Pure FM | 2011 December

Mortimer Pockett, Nick Gray, Mikey Digby and McLewee are Threepenny Thieves, an unsigned Band currently operating in the fair old town of Portsmouth, two of which are third year students at the university itself! I caught up with them to see what it is like being in an unsigned band and to see what progress they have made since forming.

If you had to compare your music to any band/artist, who would it be?

‘It is always a hard question to answer when you have to compare yourself to other bands. We always say imagine ‘Biffy Clyro’ teaming up with ‘The Cribs’ and fighting ‘Two Door Cinema Club’

What are your main influences as Musicians?

As a band we all have a lot of different influences in music, as well as a lot of similarities. Personally I find artists such as ‘The Libertines’, ‘Jamie T’ and ‘Joy Division’ have been hugely influential. As a band we are all fans of bands like Biffy and Twin Atlantic to name a couple, so before a gig or before whilst travelling together we will always have music on the speakers.

How hard is it as an unsigned band to make new and original music?

Making music isn’t the hardest thing about being an unsigned band. You are purely writing to get noticed so you have to make sure your songs are catchy and something people will actually want to hear. We write songs that we enjoy playing and when we are live then perform the songs for the crowd to enjoy. In terms of keeping material original it is quite difficult as there are so many other bands trying to do exactly the same thing as us. But we work hard to ensure that all we write and perform is reflective of us in terms of energy, feeling and meaning.

With most of you at University, What are your Touring plans for the next few months?

All four of us are at uni scattered around the place. Nick and I are at Portsmouth, Jake is at Brighton uni and Mikey is studying in London. In terms of touring we are moving away from Hampshire for a bit next year and playing many a venue in Brighton and around that area which we are all really looking forward to. It’s a great music scene there. We hope that we can do a tour soon but will have to wait and see! Would be awesome though.

Can we expect more music from you guys anytime soon? Possibly a whole album?

Yes you can expect more music from us. We are back in the studio next week to complete the finishing touches on our first single ‘New Romantic’. We also have a list of tracks ready to record, so hopefully next year we will be closer to getting an album out for you all to hear.

Have you had any Labels come knocking?

We haven’t gone looking for labels as of yet. We want to get ourselves out there and build up our following. Once that is rolling then we will be working on more tracks and hopefully there will be a call or a ring from a top label.

How have people taken to your music?

We have had great responses from our live shows and latest EP ‘Months’. It’s a really good feeling to get stuff out there and hear good things back. We love the crowd getting involved in singing along and dancing to songs as well as comments on twitter and Facebook pages. So far so good, but we know that we won’t be to everyone’s taste but that won’t stop us from making music and trying to get ourselves out there more.

What’s has been your high point as a band so far?

High point as a band…. I think probably the surprise of how much we have done in so little time. We were talking about it the other day, we formed in late February 2011 and Mikey didn’t join the band until early August 2011. In this time we have played at The Wedgewood Rooms, The Edge of the Wedge, The Registry as well as recording an EP and gaining a manager. High point would be the fact we have done so much more than we thought we could have done in a few months, (hence why the EP is called ‘Months’) but definitely getting a manager made us happy.

What do you think it takes to make a band successful?

It’s hard to say what makes a band successful, especially in the music scene today. Obviously their music has to be up to scratch, catchy songs, good musicianship and interesting style. Also, in my opinion a band should sound as good in the studio as they do live. When a band is tight on stage and can play awesome stuff and have a good time, without sounding like they have only just met each other, then I think that really shows potential and would make me want to hear more of them. Just get yourselves out there, put your all into it, write and play stuff you like and if it works out and you’re successful then awesome, if it doesn’t at least you had the guts to get up on stage in front of mostly people who don’t know you and give them something to remember you by.

Finally, what can we expect from you in the next year?

This coming year is going to be SO busy for Threepenny Thieves. As mentioned earlier we now have a manager and due to their help and support the next few months are going to be really exciting. The band are currently talking to over 30 venues who are interested in booking us in Brighton to gig as well as numerous magazines showing interest in interviewing us. We are recording and releasing our first music video for ‘New Romantic’ in early January, (there will be two versions of this music video as we couldn’t choose between the two ideas.) We will also be spending time in the studio to record new tracks which we cannot wait for people to hear. We have sorted out all these social network sites so if you want to keep up with us then follow us on twitter- @ThievesThieves and facebook (where you can also find our ep) www.facebook.com/threepennythieves. We are just going to take everything as it comes and grasp every opportunity we can. We enjoy playing as a band and are really looking forward to the year ahead!

There we go, if you like the sound of this band remember to head over to their Facebook page, which is www.facebook.com/threepennythieves and give them a like!

By James Hingle

Keeping to its DIY nature and happily struggling to retain a place in this age, folk music still has big name players like Show of Hands and Kate Rusby to retain the older audiences, whilst those new players on the block Frank Turner and Mumford and Sons win over the younger generation. Shame that a divide in age gaps still exists in a genre meant to unite people, but of all the folk outings I’ve been to this year the English group Bellowhead have struck the nearest middle ground, with their combination of rock, traditional influences and a kinetic approach to their live shows.

To warm up their show at the Portsmouth Pyramid Centre the band chose none other than folk boy band Ahab to warm up the stage. Perhaps that description is a little inaccurate, but it certainly is hard to focus on the four-piece group’s superb Americana melodies, tight harmonies and diverse mix of instruments when you’re staring at mandolin player Luke’s fisherman muscles (note: I don’t know if he’s ever been fishing) or twelve string guitar player Callum’s well groomed seventies moustache. The guys were well received by the crowd, with playful attempts to get the audience to applaud them in an attempt to lower the headliner’s ego. Make sure you check out their superb music, including their EP ‘KMVT’ at their website and MySpace.

As the 11 members of Bellowhead found their assorted places on stage, the scattered cluster of music making tools including five accordions, a banjo, a concertina, fiddles, brass instruments and a unique drum setup all rear their purposes with renditions of the band’s new single ‘Cold Blows The Wind’. Vocalist, fiddle and tambourine player and band progenitor Jon Boden has an instantly likeable voice, suitably adapted for the folk sensibilities whilst oozing the British charisma of David Tennant. I hesitate in calling him the band’s front person, because each part of the group carries a unique personality, crowd charming ability and most importantly versatility in just what they know how to play.

The set list took much from last year’s ‘Hedonism’ album but also a couple of numbers from 2008′s ‘Matachin’, including ‘Whiskey is the Life of Man’ and ‘Trip to Bucharest/The Flight of The Folk Mutants Part 1 & 2′. The band’s superb sense of humour is emitted not only through their stage banter, but through all their little instances of playfulness; from the band’s jointly owned Ipad (used to add people to their mailing list), the random outbursts of jigging that through the photographers into a frenzy to the drummer coming to the front of the stage, before returning to his kit to mess with those taking his place… before chasing them away.

For their SECOND ENCORE the band played ‘London Town’, with the crowd dancing and joining in for its infectious chorus. It’s a folk anthem of the purest and best sense of the word and easily the best starter track for the brilliance that is Bellowhead. Look it up.

So, two stellar acts perhaps not well known amongst our student population but undoubtedly undeservedly so. Keep an eye on our next playlist for an entrance from both artists, but by all means go out and research them yourselves: no referencing required.

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