When we were at school, it was hard to get out and see anyone. It was a three-hour journey to anywhere else. It was pretty bad but we turned out okay!”
In hindsight, the band contends that their inexperience of the gig circuit ultimately worked to their advantage.
“We’ve learnt about music through the CDs and not through live music,” says guitarist Tom Welham, by way of explanation. “We were told by the label that it was a really big advantage to us. Instead of playing live, we were playing together and just learning to be a band. Lots of bands in London play their second gig, are picked up by an A&R man and are picked up forever. It was good in the end, though it didn’t seem that good at the time.
“In other places, there will be other bands you’ll compare yourself to,” adds South. “We had no idea how good or bad we were in comparison to other bands.”
In the years since, the band have certainly gained some ground on that score. Most notably, the Keane/Coldplay comparisons are coming in thick and fast – a development that is not entirely unwelcome with the boys.
“It doesn’t really bother me,” shrugs South. “Initially, we figured it was nice to be compared to Coldplay. If you’re trying to gain a fan-base and you have to pigeonhole yourself, it can only be a good thing. As time goes on, we’ll probably feel more frustrated by it.”
Not only is the Coldplay reference dead handy when garnering an army of fans – it’s also quite useful when trying to score a record deal.
“We figured we needed to get out and spread our wings,” recalls South. “It’s a tough business and not many bands get signed, especially when they’re so far away. Most of the action is happening in London.”
Having eventually signed to Universal, South also managed to pick up a fiancée (a girl called Polly, who works in Island’s A&R department) when the band went label shopping. Fraternising with A&R personnel? Turns out this band is probably more Spinal Tap than even they would care to admit.

Thirteen Senses’ The Invitation album is out now.