When founder members songwriter Ash Wassell (vocals, guitars, piano) and Rich March (drums, backing vocals) started jamming at college they little knew that what they were doing for fun would later become one of the most exciting young bands on the south coast.
Going their separate ways musically, Ash went on to play a number of gigs as a solo singer/songwriter, at one point performing with Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze! Meanwhile Rich fronted the extremely popular Red Not Chili Peppers, before in 2007 the duo came together again and decided to form a band.
With other members coming and going Loose Tongue, as they became known, struggled to find a cohesive line-up until in November 2007 lead guitarist John Deacon joined, bringing his own sound and style to the group. With the addition of Lisa Harvey (bass, cello, backing vocals), the band as we’ve come to know them were formed!
Crafting their music from a huge range of sources, the band are rightly proud of the fact that they sound quite unlike anything else around and have successfully avoided being pigeonholed or branded with a particular style. With Ash bringing his love of acoustic guitar driven, often folk-tinged rock from the likes of Crowded House and Elvis Costello as well as the pop sensibilities of artists such as John Mayer to the table, coupled with Rich’s diverse style - Pearl Jam and Roxy Music both rank highly on his influences.
The band were already plucking the best ideas from their heroes like musical magpies, crafting it into their own shiny pop jewels. With John’s love of big-solo old school rockers like Aerosmith and Guns & Roses, as well as Hendrix, the bluesy lead guitar licks you hear when the band let loose add a gritty touch to the Loose Tongue sound while Lisa’s interest in more left-field artists, as well as Led Zepplin add a whiff of the avant-garde with a solid groove underneath. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but like aural Jambalaya, these disparate pieces form into one delicious whole!
Having built a solid fan base in Portsmouth and the surrounding area, garnering radio airplay on Original 106FM and Birmingham’s Heart FM and supporting Brigade, 2008 sees the band looking to hone their already explosive chemistry on stage and grab even more fans. With what they’ve already achieved, don’t bet against it!
Matt Merritt - April 2008
