User:Jakomi/Sound of Guns

Early Days
The Sound Of Guns story begins in a disused social club on Penny Lane, Liverpool; (thoughts of walking in the Beatle’s footsteps and other romanticisms are permissible). Lacking such luxuries as running water and electricity, the little space that was donated to singer Andy and drummer Simon was slowly converted into a rehearsal and recording studio. After joining forces with comrade Nathan (on guitar), they quickly put together a song called 'Alcatraz', during which the team began laying the foundation of their band’s sound.

Soon after, Lee- a friend from Down Under, visited the band and contributed to the song. At this point, the band was faced with the first of a series of complications: Lee was destined to return to Australia, but the band needed him.

"I was literally leaving when they asked me to come down," he remembers. "But I was so into it, I sold my ticket and stayed on in Liverpool, put my life in turmoil, all for this band..."

Founding and Trials
Intense rehearsals ensue, in preparation for their first performance atOxford Street, in London's now-deceased Metro club. In attendance that night was Coley, a friend of Lee's who had come down for the gig. On that stage, he saw his future, and the next day he incessantly texted his friend, hoping to fill the post of bass guitarist. "Basically," he says, "I knew that if I didn't join their band, I'd be fucked."

Cue complication number 2: One night, after a particularly productive writing session, the band locked up their gear and headed home. On returning the next day, they find the door busted open and all of their guitars gone. But the worst is yet to come. Shortly afterwards, local hooligans unashamedly burned their studio to the ground. Fortunately for the band, their passion for music overcame these injustices, and they fought on. If you look at the cover of their debut album, 'What Came From Fire', the pile of rubble to the left of the offices is what remained of their studio. The 'Sound Of Guns' troubles highlight the impact music can have on the public, at times evoking irrational responses from listeners.

Bounce Back
Soon, a four-song EP called 'The Elementary of Youth' is released on Distiller, followed by a show in their hometown. For fans, it is hard to believe the band originated from such a humble Liverpudlian background. One of the first things people say about us is that we don't sound like a Liverpool band'," says Andy. "But we didn't have any boundaries. I love The Coral, and The La's and bands like that, but in terms of the music we wanted to make, that sound didn't really appeal to us. We were all right into The Walkmen, for example, who make a big noise. The others are all big on Led Zeppelin as well and soul music. The Doors. I think people were expecting this, like, typical Liverpool band, and that's why people got interested so quickly. People seem to connect with the choruses, we can see that." The songs continued to flow, taking this aesthetic further and further. Steve Lamacq, on hearing single [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nsf9kKjfwg%20%20 'Architects'], tells them that they were "a band with ideas above their stations". Sound Of Guns take this as a compliment. "We would play Wembley next week if we could," states Andy, not joking at all, "and that reflects in the music." "We have always been clear about the fact that we want to play big venues," continues Lee. "We're not ashamed of that fact. We've made no bones about the fact that we want to appeal to, dare I say, the masses."

Andy: "I definitely expect to be playing Knebworth in six months time."

Now, Into The Future...
The Debut album was created almost entirely by the band members, with the help of about "nine or ten grand's-worth" of gear that Sound Of Guns bought with their recording advance. Si is "a genius" when it comes to recording techniques, so the production was all handled by the band themselves. They enlisted the help of Chris Potter (who played a major part in creating The Verve's 'Urban Hymns') to mix it, but this was the only head outside the band involved. "The way we did demos, from the earliest days of the band, has always worked so well," says Si. "We just thought, 'What's the point of going in to a big studio and changing what we do? You know, you might not come out sounding like your own band. You want your debut album to capture what you're about." "I don't even like studios, really," Andy continues. "You feel pressured. It's too clean. I like singing in, like, a bin! It's about creating a place where you feel comfortable in."

"We've got our own studio," adds Lee. "So we can make two, three, four, five, six... seven albums now. We're in this for the long term."

"We'll be writing and recording for life now," concludes Andy. "We're putting everything into this."