Lion O'Brien : Q & A

Love, work, robots, vampires and other aspects of common everyday life.  That’s what inspires Lion O’Brien’s songwriting expertise.  Actually I always thought Bermondsey in London was bereft of robots and vampires because they reside in places like Chelsea or the City, but if Lion O’Brien say that’s a common aspect of everyday life in South East London then who am I to argue.

Formed in the autumn of 2008, this melodic pop trio has already been singled out by radio tastemakers including Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson, citing Lion O’Brien as purveyors of life affirming, feel good music.  And that’s not far from the truth, as their soon to be released ‘Raincloud vs Sunshine’ EP is jam packed full of lively and joyous pop with an alt-folk sensibility and a hint of the more chart worthy side of indie music.

Lyrically aside from the robots and the vampires, vocalist and guitarist James O’Brien sings about a soulful bittersweet kind of love all tied up with anthemic chorus ribbon.  Whilst the rest of the group, Eve Barnes on drums and Mike Jones on bass, provide the backdrop of instrumentation and harmonies that add extra energy to their dynamics and their live show.    It’s music to smile to and music to dance to.  Hell its even music to get drunk on pear cider to before finally and courageously confessing your undying love to your best friend who you’ve harbored secret desires for since you met in the sixth form common room.  And the result of that moment of euphoric madness can’t fail to be positive, not if Lion O’Brien is providing the sound track. 

This week sees the trio throwing their own party to celebrate the release of ‘Rainclouds vs Sunshine’ with a stellar support line up, free t-shirts and even a free drink.  Who the hell says you get nothing for free in London.  Bloody cynics.  Our suggestion is instead of handing out free bottles of water on the tube during summertime London, they should hand out free Lion O’Brien tracks.  Might put a smile on a few more faces.

Singer James very kindly took some time out to answer some of 4or The Record’s questions in the lead up to the launch and the escapades set to follow at the party.

4TR: For anyone that hasn't heard of Lion O'Brien, tell us the story of how the band originated.
James: It all started in the summer of 2008. My old band had split up, and at the same time I split up with my then girlfriend, which was a bit crap, so I thought I'd throw myself into something positive. Luckily I found some like-minded individuals to join me and we've been having a cracking time making music together, so everything is looking rosy. I've even got a new girlfriend!

4TR: Why did you call yourselves Lion O'Brien?
James: When I was a little kid I was fascinated with a wooden carving of a lion that sat on my granddad's mantelpiece. My granddad, who was Irish, told me the lion was from back home in Ireland and was called Lion O'Brien. I really liked the name, but I figured it would be cruel to call my future offspring Lion O'Brien, so I used it for the band name instead.

4TR: In your own opinion how would you describe your sound?
James: It's the sound of blind optimism, of the glass being half full, the cloud having a silver lining, of tomorrow being a better day. Actually that might make us sound like a weird happy-clappy sect. Let's just say we sound like a party!

4TR: Was that the sound you always aspired to create when the band formed?
James: Yes, absolutely. I'd listen to songs like Mr Blue Sky by ELO, or pretty much anything by Stevie Wonder, and those songs seemed to have this unbridled joy in them that just picks you up and makes you feel happier when you listen to them. I decided that I wanted to create music that would have a similar impact on other people. We try and make the live shows feel like a celebration too and we recently expanded to a 5 piece, so now we've got a much bigger, louder party happening on stage!

4TR: How does the writing process work within the band, both lyrically and musically?
James: It differs from song to song. Sometimes it'll practically write itself; that's what happened with Raincloud Vs Sunshine. I just got this flash of inspiration and wrote the whole thing in about 10 minutes. Other times it can be a frustrating process of having part of an idea and having to wait for the next bit of inspiration to complete it, so it can take weeks. I'll normally go to the band with the music and lyrics written and a bunch of ideas for the arrangements and then we all work on it together.

4TR: Who or what influences your writing - lyrically and musically?
James: A lot of it is autobiographical, just reflections of what I'm going through at the time. Other times it might be something I read; a book or an article or something, or sometimes it's just random nonsense. There are quite a few songs about relationships and heartbreak in there, but there's songs about robot and vampires too.

4TR: You are releasing your debut EP 'Raincloud Vs Sunshine' next week, in the absence of label support - therefore utilizing the DIY ethic that exists more than ever in today's music industry.  What about for future recordings and if you were to work with a label what kind of label would be of interest?
James: We really enjoyed producing and promoting this EP ourselves and we're pleased with how it's turned out - it's been well received so far by the people that have heard it, and there is definitely something satisfying about doing things yourself. But we're not militant about releasing things in a DIY fashion, and although there's been lots of talk about labels being redundant, I still think that labels can do so much for a band, especially those independent labels that truly care about their acts. If there was a label we'd really like to work with it would probably be the likes of Heavenly, who've got a lot of acts we admire.. XL and Domino are another couple of labels that just seem to have a great track record of amazing bands.

4TR: You have received support from radio tastemakers such as Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson, how did they first come to hear about Lion O'Brien and has their input benefitted your exposure?
James: Tom Robinson we contacted directly and he's been really encouraging, giving advice and inviting us into the studio for an interview. In fact, any unsigned bands should look up his website; there are loads of really useful tips on how to promote yourselves. With Steve Lamacq it was a bit more mysterious - a listener first wrote to him asking him to play us, but he's played us since then on his Radio 2 show, which is great.

4TR: The launch party for the EP sounds pretty exciting - give us the lowdown on the planned event are tickets still available
James: Yeah, we're really looking forward to it. It's actually sold out already, but we're having a party down at the Betsey Trotwood in Clerkenwell in London. It's a great little venue, where the likes of Nick Cave have done intimate sets in the past. We'll be playing our little hearts out, plus we've got support from two other brilliant bands, Clayton Strange from Brighton and the Peryls. That's followed by a DJ set from some great indie DJs called The Heartbreakers until the wee early hours, so it'll be a cracking night. We're hoping to put on a regular monthly club night down there in the future with our favourite bands playing.    
 
4TR: What can we expect for the rest of 2009 from Lion O'Brien and what is the ultimate dream for the band?
James: Lots of gigging, we're based in London so have been playing the majority of our gigs here, but we're planning on doing some short tours around the UK to try and reach new audiences. We'll also be doing some more recording, hopefully another single or EP by the end of the year. The ultimate dream is to get signed, make the perfect album, tour the world, play lots of festivals and meet lots of interesting people. Then we'll retire to Switzerland and play tennis with Phil Collins. Actually I can't play tennis so I'll retire to Ireland and go drinking with the Edge and I'll steal his hat and all of his effects pedals.  




Words: Francesca Strange

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