When playing
live, these four Belfast to Bethnal Green based boys, Tim, Neil, Luke and Ian represent
youth and enthusiasm, and their particular blend of instrumental, wordless
tracks, pinging synthesizing beats are just the ticket for a grand party.
Allow me to
introduce you to the band. Neil is the taut and nimble drummer while Tim is the,
occasionally semi-naked, guitarist, Luke reins over the synth, and Ian drives
the melody via the bass. Together, they compose Grand Forever. However, even
though they are not new to the music scene, they haven’t yet garnered the
attention they deserve. Not sounding how you expect them to at first glance
they simply deploy a nonchalant cool garage-jam-demo aurora that we have
exclusively been invited to.
But Grand
Forever are working hard to get heard and their gigs are more than just
crowd-pleasing. The band have released three EP’s, entitled, Ace It, Kappillan
and Don’t Go Easy On Me. Grand Forever’s melodies’ are faithful to various
styles which have been ingeniously blended together: instrumental disco, hazy
electronica, post-punk, and alternative rock and roll which are all faithful to
the original textures. Their dexterity produces tracks that are crisp,
tranquilizing, disco-tech yet grungy.
The track Wild Man is an example of their clever music merging and “Half A
Hundred Kicks” is a dreamlike tune. Their variety of melodies is also shown
onstage. When the track calls for slinkiness, the boys of the band bend into
rippling curves. When it demands toughness, they adopt a hard-ass, fierce
posture. Although I can now draw comparisons between Grand Forever’s waves of
synthesizing sounds and guitar riffs, which are reminiscent of Joy Division’s
Ceremony or Incinerate by Sonic Youth and have more in common with M83, Grand
Forever’s equation of sound stands alone. Each instrument is played with force
and attitude and the band plays with authority and clarity.
I had a quick-fire chat with Tim from the band:
Q: What are
the 4 things people should know about Grand Forever?
Grand
Forever: Luke, Ian, Tim, Neil
Q: What's the best thing about being in a boy
band?
GF: The pussy. And all the attention from Louis
Walsh (can be considered one and the same).
Q: What's 'Grand' about your hometown, Ireland?
GF: You can't leave Dromore without going up a hill;
it's literally a hole
Q: What key sounds have influenced your style?
GF: Instrumental sex wave, streets of rage.
Q: How would you make a 'Grand' (as in £££)
Forever?
GF: Scratchcard. Don't live a little, live a lotto.
