It takes balls (sorry ladies) to call your band The Number Ones, but then again maybe it’s as simple as believing in positive affirmations. God knows the music these four lads put out could be number one on my chart any day.
This is Power Pop at its best. Like a sneering, candy-coated bastard child (I know why would a child be candy-coated? It just sounded good) born of a threesome involving The Exploding Hearts, Gentleman Jesse and Irish Power Punk legends Protex, The #1s deliver the goods.
Any of the 10 tracks on their self-titled debut record wouldn’t sound out of place on the Poptopia
(Poptopia Playlist) collection.
We recently interrogated Seán Goucher and Conor Lumsden from the band:
Our sound might be best described as….
Conor: Tallaght meets Portlaoise meets Shankill
We are…
Conor Lumsden, Cian Nugent, Eddie Kenrick & Seán Goucher
We are originally from…..
Conor: Cian and myself (Conor) are from Shankill. I met Cian while he was busking at the local Dart station. I must have been about 12, he was a lot older, about 30 or so with a really long beard and even longer fingernails. And although my parents didn’t like it at the time, we moved in together in Little Jerusalem.
Seán: I’m from Tallaght and Eddie is from Portlaoise City
How we became a band…..
Seán: Eddie and I met a few years ago and started playing guitar together. Cian joined on drums but soon switched to bass with Conor returning from a promising apprenticeship at West Ham United to play de drums
The band members have all played/or play in other bands – how does this play out in writing music?
Seán: I think because we play different instruments in the different bands it gives us a better understanding of everyone’s place when we’re playing together.
Conor: We’re all writing three songs each for the next album. That’s if we get a rehearsal in this year.
Tell us about the Dublin scene…
Seán: There’s lots of bands I like in Dublin at the moment; Faux Kings, Sissy, GMG, Exploding Eyes and my flatmate’s band September Girls
Our most memorable gig was…….
Conor: Last Friday we had our album launch and Sean arranged for my dad to bring out a birthday cake for me. That was pretty good!
What we are currently listening to…
Conor: Cian got me the Guitar Romantic record by The Exploding Hearts and I haven’t taken it off my turntable since. The last two albums I listened to other than that was Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson and the first Amon Düül album.
Seán: The new Ty Segall, the new Cozy and the old Sweet. I know Cian has been digging the new Reigning Sound and Eddie the old Oasis
If we could go on tour with any band it would be…..
Conor: The Beatles and Royal Headache
The one thing we want you to remember while your listening to us…
Conor: We will get better once we get a rehearsal in.
Expect…
A new album……. From us in 2014/2015
Photos and videos by Cáit Fahey
Great stuff. Love this band….