UNSIGNED SPOTLIGHT
THE LOST BOYS
This spikey Southampton-based mod quartet declare that they are dedicated to keeping the flame of British rock alive…
www.myspace.com/officiallostboys Words: Dan Jones
sincerity, especially when words of praise are cast upon his band, Dan says that he’s not used to terms of encouragement, awww, bless. The meek, however, often prosper in cases of rock and roll, and The Lost Boys follow suit. Ash’s wit-laden adolescent observations are the melodious rock-steady foundation of this Southampton-based mod-pop quartet. This isn’t exactly snarling Weller-esque invective but Dan’s lyrics inflate the most common of settings to realms of teenage dream-lands against an instrumental backdrop that echoes with the likes of Squeeze, The Beatles and The Jam. Dan’s lyrics insist that love is not about falling into the clutches of the good-looking as you gaze upon the Chateau de Compiegne, it’s far more ‘real’ over text
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messages and drunken barney’s… g PM: When did you get into songwriting? g DA: It’s literally all I’ve ever wanted to do. Ever since I can remember.
Before I even got a guitar I was singing made up tunes into a tape recorder. g PM: Is song writing more ‘authentic’ if it’s a personal tale? g DA: I’d say so. Personal songs are the ones that I can identify with the
most- they’re the ones you always turn to, where you feel like the songwriter has been in your shoes. For me it works as a way of getting a lot of my chest. In a live situation it’s also very therapeutic to go on stage and moan to a
crowd about my problems for 30 minutes or so. g PM: Is being British important to your band? i think you have quite a quintessentially British sound, what do you think about that?
iding beneath a timid expression of delicate youth, The Lost Boys wordsmith, Dan Ash, doesn’t adorn the bolshy swagger of your typical rock and roll frontman. Wonderfully humble and almost mawkish in his refined
g DA: I love that! There’s nothing worse than a British band trying to sound American! I love the charm that comes with that British sound, also gives me
the chance to add bits of humour into the songs too, which I love doing. g PM: Will heartbreak always stand at the forefront of good rock and roll
songs? g DA: I think so. People will always fall in love and break up no matter who they are or where they are from. A lot of my songs at the moment are about my failed relationships and shyness with ladies- but that’s because I’m just still stuck in an awkward teenager phase. When I’m a bit older I’m sure I’ll start writing about other things.
“The Beatles, The Jam and Arctic Monkeys are the bands that make me want to pick up my guitar and write a song…”
g PM: What do you think of the British music scene at the moment? g DA: It’s a mixed bag, same as any decade though- if you look in the right
places there’s a lot of good stuff, but there’s also a load of horseshit! I don’t think many bands have the chance to progress now though like they used to
though, which is a shame. g PM: If there were three bands at the core of the Lost Boys influences, who
would they be? g DA: From my perspective I would say The Beatles, The Jam and Arctic Monkeys. All of us guys have different influences but they are the bands that
really make me want to pick up my guitar and write something new. g PM: What’s next for the Lost Boys? g DA: We just want to spread the word and push ourselves out there. We
all really believe we’ve got something individual and special and enough people have said kind things to encourage us. We just need to make sure we are in the right place at the right time. PM
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