The thrill is back

The thrill of it all: last year, Conor Deasy (vocals), Daniel Ryan (guitar), Padraic McMahon (bass), Ben Carrigan (drums) and Kevin Horan (keyboards) signed on the dotted line with Virgin and – just like that – began a transatlantic recording adventure in Los Angeles. A flurry of press interest followed, which was unusual given that their subtle charms are in marked contrast to the "look at me!" rock posturings currently in vogue.

And it wasn’t just the hacks getting excited. Thrills manager Alan got a copy of their demo to Morrissey. "He happened to be in Ireland at the time and he said that he really wanted to see a gig," Conor explains. "We just asked him along to a practice in a rehearsal room in the Temple Bar Music Centre. He came along with a friend of his and just sat on the couch and watched us, which was well weird. Later he offered us a West Coast American tour. We had to turn it down because it would cost too much and we hadn’t got a deal. We were gutted, but then he gave us the Royal Albert Hall gig which was cool."

"He was hilarious. Every single thing he said was funny," Daniel laughs. "I asked him if he’d like to come down the studio and he said he’d love to. Then, I asked if he wanted to do backing vocals on a track. He said; ‘I don’t do backing vocals.’ I suggested that he sing the last chorus and he replies; ‘I don’t do the last chorus.’ Another time, I rang him just to say thanks for the Albert Hall. The phone was answered exactly after two rings. ‘Oh, Daniel,’ he exclaims. ‘I’ve just been thinking about you!’ I thanked him and he just replied; ‘You don’t need to thank me. More to the point, you want my suggestion for your album title.’ So I asked him for his suggestion and he said ‘Hey Hey We’re The Thrills’. We left it at that."

Time will tell if Mozzer’s nod to The Monkees will christen an album they thoroughly enjoyed making.

"The studio in LA was a tiny place with really good gear," Kevin recalls. "It was the ideal place for us to record," Daniel agrees. "You could walk down Sunset Boulevard in the morning before recording, which is a big change from walking down Grafton Street or around Temple Bar."

"The veterans that worked there were amazing," Conor adds. "This guy Steve who put the brass down on our next single ‘One Horse Town’ was this huge guy who looked like a walrus. He played on Stevie Wonder’s stuff and most people would know him from the little brass riff at the start of ‘Superstition’. He also did ‘The Thrill Is Gone’ by B.B. King."

It was a fitting way to get their debut on tape as years ago they spent summers in San Diego (namechecked on ‘Deckchairs And Cigarettes’) and San Francisco. Conor calls the period; "a magical time where it just all came together." When they came back to this side of the pond, the first assignment was a UK tour to support the Santa Cruz (You’re Not that Far) EP.

"It went well considering we were in places that we’ve never been such as Wolverhampton on a wet Tuesday," says Daniel. "You’d expect some dates to be empty but they’d be full. In Manchester I heard this guy saying, ‘Look at those guys! They look like another one of those shit bands.’ Then I heard them talking afterwards and saying that he liked it. They just thought it would be another ‘The’ band."

Prior to The Thrills they enjoyed a variety of suspect names such as The Legal Eagles and Freelance (they’re shocked to hear I have a Freelance demo in my possession). "We were never in any other bands," Daniel states. "We’ve always stuck together." "A lot of bands wouldn’t see each other until the next practice but we always hang out," Conor agrees. "It doesn’t mean that we don’t piss each other off or argue. It just means the next day it doesn’t break the band up because you don’t care about it in the morning. "After the punch up and the fight on the bus it’s always fine," Daniel laughs.

Long may they fight for their right to thrill.