麻豆社

I love to be able to say I told you so.听 I stumbled across Melancholy Moose Society by accident last autumn when I went to watch my daughter perform at a showcase by Yeovil College music students; and I was very impressed by their music, their energy and their timing.

I predicted big things for them in a 麻豆社 Somerset review back then, and my instincts have proved accurate, because early this month they were chosen best out of eight bands from all over the county who had made it through to the finals in Taunton.

Judges included Michael Eavis, Pinstripe singer Josh Thorner (the band who won last year鈥檚 competition) and music industry executives. Their prize? To perform on the John Peel stage at Glastonbury Festival this year, and to record an EP at a professional recording studio in Somerset.

鈥淲e鈥檙e super happy,鈥� said lead singer Ian Williams, who didn鈥檛 mind my comparing him to Joe Cocker in my review in the slightest. 鈥淚f we get the success that previous winners Blackbud and Pinstripe have enjoyed we鈥檒l be cock-a-hoop.鈥�

L to R: Adam, Jay, Alex and Ian

The band members are all second year BND Music Technology students at Yeovil College, aged between 17 and 18. Describing the bands music as 鈥渃harity shop indie pop鈥�,听 Ian writes the band鈥檚 songs; his lyrics are whimsical and amusing, recalling a Britain of Ealing comedies, cups of tea, old fashioned manners and ordinary everyday things interspersed with images of travelling to the seaside in a car filled with gin.听

鈥淗e鈥檚 got a thing about gin,鈥� say the other band members. 鈥淚t crops up a lot in his lyrics.鈥� Ian can鈥檛 explain why. 鈥淚 do like to drink it mixed with wine,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut I think I just like the whole old-fashioned reputation it鈥檚 got- mother鈥檚 ruin and all that.鈥�

Ian鈥檚 been told his lyrics are similar to Half Man Half Biscuit but he says he doesn鈥檛 like to reel off a whole list of influences lest the band get pigeonholed. 鈥淚 would say we have been influenced more heavily by the Animals of Farthing Wood and charity shops than we have by The Libertines and The Smiths鈥�, he says. 鈥淚 write about normal everyday things; I like people-watching. I don鈥檛 write about angsty personal things, girls, broken hearts and stuff.听 Sometimes it鈥檚 completely fabricated stories, sometimes it鈥檚 our perceptions of situations. Strange and diverse things fire my imagination and start off a song.鈥�

Lead guitarist Adam Winter and drummer Alex Gullis came from a heavier, metal-inspired background and you can hear their contributions in juggernaut riffs on songs like Stiff Upper Lip, a weaving, thundering song that sounds like the Kaiser Chiefs crossed with The Buzzcocks and overtones of The Undertones.

They鈥檙e lucky to get the balance right at this early stage.听 Drummer Alex and bassist Jay look more like skinny artistic emo types, singer and guitarist Ian and lead guitarist Adam look like heavier set brothers. Ian and Jay are acknowledged as the founding members and say their relationship is more like that of Pete and Carl (The Libertines) than Nigel and David (Spinal Tap).听

Ian said: "Although we come from different musical backgrounds, we share a love of charity shop clothes, a good cup of tea and cheesy pop 鈥� so we started to write catchy, quirky and fun indie pop songs."听

He is a brilliant frontman with plenty of character and eccentricity, rolling his eyes and holding his little finger out as if he鈥檚 holding a small sweet sherry, I loved the delightfully ratty lyrics 鈥渟pending his Saturday nights watching Last of the Summer Wine鈥�. They鈥檙e funny-peculiar and funny ha-ha. Ian says they鈥檇 play house parties and gigs in return for squash, rich tea biscuits and sherbert.听 I am sure money would not be turned down, however.

Big smoke beckons

Eight bands qualified for the final: Blue Roots and Hitchhikers from Taunton/West Somerset; Less Than Perfect and Intruder from Sedgemoor; Carl Rosa and Melancholy Moose Society from South Somerset; Fletcher and The Heroine Twins from Mendip.

Josh Thorner, lead singer of last year鈥檚 winning band, Pinstripe, was on the judging panel for this year鈥檚 competition. "I really enjoyed judging the competition this year. Last year鈥檚 final was an amazing turning point for Pinstripe, not only did we get to perform alongside many great bands from Somerset, we also won a slot at Glastonbury. The competition helped us to gain national and international profile. We are now starting to work on our debut album.鈥�

Melancholy Moose Society has a large loyal following in Yeovil, and the band has performed all over the south west,听 supporting acts like Jack Harrison and British Sea Power, lugging their equipment on trains and buses, sleeping on floors and roughing it in the time-honoured tradition of bands who are just starting out. Now they鈥檝e won the coveted Glastonbury slot, offers of gigs further afield are starting to roll in, including some in London.

鈥淚 expect we鈥檒l soon start being approached by agents and managers who will rip us off and get us to sign our lives away,鈥� says Adam, 鈥渂ut I don鈥檛 mind. At least we鈥檒l be able to say we鈥檝e done it, been there and been ripped off!鈥�

The band all live in Yeovil and say they like the town. 鈥淚t鈥檚 close to lovely countryside and close to the seaside,鈥� says Ian. 鈥淚 find when I鈥檝e been abroad I am always happy to be back home. It just doesn鈥檛 feel right anywhere else. England has a peculiar and unique culture that I really miss when I am away.鈥�

Adam chips in: 鈥淗owever I don鈥檛 think that any of us would want to stay in Yeovil forever.鈥�

The band is managed by Ian and Alex, who are planning to start selling merchandise. 鈥淚 would like to have Melancholy Moose Society bubble bath, like the old Matey bottles but with our heads on the top. We used to sell lighters and socks - we鈥檇 buy听 a load of plain ones from the market and draw a moose on.鈥�

If you鈥檙e lucky enough to get a ticket to Glastonbury this year, check the programme for the performance time, get to the John Peel stage and support your local heroes with a hale and hearty Somerset riot.