What do you get when you take the sprightly inspiration of ska, the
influence of archetypal English bands such as The Kinks, The Jam and The
Smiths and the ambition to escape a frustrating 9 to 5 existence in a quiet
seaside town?
You're looking at the brilliant and ever-progressing Ordinary Boys - Preston (vocals, guitar), William J. Brown (guitar, vocals),James Gregory (bass), and Simon Goldring (who replaced Charlie Stanley on drums in 2005).
Taking their name from an early Morrissey tune, the Boys may now be synonymous to some with Preston's surprise appearance on Celebrity Big Brother and subsequent marriage to Chantelle, but hold on to your seatbelts, the band come packed with the sort of tunes - new and old - that make you want to jack in your job, drive to a British beach and dance on the sand.
It all started when the band formed in 2002, but the debut single, 'Maybe Someday', arrived small but perfectly formed in February 2004, and marked their link with legendary producer Stephen Street. Their first Top 40 hit was the dynamic 'Week In, Week Out', followed by appearances in summer festivals and the release of, some may say, one of the best debut albums this country has produced - 'Over the Counter Culture' - which wore the band's musical inspirations on its sleeve, but stamped all over it with the unique sound that only the Ordinary Boys could ever make.
Now the boys were attracting the sort of attention and fans they richly deserved, with their gigs populated by the passionate and boisterous Ordinary Army.
In 2005, Preston and the lads took stock of their success and launched the more soulful 'Brassbound' into the musical universe.
Still brushed with the influence of punk and ska, 'Brassbound' also nodded in the general direction of acts such as Stevie Wonder and Elvis Costello, and sounded like a breath of fresh air - with the ubiquitous stomp of 'Boys Will Be Boys' through to the downright infectious disco affair of 'On An Island' and the hearfelt pop of 'Call To Arms' which was a big thank you to the unique relationship between the band and the dedicated fans.
After a successful tour it all went a bit quiet for a while - then everything went a bit mental! Fans can tell you now, like the moment Kurt Cobain died or J.F. Kennedy was shot, what they were doing, and what their reaction was, when Preston entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2006.
The publicity generated meant that the Ordinary Boys had finally found the audience they craved, and straight after the show ended, 'Boys Will Be Boys' was re-released and everyone went extra- Ordinarily crazy.
Much anticipation preceded the third album, 'How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted In Ten Easy Steps', and, now, never happy to be stuck in a groove, the Boys embraced pop in a big way as well as being one of the few bands to show their affection for Japanese Electro. The album was an ironic pastiche of the fickleness of celebrity culture and the problems with being famous for just 15 minutes.
The singles hit the ground running, and made a dent in the Top 40, including '9 To 5', 'Lonely At The Top' and the Spector-esque 'I Luv U', that, aptly, was released for Valentine's Day, although the irony was the song was about how hard it was to actually write a proper love song!
With numerous tv appearances, and the influx of new fans The Ordinary Boys were now household names.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are poised for more greatness - and wait with bated breath - on news of a tour, new songs and more acerbic pop from the wonder that is The Ordinary Boys.
As Preston said: "We're not an alternative band. We're not interested in being an alternative. It's great to be part of a massive gang, it's great to be entertained by the fans at the gigs as much as they are entertained by us. We want to be the soundtrack to that gang, we want to mean something more to people than a chance to be cool because you have our record. Our sights are set far higher than that."Buy 'I Luv U'
Download 'I Luv U' From iTunes
