| Rock’n’roll. A blistering three dimensional mind-melt of frantic sex-inducing sound, dazzling good looks and moral code -defying anarchic spirit, right? Yet in late 2003 it spends most of it’s time droning on about blues authenticity and generally being about as lascivious as a sponsored silence in Skegness. Cue The Glitterati. They are here to bring the sleaze back into rock’n’roll “I’ve always had pretty girlfriends” sighs singer Paul, scanning the tables of an upmarket West End beer garden for inspiration. “It’s not that it comes easy to us but we do seem to get a lot of attention after our gigs and the next thing we know we’re getting all sorts of offers.” The reason for Paul’s problematic personal life stems from The Glitterati’s shameless stage show. Where others mope and bluster through live engagements, The Glitterati swagger across stage with an insane bravado rock hasn’t seen for years. Lizzy, Aerosmith and Guns ‘N’Roses are all in there somewhere, but it’s the good-time charm of The Faces which most spikes their space-glam cocktail. The Glitterati have dirt under their fingernails and in their lyrics. “I think we’re all about making the show one that no one will ever forget” declares Paul nonchalantly. For him, life is an endless re-run of David Essex’s role in classic Brit rock road movie ‘That’ll Be The Day’. “We’re into the whole idea of rock’n’roll bands getting in a van, playing a great show, meeting girls and learning how to be the best there is. We’re not called the Glitterati for nothing, we want to cause a reaction, even if they hate us we’ve done something right.” Having met in the time-honoured fashion via school and shared gig experiences, the band (Paul vocals: Nick guitar: Jamie bass: John guitar: Billy drums) served an apprenticeship in various bands around Leeds. Inevitably they found their gaze being drawn to the smoke. “We got to the point in Leeds where we’d just play a gig and however good it was, nothing would come from it.” continues Paul. “We had to test ourselves to see if the band could really work…” Relocating to the wilds of South London, the band moved into a shared house and set about recreating the mood of of The Monkees ‘Head’ had it been filmed on the set of ‘Withnail And I’. Too broke to pay for rehearsal rooms, they found themselves rehearsing in a derelict church (“It was the greatest drum sound you’ve ever heard” swoons skin-batterer Billy) whilst living off their wits. Quickly attracting vast music biz interest, the band rapidly signed a publishing deal and played a host of riotous secret gigs under the name The Highly Davidson. No wonder. Songs like debut single ‘Do You Love Yourself?’ reference everyone from ‘Aladdin Sane’ era Bowie to Bolan and suggest that, in a post-Darkness universe, The Glitterati have all the credentials for a rapid rise through the ranks. They’re already at the point where people write breathless mini-biogs about them. Clearly, their sleazy, gloriously rock’n’roll trail starts here “I think people will be intrigued by us” drawls lead guitarist Nick as another tray of Jack Daniels arrive. “We’re called The Glitterati but we dress like tramps”. Not for long. |
