Stars And Strypes

It’s not often that your interviewees fancy a chip-fuelled, jukebox-backed chat in the fine eatery that is Eddie Rocket’s, but then I am seated in a booth with four teenagers. Not a tracksuit in sight though, as the gang in question favour mop tops, sharp suits and Chelsea boots. Two years into The Strypes’ music careers (some members have reached the ancient age of 16), they look like ‘60s mods but favour tunes even older, delving back half-a-century before their time to recast the likes of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley in an Irish context.

I would liken them to the most famous of the Merseybeat acts when they decided to go Deutsch, but when I made that reference in last year’s Hot Press Chatroom at Electric Picnic, their eyes rolled back to their parietal lobes.
Captivated by an era when blues ruled the roost, their knowledge is encyclopaedic, and they’re happiest talking about the tunes. Suggest Mick Taylor was an underrated Stones guitarist and you can win them round. And hear how they’ve rubbed shoulders with the man.
“Mick was at the BB King documentary premiere the boys were attending in London,” notes Niall Walsh, the band’s manager and father of drummer Evan Walsh. He joins us for the interview, occasionally prompting and expanding when The Strypes, as teenage boys do, fall silent. Indeed, youngest member and lead singer Ross Farrelly opts for total muteness.
“We were invited to do support slots with him,” continues the fresh-faced Evan. “Which we haven’t got around to yet. Hopefully we might do something with him.”
As for 2012 highlights, playing Abbey Road with Paul Weller gets the unanimous vote. The Modfather has been an early admirer, having stumbled upon them on YouTube.
“We’d been over to see Abbey Road six months beforehand, just doing the tour,” explains bassist Peter O’Hanlon. “And then before we knew it, we were actually playing it!”
“Amazing,” says guitarist Josh McClorey. “We were chatting to him. He’s really, really nice and very supportive of the band. He talked about us in Mojo, the NME. He said he saw a lot of himself in us... Everybody we’ve met so far, they’ve always been really down-to-earth, really supportive. Big music lovers obviously.”
Darling, they’ve worked with them all. Signed to Elton John’s Rocket Music management, even Reggie stopped by one of their buzz-baiting shows “out of the blue”.
I mishear Kenney Jones as ‘Kelly’ during one anecdote and ask whether the Stereophonics fron man is really as short as they say.
“KENNEY Jones!” they roar back, exasperated. “But we’ve met Kelly Jones as well at Ronnie Scott’s.”
That would be the legendary jazz club where they also hobnobbed with Jeff Beck.
“He’s a huge hero of ours,” enthuses O’Hanlon. “We’re big Yardbirds fans. We ended up spending a good portion of the evening at Ronnie Scott’s at his table.”
They talked influences and, along with a tip to play with your fingers rather than a pick, Beck told them to “sign nothing!”
Advice the boys chose not to take. At the time of talking, just before their big Christmas headliner in Whelan’s, the ink is still fresh on a deal with Mercury Records.
“We met three or four labels,” explains Josh. “We actually had more offers but we narrowed it down. Mercury is great internationally.”
“Also,” continues Peter, “it was very important to us that we maintain control over ourselves – our image and our output. We feel like we made the right decision.”
They decided on a two-album deal, with the option of a further three. It’s now their sole focus, having all left school bar the under-16 Ross, who’ll have a tutor on tour.
As for the album they’re recording in January?
“We want it to be a snapshot of the live set at the moment,” offers Josh, as Peter suggests it should sound similar to “Dr. Feelgood’s first”, or the Stones.
They’re also working on original material, though they’re taking their time to ensure they maintain the standards of the covers they play.
Of course, much has been made of their tender age. There have been suggestions that Niall is some kind of ‘svengali’ figure. Even the band admit that they stand apart from their hometown peers (“names like Jeff Beck and Paul Weller don’t mean that much to them,” laughs Evan). But the charges are baseless. And don’t call them a novelty act.
“Once you get into the music industry,” shrugs Josh, “you’re letting yourself in for it. It doesn’t bother us.”
Evan nods: “We’re the same age The Small Faces were starting off. Look at Stevie Wonder...”
Sure at their age Dave Davies was supposedly using his fame to orchestrate a six-in-the bed romps. While they assure me they’re not taking cues from the Kinks man, they do confirm that “any doubts will be destroyed if you see us live. So people, if you think we’re a novelty act, come to a gig.”
Josh grins: “Can’t come to Whelan’s though, because it’s sold-out!”

Expect a debut album from The Strypes in 2013 via Mercury Records. See hotpress.com for a full photo gallery and live session