Fin

Fin interviewed at Purple PR 11 April 2012

For a while now, it seems the UK has been waiting for the next big rock act to emerge from the shadows. Well, thanks to four guys from Wandsworth, the search may soon be over. Alt rockers Fin have been doing the rounds on the live circuit for a few years now, but it’s only recently that things have started to move up a league. With a PR agency that plays host to clients such as Adele and Beyonce, a tour with some of the biggest names in rock, and a recent performance at The Brit Awards, they are certainly on the right track for going places.

Today, I went to visit them at their PR offices near Piccadilly Circus,where the band were doing several press interviews for the launch of their double A side single Twenty Three/Eve (one interview involved drawing their answers on a whiteboard – cute but time-consuming). Squeezed together in a small glass anteroom, the first impression you get is that these guys are very down to earth. Frontman Luke Joyce and Kerry Lambert (bassist) were at school together and in and out of bands. By chance their former bass player introduced them to Jonny Garner (guitarist) and Simon Harding(drummer). “We got Kerry in to replace the bass player and we became Fin from then on”, explains Luke.

And how did they hit on the name? “I was going through my record collection looking at album names and song titles when I came across the title of a song by the band Pavement off the album “Brighten The Corners”. The name – Fin- just popped out and when I asked the guys, they liked it as well. So we kind of figured short and sweet, and it did the job”. As far as their sound goes, they are a diverse bunch, citing a healthy mixture of genres. “Generally we’re very into our 90s grunge and rock bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam and Radiohead, but we also take influence from The Temper Trap, Gotye and Phoenix”, Jonny explains. “There are other things that I consider good like Motown and Michael Jackson.”, chips in Luke.

So far the band have managed to secure slots for some high profile acts which include Feeder and Brand New but at the end of last year they received some big news when they were chosen as the main support for US alternative rock giants Incubus as part of their UK and European tour. “It seems what’s happening is people are hearing what we’re doing and want to help out. The Incubus manager got it, passed it on to Incubus, they liked it and asked us to come on tour”.

But it didn’t stop there for the band. At this year’s Brit Awards, they were offered the chance to perform as the backing band for mega superstar Rihanna. and were lucky enough to bump into a couple of prestigious artists in the process. “It was a really good experience”, said Luke.”We got to meet Noel Gallagher and gave him our record. He listened to it and gave us the thumbs up, which was brilliant. We also saw Chris Martin from Coldplay. It was just interesting for a band like us to get a glimpse of what it’s like if you’re on that level and to see what The Brit Awards are all about.”

But the guys still have their feet firmly on the ground. After doing an acoustic session, Luke and Jonny gave a short performance at the request of the Occupy London protesters. Though they have no specific agenda, the guys said they had decided to check out the movement as a lot of their friends were unemployed. “I do notice that there is a very clear gap right now between the upper class and the less fortunate, so I think it’s only a positive thing that these people are bringing that to the forefront of everyone’s lives at the moment”, says Luke.

The band necessarily have a strong DIY approach to their music: producing their album, releasing it on their own label Artisan Records and editing their own music videos. Currently, they are releasing a series of 7 inches that will make up their album rather than the swifter process of putting it up on Itunes. “Growing up, we would go to a record store, buy a record, hold it in our hands, read the lyrics and connect with the bands on a visual as well as audible level. The whole package is lost in the digital world. We really wanted to bring that back with what we’re doing so people would want to invest in the band more.”, Luke explains.

So now for the future. Their album has been recorded and it’s only a matter of time before we get to hear it. “We’re looking to get it out around the end of summer/autumn,” says Simon. “Our fans understand it’s DIY and everything we do is self-funded so it’s taken us a long time to get to this point.Once we can afford to do it, we will.”, adds Luke. And as for other shows in the pipeline? “We’ll be doing a load of festivals over the summer that we’ll confirm ASAP. We’ll be out there – you’ll be able to find us!” says an enthusiastic Simon.

Things are shaping up well for the band and, hopefully, it won’t be too long before they reach a wider audience, as there are few bands that deserve it more than they do. With apologies for the pun, this definitely is not the end of the road for these guys, just the beginning of brighter prospects.