Are friends Eclectic?

“We all like different music, that’s why we called ourselves The Eclectic,” explains Kevin O’Brien, frontman of this hotly-tipped Dublin band.
Indeed, fans adept at stalking on the internet would glean the breadth of their taste from their MySpace page, where Elbow are listed as a ‘top friend’ alongside Mogwai and Boards Of Canada.

“There’s no point in denying who you’re listening to,” Kev shrugs. “We all know that there’s only a small amount of really original music that you can make. So though we try to distance ourselves from the bands we like, there’s going to be a starting point.”
Indeed, a spin of their new EP 'Breathe' reveals a mesh of influences, from the charm of Elbow through the Channel One-type electronica, to the prog rock of Muse. It settles in the vast realm of Radiohead, however. Which is a tough act to follow, I suggest.
“Absolutely,” Kev agrees, “that’s why we try not to let our influences take on a life of their own.
“I did listen to 'Breathe' and could hear the Radiohead comparison, but we’re currently veering away from that style, perhaps more towards Bjork now. But whatever we do, there’s going to be depth and layers. The more complicated, the better!”
The new songs are conceived in both the band’s rehearsal rooms, and Kev’s attic. As shown on their blog, it’s a converted room, kitted out with a musician’s idea of heaven.
“My girlfriend and I have just moved there, so we thought it was the ideal place for the band to mess around in. We come up with ideas and parts here, so that when we go to the rehearsal rooms, it’s a case of fleshing it out.”
And the girlfriend doesn’t mind that there’s a band in her attic?
“She hasn’t said anything, at least!”
It’s lucky, as The Eclectic plan to intensify their activities this year. Not only do they want to get more songs down, but they are also hopeful that they’ll make even more headway on the live scene.
“We’ve played plenty. We started out as first on in a four-band bill at Eamonn Doran’s, but we’ve worked our way up as headliners, and we’ve done shows like the IMRO showcase in Crawdaddy. This year we want to make a major impression.”
The only glitch in their plan is that Keith is also studying, but the rest of the group are keen to work around this in order to progress the band.
In the meantime they can busy themselves with the videos, about which Kev is enthused.
“YouTube is brilliant – it’s such a great way to waste time, and also get your band heard,” he says.
As a result, they’ve two animation videos to their name, and they’re busy making another two.
“They take a long, long time,” he admits. “We’re doing one for ‘Scream’ and ‘The Man Who Thought He Looked Like Himself’. They’ve already taken close to a year already and have another few months to go – but the end result is going to be worth it. I promise.”
We’ll hold him to that.