Shady Bard: Without Boundaries

Shady Bard are not like other bands. In fact, it may be true that the Bard do not want to be like other bands. Other bands are bound to release schedules, a set number of band members and in churning out release after release to reimburse record companies for their pay outs. Shady Bard are not. Their early releases were hand crafted; the last copies of their ‘Treeology’ EP are going for £100 plus on Ebay; they are affiliated with a label renowned for its collectability; they are, excuse the lameness of the cliché, diamonds in the ether. Gigwise caught up with them prior to their London outing at Tottenham Court Road’s Metro.

The Curzon cinema foyer café is the quietest place we can find in London’s Soho for an interview with Shady Bard. It is quiet in that studious intellectual manner one associates with the corridors of universities; it is a place where clever types in berets whisper in library tones whilst pondering their lives over lattés or frappicinos, or even the Freudian undertones in the latest art cinema release. Shady Bard are excited by the new Wes Anderson film. We know this because there is a big poster hanging in the window of the Curzon that the band are discussing whilst narrating the director’s filmography. We sit and ponder the latest releases hanging from the transparent outer shell that leads onto the darkened streets of Shaftesbury Avenue, where people with busy lives hurry past late for their dinner dates. To the sound of the coffee machine, frothing milk for our cappuccinos, we sit.

Shady Bard, you see, are a bit of an anomaly. Hailing on the most part from Birmingham, collecting members on their journey southwards, the Bard have been together for over two years and have slowly accumulated an intrigued following of indie intelligentsias. The Curzon is therefore the perfect metaphorical meeting place for our first interview with the band. Their debut album was released in May, to critical acclaim. The Sunday Times has dubbed them “a band it would be easy to fall in love with.” Music Week heralds them “Melodic and thoughtful.” With their highbrow symphonies and orchestral tendencies, the bard have been making waves in cerebrally conscious circles supporting iLiKETRAiNS on tour as well as providing a thought provoking soundtrack for MTV’s climate change campaign.

It would be easy to write them off as Arcade Fire thunder stealers but surprisingly enough the band were around before the incandescent parishioners hit the big time. Lawrence, the singer and lead songwriter of the band finds such comparisons tiresome: “To be honest, in terms of song writing, I never really listened to the Arcade Fire until a good year after that album came out. They certainly haven’t influenced in me in what I write. People always say that we’re like the Arcade Fire because they see a girl playing a violin; but we sing about very different things… it’s really great seeing a band like Arcade Fire do what they’re doing as usually what happens is you turn up to a venue and the sound man tells you that you’ve got too many instruments; but they proves that it can be done.”