Dave Grohl may have bagged the title of the nicest man in rock a long time ago, but it's refreshing to see other bands following in his footsteps rather than those of the Axl Roses of this world.
The type of young men parents pray their daughters will bring to dinner, you couldn’t hope to meet a more friendly and welcoming band than the four individuals that make up Moose Blood. And as they speak to TeamRock on the evening of the release show for their debut album I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time at London’s Old Blue Last, there’s already fans queuing up to get in the venue, clearly something the quartet still haven’t quite got used to.
“I get nervous every show,” says singer guitarist Eddy Brewerton. “I suffer for it really bad.”
“I’m nervous right now,” adds fellow guitarist Mark Osbourne.
The pair are joined in Moose Blood by bassist Kyle Todd and drummer Glenn Harvey. Being friends for a few years, having met through school, jobs and playing in bands in their hometown of Canterbury, the four decided they needed a change from playing in hardcore bands, and so the foundations for Moose Blood were set.
“I wanted to sing for a little while and have a bit more melody,” says Brewerton. “I just wanted to do something a little different.”
“I think we did our time playing that music and that it got a bit stale for us,” adds Osbourne. “Since I was playing music I was in heavy bands. It was really nice to play guitar in a way I hadn’t played guitar before. It was really refreshing.”
Drawing inspiration from the emo scene and genre heavyweights such as Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday and Brand New, with their debut Moving Home EP, along with playing shows up and down the country, Moose Blood soon asserted themselves as the natural successors to these bands.
“When I write lyrics I write about what I know,” says Brewerton. “We put everything we have into this band and we love what we do. Like it or not we mean it, we’re a very sincere band.”
“Me and Eddy are best mates but there are some things he’s written on the album that we haven’t even had a conversation about,” adds Osbourne “There are songs about my dad, his dad, our girlfriends, wives, we just opened up. We put everything into writing a record that is so personal. It’s just honest, genuine. It’s what we know.”
This sincerity and honesty at the core of the band has won a solid following and also piqued the interest of US label No Sleep Records. In a move the band describe as a “dream come true” they were flown to the States to record their debut album with Saosin guitarist Beau Burchell producing. With I’ll Keep You In Mind… now out, tonight the band will swallow down those aforementioned nerves and play before an adoring crowd. A familiar scene soon starts to unfold as Brewerton finds his heartfelt lyrics being sung back to him en masse, something that helping those nerves evaporate to be replaced by broad smiles.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to when the crowd sings back,” notes bassist Kyle Todd positively beaming with a mixture of excitement and pride. “The feeling you get is overwhelming, it’s incredible, it’s so good! I don’t want to ever get used to it.”
Moose Blood’s debut album I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time is out now through No Sleep Records.
