The Dandilions

I met Leicester's The Dandilions in a room in an old burnt out swingers club that, from the outside, looked exactly like an old burnt out swingers club. Inside it was packed with kit and various things that they have acquired over the four years that they have been together as a band. Formed when they were at school Oli, Gil, and Sam began playing covers with various drummers, including a 50 year old Goan 'who said he would just turn up and jam with us' bass player Gil told me. They then convinced drummer Dan to join from another band to make the drummer role more permanent. Their first gig was at the wedding of the school chaplain where in the presence of the Super Furry Animals themselves they, bravely, covered 'Rings Around the World' which prompted a written note from the band to say that was one of the best covers of their songs they had heard.

You'd think that this may go to a group of fourteen year olds head's but they kept calm and continued to cover songs, 'it wasn't for about another six months to a year that we started writing our own songs' Oli tells me 'our first song was called 'Menthol Fix' Gil continues 'we used to call cigarettes fixes at school and we smoke menthol ones, it's as simple as that really.' As a group they were chatty, friendly, candid and, at times, immature in the way that you expect eighteen year olds to be. But they weren't boastful about their experiences (a recent trip to record at Maida Vale for the BBC as well as a slot at Glastonbury). They also showed me a musical maturity that many, including myself, would be envious of. They have no musical prejudices and they treat every piece of music on its own merit. They recalled the, ex Heartbeat actor, Bill Maynard and his radio show and their influences are eclectic to say the least: ranging from Paul Simon to one hit garage wonders Sweet Female Attitude. 'We've had different influences at different times and we don't listen to one type of music' says Oli. 'We also see tons of live bands and they've all inspired us at different times.'

The inclusion of a UK Garage classic prompted me to ask them how old they were when they started listening to this. 'Probably about 9 or 10 years old' Sam tells me. It was at this point I began to feel pretty old. I remember listening to garage and being (almost) old enough to drink beer. The conversation then turned to the struggle of being in a band under the age of eighteen, an ever increasing problem for many young bands today. 'We used to play gigs in the school practice rooms at lunchtimes and have people outside in the corridors at the start' Sam says 'We then moved onto playing gigs in the church that I used to go to' added Gil. This obviously didn't present any age problems but it was when the band tried to progress to traditional venues they struggled. They managed to secure an afternoon slot at The Shed in Leicester and from that a number of gigs followed. 'The problems were really when we tried to have a drink' says Oli 'at one gig we were confined to backstage but parents and friends would come in and wish us luck and then leave their drinks behind, so we would drink them.' They were promptly ejected from that venue shortly after they had finished their set. Age has also been a problem for their fans. One venue said that the band could no longer play because their fans were too young (at the beginning they consisted mainly of school friends). Now they have come of age that is less of a problem, they have also picked up a wider-ranging fan base. Oli says that 'our fans range from 15 or 16 right up to mid-40 year olds and perhaps older, and that's something that doesn't matter to us' he continues.' The reason we are here is because people come and see us play'

Their recent trip to Maida Vale studios to record for Huw Stephens clearly didn't phase them either, although they were very pleased to have been asked to do it. On air Stephens had pronounced their name incorrectly. When I asked why they decided to spell their name with a 'i' instead of an 'e' Tony told me that 'it was a spelling mistake, although it does look better on our banner with an 'i.'' He was right, it did look better, but it was also another example of their openness. They weren't concerned about looking stupid, they are happy with who they are.

By the time that you read this, The Dandilions will have completed a set on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury as well as a headline slot at the Strawberry Moons festival in Staffordshire. With a single due for release on independent record label Size on the back of their live success the future looks very promising for one of Leicester's brightest sparks.

Words by Mark Lovesey
Images by Jennifer Simpson

www.myspace.com/thedandilionsband