Wille's roots manoeuvre

THE idea of Wille And The Bandits and Albenaza linking up for a joint gig at the Hippo came about when both bands played The Jersey Longboard Festival earlier this year.

The gig will take place at the Bath Street venue tomorrow night with additional music by acoustic reggae/folk ensemble The Wishbones and pop blues quartet Burning Room from London.

The last time country roots trio Wille and co played the Hippo it was back in April to launch their debut album New Breed, but as Wille explains, the album still isn't generally available.

"It's not now going to be officially released until next year, although anyone on our mailing list will be able to get their hands on a copy.

"This is because the owner of the Faraday studio, in London, where we recorded the album has now decided he wants to take us on in a management/producer role."

Artist/producer Paul Castle is very well connected in the business and has worked across all genres, probably best known as a dance producer.

More recently the likes of Imelda May and The Blockheads have been residents of his studio.

"It means that we now get to use the studio for free," continues Bandits drummer Andy Naumann, "so we've used the opportunity to record four new tracks that we feel are better than some of the others on the existing album.

"When we release the album next year, we hope to be able to coordinate some proper PR and a full tour to go with it.

"Paul really gets our sound," he continues, "and he's homed in on certain aspects of our style that he feels he can accentuate to really give it an individual identity, a real fresh take on the blues. In the Seventies, Cream came along and added distortion pedals to the blues.

"We're taking the blues accentuating the old skool slide approach and giving it a different rhythmic feel – a hip-hop/reggae groove."

The sound is already working well for the city trio who still have to be one of the hardest working bands anywhere and are now getting to the stage where they can be far more selective about where they perform.

They're especially popular in London where venues generally provide little alternative to a regular diet of indie rock.

"We spent a couple of weeks touring in Europe, playing about nine or ten shows over two weeks in 150 capacity venues.

"They went really well and we've been booked again for December when we'll be going back to play bigger venues.

"Next year we hope to be doing the surf Festivals in the Biarritz area and already got a tour of Ireland lined up…"

And the all encompassing genre means that they are suited to everything a wide variety of festivals.

"After playing a very heavy rock club in Weymouth when we just about managed to hold our own by turning the distortion right up, it was really cool to play a top slot at Trowbridge – as the heaviest band of the folk festival!"

Now practically fully pro – they say they keep costs to a minimum by living very frugally.

"We do live the hobo lifestyle," says Wille, "existing on home-made sandwiches and sleeping in the van."

"Because there's just the three of us in the band we can just about survive on what we earn.

"Besides," jokes Andy, "sharing a toothbrush between four people just wouldn't work!"

Albenaza, meanwhile, who have been working at Sawmills studios on songs for their debut album, have decided to release the tracks in stages, as a series of EPs instead.

"We're going to mix and master them three at a time, get the first EP out and then sell that as we're working on the next," says Alex from the band.

Look out for first release in the next few weeks, featuring World Falls Down and Cornish Days.

Find out more by visiting myspace.com/ willeandthebandits and myspace.com/ albenaza.