Hozier may have announced a surprise gig in Dublin’s famous musical haunt, Whelan’s, tomorrow night but we’re heading to the venue for five ledge bags from Tallaght. We’ve interviewed quite a number of acts over the last 18 months, but the award for the greatest interview to date is undoubtedly going to this next group of absolute gentlemen. Fan girls? Us? Never!
Leaders of Men (LOM) are five friends with bags of talent, buckets of charm, and ladies you’ll be delighted to know they are single, for now.
We caught up with the lads ahead of their Whelan’s gig and the recent launch of Alexandra House EP to discuss love rats, song lyrics, Twink, and group as a whole package.
With Cher blaring in the background of the Dakota, lead vocalist, Brian, gives us an insight into the inspiration behind the name.
“It is very difficult to pick the name of a band, we wanted something slightly pretentious that might annoy people and rub them the wrong up way.”
Together over just two and a half years the lads began their career after working together in a live Music Bar, songwriting for the first six months, it wasn’t long until the group starting gigging.
Mutual musical influences magnetised the way Leaders Of Men sound today.
“It’s real, dull and depressing bands that hate their fathers like Interpol and The Walkman,” both of which are acts the five-piece are often compared to.
“We love the generic, cliché stuff like the Led Zeplin and The Beatles too.”
The band’s website blurb reads: ‘Something deep and heartfelt that we don’t understand’, a quote from several people, with a few fans interpreting the group’s initial songs as having political connotations.
Last year legendary music manager, Jazz Summers, signed the Dubliners to his London-based publishing company ‘Big Life’ which is home to acts like The Verve, Snow Patrol and Scissor Sisters.
On Valentine’s Day LOM released their first official debut single, ‘For Want Of A Better Word’, from their EP, Alexandra House, a tip of the cap to the place where the lads once lived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy6mVCIHve8
The video is just how the lads wish for their Whelan’s gig to be, hot and sweaty.
Not giving too much away, LOM explain the high-energy, powerful, aggressive anthem, is penned about a love rat, “who cuts his nose off to spite his face.” We are assured said love rat is not a member of the band, and we believe them because they’re simply much too nice to engage in carry on of the sort.
LOM are already venue regulars across the country however it’s a Nottinghill gig that the “five horse boxes” share as a favourite.
“Ben from Mumford and Sons invited us over to play this show in Nottinghill and it was proper proper trendy people, people drinking out of gentleman’s hats, carrying apples and toupees.
“We went over like five horse boxes from Tallaght not knowing what to expect or what we’d be received and they absolutely really, really warmed to us.”
With a few embarrassing moments, falling in and out of ditches, and some stage diving at the Pod, you won’t find LOM pulling a Pete Doherty Baby Shambles anytime soon.
“Rock n’ Roll like the 70s has gone out the window, like the Sex Pistols, if they were doing what they were doing back then now it wouldn’t be as cool, it is very cliché.
“If people are going to pay tickets to see your show you don’t want to be doing a Pete Doherty.”
‘At Ease’ the lads’ teaser single released to whet the appetite of fans back in November.
With album release scheduled in the pipeline for the end of the year the lads all agree that they’re “finally getting to a stage where we getting to know what Leaders of Men actually is.”
Bassist Darren, a man of few words, is looking forward to his big day out in Whelan’s tomorrow.
“This time we wanted to do the upstairs where its really really small and make it really packed and rammed, hot and sweaty.” Those were not actually his words, they were Brian’s.
Behind the “brutal manliness” you’ll find five sensitive souls, who “enjoy love like anyone else.” Do you love them yet as much as we do?
Other things you should know about Leaders of Men.
What Irish track would you cover?
Mickey Jo Harte’s ‘We’ve Got The World’.
Favourite lyric you’ve ever written?
“You know I can be quite selfish because I’m a man after all.” – For Want Of A Better Word.
First single ever purchased?
Dean – Wakefield ‘Saturday Night’.
Gavin – ‘Forget About Dre’.
Ed – No Doubt’s ‘Don’t Speak’.
Brian – ‘Ghetto Superstar’.
Darren – Wyclef John’s ‘Gone till November.’
Are there any divas in the band?
“There’s four of us and Darren.” Brian.
Sum up the band in a few words.
Gavin’s answer won us over, “hung.”
What Irish personality would you take to dinner?
Ed opted for Amy Huberman before being reminded by Dean that she was sadly otherwise engaged. Dean went for the brunette vixen that is often up all night to get lucky, Linda Martin.
However after an exchange of a few fairly interesting stories, Brian installing a television and Dean receiving an ol’ air kiss, the lads finally settled for Twink,
Tickets (ladies be warned, there are very few left) for the LOM gig in Whelan’s March 6th can be purchased from the venue’s website.
If you’re like us, and you can’t wait that long to hear the lads in all their glory, the latest single ‘For Want Of A Better Word’ and EP can be bought here on iTunes.
For more info and all of the band’s updates check out their official Facebook page, Twitter, YouTube channel, and being the photogenic angel faces that they are, even have their very own Instagram.
Lads, if you ever need any female members you know exactly where to find one…
