The Thirst

The Thirst are an electrifying indie/rock band from Brixton who are emerging as one of the premiere live acts in the UK.
Consisting of brothers Mensah (lead guitar) and Kwame (bass), alongside school friends Mark (rhythm guitarist) and Marcus (drummer), The Thirst blend together a vibrant sound and offer a refreshing and uplifting alternative to present youth culture; deeply influenced by their Afro-Caribbean upbringing, their parents’ old punk records and the drum and bass and hip-hop of their youth. “We’re inspired by bands like The Specials, The Jam, and all the reggae and ska our parents were into,” says 22 year old Mensah. “We were just trying to stay off the streets so would end up jamming and chilling at my mum’s place,” he says. “It became our means of socialising and communicating.”
Playing anywhere and everywhere they could, a buzz around these four black lads with guitars started to build. It was the infamous Brixton JAMM one night and cool hangouts like Notting Hill Arts Club the next. The Thirst built up their fan base the old fashioned way, with relentless gigging across the capital they love, sometimes playing up to six shows a week. “We got recognised because we were doing something that a lot of people our race don’t do,” says 25 year old Kwame. “People expected us to start MC’ing, so they got a shock.
It was one night down at The Half Moon in Putney when Ronnie Wood discovered them. “He put it on the table there and then,” laughs Kwame. “He just said, ‘Yeah, I loved it.’ He was cool, man… he’s a legend.”
A year later and their self-titled debut EP had sold out in two weeks, with its lead single ‘My Everything’ championed by Zane Lowe on Radio 1. Their first longplayer has been recorded at Olympic, whose studios have born sessions from The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin and Hendrix – a world away from rehearsing in people’s back yards in South London.
“We’ve been gigging constantly throughout recording,” says Kwame. “It’s made our songwriting tighter, we’re better live. We’ve grown up a lot.” It’s not hard to see why: the summer of 2007 saw The Thirst on stage at the Isle of Wight Festival, Hyde Park Calling, Electric Gardens, Glastonbury, and it doesn’t end there. “Let’s just say there have been moments when we’ve really been bricking it,” he says. “We supported the Sex Pistols in front of 10,000 people, with a small percentage hurling cans and shouting abuse. Less disagreeable was a support show for the Rolling Stones in front of 40,000 people in Croatia: “There was a sea of people as far as we could see,” says Kwame. “When you’ve played to anything from a crowd of 10 to a sold-out party in Brixton, 40,000 people is mind-blowing.”
Aside from touring the world, the lads have been feverishly working with Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Kasabian), Jake Fior (Babyshambles, The Libertines) and James Lewis (Cajun Dance Party) on their debut album, a ten track narrative whose characters are the underdogs of London’s inner city.
“It’s the soundtrack to our lives,” says Mensah. “Everything on there depicts a scene from our world. Take ‘Acre Lane’ where we all grew up, it’s a raw beauty sledge-hammered into a total shit-hole. It’s crazy, it can be really dodgy around there but we love it.” ‘Ready To Move opens with melancholic guitar strums before a frenzy of break-beat drums and Mensah’s party-fuelled vocals: “My older brother heard us jamming and said ‘You should make a club tune out of that.’ We’ve all got backgrounds in drum and bass and the lyrics are an insight into a typical night out for us, it worked perfectly.” ‘Don’t Waste Your Time’ is underpinned by fuzzy dub reminiscent of Bob Marley and a low-slung bass guitar. “We usually go out to dubstep nights and this is a nod to that genre,” continues Mensah. “Lyrically it’s about the snobbery some people have to suffer, friends of mine, myself. We should learn to treasure the differences between people instead of letting them drive rifts into cultures. Drifting across balmy guitar strums, Mensah’s vocals open ‘My Everything: “I saw a documentary about a gay HIV+ couple and a recently diagnosed 18 year old girl and it really had an impact,” he says. “The love those two guys had for each other, that young girl’s suffering, their sheer strength against all odds is amazing.” ‘On The Brink’ is an insight into Mensah’s surroundings: “It’s a song for strangers I saw everyday growing up. The crack-heads in the park near my old school, the single mothers barely surviving everyday with no help, they’re all out there and they’ve reached a point where they don’t have a choice anymore."
What else does 2008 hold for The Thirst? Aside from SXSW, a tour of Japan and the festival circuit, the lads have been working with Pete Doherty: “Yeah, we’re collaborating on his new album,” says Kwame. “Whilst being stranded after a gig in Manchester, Pete took pity and brought us back to his place.” The result was a late night jamming session and an upcoming white hot track.
“Our entire lives have been dedicated to music and succeeding with it,” says Mensah. “We want it so bad. There is no greater love for us.”
The Thirst release new single ‘Sail Away’ through Wooden Records. Debut album ‘On The Brink’ will follow.
Mills & Slater Management
[email protected]
Primary Talent Booking
[email protected]
National Radio
[email protected]
EMMS Publicity - Junior Oakes
[email protected]
Enter your details to sign up to mailing list
Name :
Email:
Official Website
Official Facebook Group
Official Fansite of The Thirst MyGen Profile Generator