"No matter what people say, no one cares about our band half as much as us..." Kiaran Crook, The Sherlocks
The Sherlocks have had much expectation heaped upon them as can be imagined hailing from the city that spawned Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs, amongst others. But this Sheffield four-piece have stepped up to the plate, drawing a fervent fanbase from their debut album, ‘Live For The Moment’, released this year and which entered the official UK charts at #6, and now with the announcement of their biggest UK headline tour to date in February 2018, things are looking well and truly skywards.
The Sherlocks will also release new single ‘Will You Be There?', an indie dancefloor filler beset with powerful guitar riffs and an instantly catchy chorus, on November 3 via Infectious Records.
The Sherlocks are: Kiaran Crook (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Josh Davidson (vocals/lead guitar), Andy Davidson (bass/backing vocals), Brandon Crook (drums).
Made up of two sets of brothers, Kiaran and Brandon Crook, and Andy and Josh Davidson, Little Indie's Richard O'Hagan and Linn Branson grabbed vocalist Kiaran for a few questions.
This has been a pretty big year for you: debut album, as well as playing at Reading/Leeds festival, and then your own autumn headline tour. What's the feeling - excited, anxious, or a bit of both?
Kiaran Crook: We are more than exited! 2017 is a massive year for us, we have been building for the last seven years to release this absolute masterpiece of an album. Playing Reading and Leeds is always an highlight of the year, like homecoming shows, and our album tour is the largest tour we have ever done. Every gig is pure madness.
You've built up a huge following as a live act, but all of that gigging means that it has taken a while for this album to come out. Are you concerned that, like some other bands have found in the past, the album won't have the same impact for people because the songs are too familiar now.
KC: The album is doing great already, but the thing is about our fans is that we have built them up from nothing, just us four lads grafting playing gig after gig. They are a true following who will be with us for the rest of our carrier. And this year felt like the right time to release the album after the massive build and demand from the fans.
With that in mind, if you had to pick one song on the album that people who know your music should listen to afresh, which would it be, and can you explain why?
KC: 'Live For The Moment', because it relates to every single person in some shape or form. This song was where it all started for us, people have connected with the song since we first every played it which is why it's the name of our debut album.
Talking about the album, how did you come to decide on Gavin Monaghan as being the right man to put in the producer's seat? And in the event, what do you think he brought to the album?
KC: We tried a few producers before the album, but we just seem to click with Gavin. He is an absolute genius and has an unbelievable amount of experience; whatever we take into the studio with him always comes out a masterpiece.
Recording the record in Wales, did all that fresh Welsh air help with the process?!
KC: Fresh air always allows a clear mind and Rockfield is in the countryside in the middle of nowhere. We just wanted to get away and concentrate on the album and put 100 per cent into it with no distractions.
You said awhile ago that this album could see you becoming the 'pioneers of guitar music', do you still hold to that?
KC: What I actually said was ''when our album comes out, I definitely think we're gonna make a big difference and could well be the face of guitar bands as far as NEW GUITAR BANDS are concerned. Like pioneers". But, yeah we stick to that 100%. The album is mega, and in my humble opinion a lot better than what other guitar bands are bringing out. We sound so fresh compared, and you can hear the excitement and passion.
Twelve tracks on the record, can you pick a particular favourite?
KC: My favourite is 'Nobody Knows'. This tune takes you on a journey, is the longest tune on the record, and is also the most experimental.
It is often said by some bands that particularly if it's a while before their debut album gets to see light of day, by the time it does, they feel they have already moved on, musically. Where does 'Live For The Moment' stand right now, at this moment, for The Sherlocks?
KC: We have already started moving on in terms of writing the second record... and it will take us somewhere slightly different... however, fear not, it will still sound like us and it will be the perfect stepping-stone to leap to from this record. But we are still very much in this 'Live For The Moment' cycle.
Now that you're fully a part of the music business, what part about it has surprised you the most, seeing from the inside as it were?
KC: No matter what people say, no one cares about our band half as much as us, which is why we may be described as a DIY band. We don't wait about for anyone to do it for us, we crack on and never take our foot off the gas.
You appear to have played a steady route, of playing live as much as possible in and around Sheffield, building up the pace, before signing to Infectious last year. Was that the idea, or just how things panned out?
KC: That was part of the plan in a sense that we wanted to get the foundations right before signing, which I feel we achieved not only in Sheffield but up and down the UK! Part of the label's job is to build the bands fanbase and effectively 'sell the band', so when dealing with our band, we had done half of the work for them before even signing us. The fanbase was already there, and more importantly they are genuine, true, passionate fans who will stay with us.
So things panned out great. We're in a good place...great label, UNREAL fans, and a lot of passion all round.
Your live shows feature some fairly spectacular lighting effects, as well as stuff being dropped on the audience and things like that. How important is that sort of thing to you?
KC: From the beginning we believe that live is where it's at you can't beat it. So we literally put everything into making our gigs the best night of the fans lives cos we care that much. To us it's more important they enjoy themselves than us, we even carry our own gear and still get proper stuck in.
And how far will you push it -(
and can you stop yourselves turning into Coldplay?
KC: We're gonna push it to the very top and ride it all the way! We're grafters and love everything this 'job' has to offer, so while ever we can continue making music we will give it everything. As for Coldplay, we can't help but admire them for taking the leap. You can't deny their first few albums are classics, the recent change in style is very poppy but I'm sure if they stripped it all back and recorded it 'Parachutes' style, the songs would be just as monumental. We can stop ourselves being Coldplay by being The Sherlocks all the way!
Tell us a bit about the 'Sherlocks Army' and how you relate to your strong fan following.
KC: They are a loyal set of music lovers who named themselves 'Sherlocks Army' because of the huge feeling of togetherness at one of our shows and I think we feel love from them and we show it back. For us, our fans are everything we wouldn't be anywhere without them.
You have supported big guns like The Libertines and Kings of Leon. Is there anything those experiences have taught you or that has made you look at anything differently?
KC: I think it has given us a taste of the future, the scale of shows like that is unreal. I suppose they have taught us we have a long way to go and made us realise there is a lot of hard work still to come. It has made us look differently at the elite bands because it makes you realise how hard they've worked and how much they deserve their success.
How interested are you in new musicians and the bands who are coming up behind you? Where do you look to find them? And is there anyone we won't have heard of that you really rate?
KC: We take a keen interest in the upcoming scene as there is a lot of talent right now, everyone starts at the bottom so that's why everyone should support upcoming bands. We find out about most of them because they support us and we get to know them and normally tell us about other upcoming bands. To name a few: Jordan Allen, Vida and Misfires.
Having two sets of brothers make up the band, has that helped, do you think, to draw you tighter as a four-piece?
KC: It has definitely drawn us tighter because we've spent every minute of the last seven years together: we treat it as four brothers. Not gonna say we don't have our moments, but 99% of the time it's pure banter full bliss.
Lastly, tell us one thing about each of you that not a lot of people know...
KC: Andy once swallowed a whole teabag for a fiver backstage. Josh loves a steak meal. Brandon has chicken with every meal - and I have an obsession of things being neat and tidy.
UK DATES 2018
01 Leicester O2 Academy Leicester University
03 Oxford O2 Academy
09 London Electric Ballroom
11 Cardiff Tramshed
13 Edinburgh The Liquid Room
15 Hull University Students Union
16 Manchester Victoria House
Buy tickets here.
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