Look See Proof

Profile: Look See Proof
Words: Matt Thompson

The Proof’s In The Listening

We’re backstage after an especially raucous show, and as some of Look See Proof are downing celebratory vodkas straight from the bottle, other members of the band are locked in the toilet already regretting the night’s boozy high jinks.
It’s like a scene straight from the bible of rock’n’roll cliché, and the image becomes almost complete as one of the band’s entourage openly begins to enjoy the hospitality of the local lady folk, while elsewhere one young fan’s having to sleep it all off on the sofa.
This is Innsbruck, Austria, and after a rammed-out gig at the town’s Weekender Club, it’s perfectly fair that the band toast their set in such time-honoured fashion. Back in Britain, though, right now it’s a different story, as guitarist and songwriter, Jason Slender explains the next afternoon: “That was probably our best-ever European gig,” he says with a soft drink in his hand. “If we got that many people coming to our London shows I’d be well chuffed.”
Hardly renowned for being a nation of trend setters as far as new music’s concerned, it seems this time Austria may have one over the UK, as Look See Proof are among 2008’s most luminously endearing new acts, their spiky tunesmithery as angular as Bloc Party, as indie as Futureheads and as instantly memorable as anything to have come out of a major label for many months.
“We’re a bunch of normal lads who started a band for the right reasons,” says bass player and chief vocalist David Sells. “We’re not from one of these new music schools like Kooks or Amy Winehouse. I suppose that means we did things the old fashioned way, and I think that’s influenced everything about us. You know, we’re all mates and we really like the music we’re doing. It’s not like we think this is what we’re supposed to do. That would seem really contrived.”
Someone should tell that to Foals. Earlier this year, the ultra-indie art rockers launched a broadside at LSP, accusing them of being scene jumping “rugby boys” who formed a band because it was the cool thing to do. As wide of the mark as a John Terry penalty, the comment nevertheless struck a chord with the band who were inspired to write ‘Competition’, an album highlight that disses the dissers.
“We all love Foals,” says guitarist Lee Sells. “They’re a jaw-dropping band, and every time we’ve met them they’ve always been really nice, so it was a bit weird that they said that – we’re hardly Liam Fray are we? But fuck it. You know, we don’t want to get in a beef with them. If you listen to that song, you’d never know it was about them. It’s just our reaction to what they said, I suppose.”
And on this occasion what they said was utterly wrong. The thunderous applause from these Austrian fans tells you that much. As does debut LP ‘Between Here And There’, an album that’s as honest as it is adventurous, and among the best records so far released this year.
‘Between Here And There’ is out now on Weekender