Apr 03 2008 3:29 pm,
Profile: I Was A Cub Scout
Words: Mischa Pearlman
2007 was a busy year for I Was A Cub Scout. The duo – from small villages in Nottinghamshire – have only been together for about a year and a half, but things began to happen very quickly for them. They were snapped up early on by Abeano Records, released a few well-regarded singles, toured relentlessly – some 200 plus shows – in little over year, received rave reviews, recorded their debut album and very naturally and rightly began to create a buzz about themselves. All very impressive considering that singer/guitarist/synthesizer-ist Todd Marriott is, after all that, still only 18. Drummer William Bowerman is just two years his senior.
But despite everything going so well and being so promising, the end of the year took a turn for the worse when the band were forced to pull out of a tour supporting Minus The Bear for ‘undisclosed reasons’. “It was really upsetting, to be honest,” admits Todd. “We became really good friends with them and it was one of our favourite tours we’ve done. We weren’t happy about pulling out. I don’t think we spoke… none of us spoke - we just stopped speaking for a couple of weeks. Now we’re all fine again. It was just something that didn’t need to happen at that point in time.”
2008, however, sees the band swiftly moving forward. They’re talking again, rested after the Christmas holidays and looking forward to the release of their frankly stunning debut album. Entitled ‘I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope’ – which probably and inadvertently served as useful advice last December – and produced by the rather legendary Hugh Padgham, it’s a masterful blend of subtle electronics and powerful emotions that combines the musical heritage of some unlikely influences, from Converge to Jimmy Eat World to The Postal Service. And it’s winning people over left, right and centre, including one Edith Bowman, who recently made ‘Pink Squares’ her single of the week.
“That was quite a big deal for us,” understates William calmly.
“My mum and family go nuts every time it’s on the radio,” chuckles Todd. “I tend to just sit there in my room and play along with it!”
“In the first few weeks alone,” adds William, “stuff that we never thought would happen has started happening already. We’re just like, ‘My God, what’s this year going to have?’.”
It’s an encouraging sign of what the future holds for the pair, surely one of the
‘I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope’ is released on Abeano.
