With great tracks like “Mr Sketchy”, “Yellow” (no, not a cover version of the Coldplay track) and “Cape Town Blues” Will And The People are a very talented band to watch. They have started to break through locally in recent months, picking up airplay on triple j and other local stations.
Will And The People very much have a bright future ahead of them, making infectious and utterly unique and positive music in a day and age where everyone takes themselves so seriously with music. They have arrived with bells and Hawaiian shirts on to make us remember that life is fun. This is a band that can remind one of a million other things musically, such as indie pop, reggae and electronica, while being their own beast and having a really strong sense of identity of their own.
“One thing at the moment that makes Will And The People unique is that we have an ethos that we do everything together. We live and play together, we have our own record label, and we work with people close to us. It tends to protect us as a collective from the big wide world,” begins Will Rendle, leader of The People.
“I think what it is that influences you shapes your sound in a wonderful way. Songs, however, come from many different places and sources of inspiration. The songs we write and where we take music manages to not make things sound too gimmicky or cheap or whatever you want to call it. I think that the way that we record is done in a raw and natural way.”
“The idea of being free is what, at the core of our beings, what inspires us to make music. We find that, being part of the music industry, dealing with record labels, managers and the like, one really is not free. We try to subvert that by doing our own thing and keeping it within our own world as much as possible. The sense of honesty is important above all else. It’s like the medieval days. If you’re in a band, you’re the jester, trying to entertain people like the King and not get their head cut off,” laughs Rendle.
The band are famous and/or infamous for playing some highly eclectic gigs, such as the U.K Harvest Festival, held on the cheese farm of former Blur guitarist Alex James. One imagines there are worse ways to spend a weekend than eating cheese, drinking wine and playing music. Another notable gig was at the reception for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Seriously. “There was a gig we played on a boat for the Grand Prix in Monaco. The crowd was over fifty generally, and they partied and danced until sunrise. It was quite amusing for us and totally not our usual crowd.”
How does the music of Will And The People take shape? “Whether it be on stage or in the studio, it’s all about us, as musicians, having a great ability to get into each others heads. That sense of connection and harmony is an important part of being in a band. Honesty is what I feel makes people respond so passionately to our music. There’s an Australian band, The Cat Empire, that I absolutely love. We feel a strong sense of kindred spirits with them in what we do.”
The band is really looking forward to their Australian tour. “The last time I was in Melbourne, I was mugged – I probably deserved it,” says Rendle, with a good natured and slightly caustic laugh. “In regards to the immediate future, apart from the Australian tour, we try to take things as they come with the band. I know that this band is going to last a long time. We’ve built a really great foundation on which to base a band that could last for decades to come. That would be the ideal.”
In the nicest and most positive way possible, Will And The People make the type of music that intelligent and smartarse aliens would make if they crash landed on Earth and hijacked a recording studio, or got a booking at The Tote. Their tour of Australia promises to be a great deal of fun and something a bit special.
Will And The People kick off their Australian tour this week. Morning Sun is out now on MGM.
