0
With Noisettes, it’s always best to expect the unexpected. Two years on from a debut album awash with punk spirit and scorching blues-rock, the London trio return with Wild Young Hearts, a set of sleek pop songs steeped in soul, dizzy on disco and harking back to the days of blues and jazz greats.
From the stomping electro-rock of Saturday Night and galloping funk grooves of forthcoming, first single Don’t Upset The Rhythm, to the joyous, jazzy title track, the glorious ‘60s-tinged soul of Never Forget You and the sultry, shimmering pop of 24 Hours, in Wild Young Hearts, Noisettes have made one of 2009’s most adventurous albums.
The trio made a radical musical detour from their acclaimed debut, What’s The Time Mr Wolf?, an album that spawned five singles and took them on tour for over a year, sharing arena stages with Muse and criss-crossing the States with TV On The Radio and Bloc Party.
“Some bands stick with the same style forever,” says singer Shingai Shoniwa, whose versatile vocals have seen her compared to everyone from Deborah Harry and Kate Bush to Billie Holiday and Diana Ross.
Shingai said: “Bands get together because they share identical musical tastes, then never do anything different.
“We’re a gang, but we’re also three divas with different record collections who constantly introduce each other to new sounds, whether it’s African music, jazz, Van Morrison or Black Sabbath. For us, making music means keeping our ears open.”
Noisettes certainly took an unconventional approach to starting songwriting. Fresh from tour in summer 2007, guitarist Dan Smith (a man known to pair silver trousers with a yellow, sequinned shirt) and bearded drummer Jamie Morrison (who still seems surprised to be in a band at all) began sonic experiments that involved getting stoned before trips to the Natural History Museum, then attempting to cover the likes of Britney’s Hit Me Baby (One More Time).
Come autumn, the trio piled their equipment in to a van and spent random weeks writing at residential studios in the likes of Devon and Brighton. En route, they listened to early Prince and Portishead, Queen, Talk Talk and Fleetwood Mac. The theme of the songs was captured in the album’s title.
“Wild Young Hearts – it’s about feeling young and acting young, whatever your age,” said Dan.
Dan said: “It’s about having fun and not following the pack. The three of us became genuine friends making this record. We got drunk together and even trashed the odd hotel room. We’re very different people, but we formed a bond which you can hear in the songs.”
The new material was road-tested at sporadic shows last year, including a performance at South By South West and a tour of France, where Don’t Upset The Rhythm brought the house down every night, convincing Noisettes they were on to something special. Yet the band still weren’t sure how the album would sound until they holed up in a London studio last June with Arctic Monkey’s producer Jim Abbiss.
A recent London show saw Shingai charge in to the audience playing guitar and sing clinging to a ladder suspended from the ceiling, a nod to the circus skills she learnt in her teens.
Shingai said: “The idea of putting on a proper show seems to be missing from a lot of young bands at the moment.
“We always go that extra mile to give the crowd a night they’ll never forget. I love artists like Hendrix and Bowie who fussed over their hair and took time choosing an outfit.
“We’re not trying to be trendy – we want to make music for everyone – but we put effort in to every aspect of being in a band. Our aim is to prove that pop music can still be alternative and exciting. With this album, I know we can do that.”
The album Wild Young Hearts is out now.
02 Academy tour dates:
On General Sale Friday 30th October @ 9am
O2 Academy Sheffield
Saturday 20th February 2010
£14.00 adv
Box Office: 0844 477 2000
O2 Academy Bournemouth
Wednesday 24th February 2010
£14.00 adv
Box Office: 0844 477 2000
O2 Academy Newcastle
Wednesday 3rd March 2010
£14.00 adv
Box Office: 0844 477 2000
O2 Academy Liverpool
Thursday 4th March 2010
£14.00 adv
Box Office: 0844 477 2000
O2 Academy Bristol
Friday 5th March 2010
£14.00 adv
Box Office: 0844 477 2000