Apr 03 2008 5:11 pm,
Profile: Pete & The Pirates
Words: Camilla Pia
Most new bands spout a load of old cobblers. Example: the lead singer of an up’n’coming indie outfit who shall not be named once drunkenly grabbed my notepad mid-review, scrawled his signature all over the page and loudly proclaimed that I’d be selling it on eBay in months to come. As it happened, offers for the crumpled scrap of paper never did come pouring in, but the poor chap’s actions were standard casebook rock ‘n’ roll behaviour – all done in the name of hunger for fame, and, in his case gallons of hairspray…
Tom Sanders, on the other hand, is of a different breed entirely. The Pete & The Pirates frontman greets us warmly but reservedly when we call him at home in
After bonding in their hometown over shared musical equipment and microphones, Sanders and his brother Jonny (drums), Pete Hefferan (guitar/vocals), David Thorpe (guitar) and Pete Dog (bass/vocals) started writing songs together and finally made it official forming Pete And The Pirates five years ago. Sanders describes this early incarnation as “genuinely horrific” and claims that they have only really been worth a record deal since 2005. However, over eight years of friendship and musical experience have given them a firm grounding that has enabled them to produce an offering of ‘Little Death’’s high calibre. In fact the vocalist claims that if he had his time again he wouldn’t do it any other way.
“I have seen some bands signed before they even have enough songs to make an album and it’s doomed to fail from the start,” he explains. “Money is thrown at them, people start directing their videos, telling them how to dress and then eventually what they should sound like, and they lose their sense of identity. I’d much rather be in a band who never make a huge amount of money but who have strong and deep foundations that enable them to survive. Because of our label (the much-respected independent Stolen Recordings) we have complete control over our artwork, music and videos, and we want things to happen for us organically, intelligently and sensitively rather than having loads of money and marketing chucked at some campaign. Although I hate
Certainly you don’t hear songwriting like this lot’s often. It focuses on relationships and everyday happenings while conveying an honesty and emotion in its imagery that is quite compelling, and there is a real elegance to Sanders’ turn of phrase. “I have always found it quite embarrassing when you hear white indie musicians trying to sing something profound,” he says quietly. “I don’t think I have anything profound to say so I keep it simple.” And can he cite any outside influences for these creative outpourings? “I was writing songs long before I got into bands and it just progressed from that… I guess I’ve been inspired by a lot of bad lyrics in indie music, especially Oasis,” he laughs. “Their words just go in one ear and out the next. When you think about what you’re singing it’s nothing but a series of words that don’t even sound good together. I guess you could say we are a reaction against all that vague, watery, meaningless crap.”
‘Little Death’ is released on Stolen Recordings on February 18th.
