Flying High With Sean Cook

After fronting Lupine Howl and having played bass in Spiritualized, Sean Cook is back alongside Bristol based producers Bob Locke and Tim Norfolk (The Insects) as The Flies. What began as a studio project with Sean providing the vocals for a newly penned ‘Lord Of The Flies’ one thing soon led to another, the project spiraled and this month saw the release of their download only, self titled mini album ‘The Flies’. Sean explains:

“I’ve known Bob and Tim for quite a long time. We just started for fun really and the process developed. I think at that point I was still doing stuff with Lupine Howl, but gradually it’s built up and we’ve got more and more of a scenario going in terms of writing songs. We’ve fairly quickly exhausted stuff that Bob and Tim had lying around and started to write things from scratch more. Then Universal got interested and that’s when we were faced with the idea of thinking about this a bit more seriously”

Sean Cook may have been about a bit but Bob and Tim are no strangers to music either. Known as The Insects, the pair have a proven track record in producing both film and television soundtracks as well as writing ‘Karma Coma’ and ‘Euro Child’ for fellow Bristolian’s Massive Attack and working alongside the likes of Madonna to name but a few. As much producers as musicians, the immediate hands on production values that the pair bring to the music only adds to its unproblematic originality and is something that Sean appreciates:

“It is a bit different in that respect. Bob and Tim are really good at is producing the vocal and I rely quite heavily on them. Obviously I’ve got my words and the way I’m going to sing it more or less, but Bob’s great at getting the vocal sound and Tim’s good at saying you’re trying too hard, back off. You don’t want interference from people who aren’t relevant to the decision making process so it’s quite smooth”

Not wanting to give up their other musical interests, Bob and Tim quickly decided that Sean would not only front and represent the band, but that he would also be the only member to take to the stage, meaning that Sean had to round up a gang of friends to get the bands music out on the live circuit. A strange situation, but one that doesn’t stop Bob and Tim from turning up to watch The Flies play live from time to time.

“I think it’s weirder for them watching our gigs. That’s got to be weird. That’s one of the things about being in a band you never get to see your own band. As you get older, band politics and who’s the main guy and that ego side of things does go away and you just get on with doing the work and no-ones really arsed if they get recognized in the street. So it all works fairly well and we work pretty well together”

Having been an active member in various musical projects and groups for as long as he can remember, Sean is unquestionably a veteran and the challenge of working through the process of establishing a new band is one that he clearly relishes and his new found position, one that he enjoys:   

“On the music side, it’s good to be doing a new thing. After you’ve been making music for quite a long time you get a perspective on the lifespan of bands and I don’t think I’m doing too badly to be on my third ****ing record deal! It’s a bit late for me to go back now! Can you imagine me in an interview for a job? I’m pretty unemployable really”