Jazz warriors

The music of cosmopolitan Dublin quartet Heavy Flow makes for a refreshing change from the standard issue four-piece rock usually thrown up by the indie scene. Their excellent debut album, Determination, is a bewitching mix of reggae, soul, rock and jazz. Indeed, it turns out that the two members of the group – brothers Rob and Johnny Daly – have impressive jazz backgrounds, both having studied the form in college for a number of years. How has formal study of music affected Rob’s approach to songwriting?

“I suppose it can be something of a double-edged sword,” he muses. “I mean, on the one hand you’re obviously exposed to so many different kinds of music at college, and that’s definitely a great thing. But sometimes you’ll have a basic tune that’s really good, and you end up killing it by pouring all sorts of crap on top of it!”

That certainly isn’t the case with Determination. It positively bubbles with musical diversity, but far from being messily eclectic, it all hangs together superbly. In fact, with the Heavy Flow line-up being filled out by, respectively, a Nigerian soul singer and a veteran of the London electronica scene, the band have a frame of reference matched by precious few of their contemporaries. I put it to Rob that perhaps only The Jimmy Cake come anywhere close in terms of musical scope.

“I think they have a different sound, though,” he replies. “I hate putting labels on it, but in general they’re a more folk-based, acoustic thing - it’s kind of quieter. In Dublin currently you have The Jimmy Cake, Damien Rice, even Mexican people like Gabriela and Rodrigo, and they’re all great, but it’s seems to be mostly acoustic stuff. In Heavy Flow we made a conscious decision to go for a heavier sound…we wanna bring back the rock!”

One thing Heavy Flow share in common with many Dublin acts is a healthy DIY ethic. Though distributed by Vivid Imaginations, the aptly named Determination was financed independently. Whilst delighted that their album is out and available in stores, the band are aware of the drawbacks of not having a record label’s financial clout.

“Ultimately, sitting and wondering where you’re going to get the next few quid from to take it to the next stage is a pain in the ass,” says Rob. “You would like to have somebody else to worry about the finances. But we’re hopeful that we can progress and find a bigger audience - I believe that our music is original and different. And people definitely appreciate that.”

Determination is distributed by Vivid Imaginations