Let It Lead
They’re young, gloomy and extremely irked over the state of the nation. At least winning Play On The Day seemed to cheer them up. We give you Leaders Of Men, the hot new contenders from south Dublin.
Craig Fitzpatrick, 29 Sep 2011
Something serious has been stirring in south Dublin. A bewitching sonic stall has been set out by a group with an air of The Last Gang In Town about them. With a name plundered from Joy Division, they take the Mancunians’ dark teutonic schtick and splash it with some home grown passion.
Think The Blades’ knack for capturing social frustration in song, or the desperate intensity of The Walkmen in their early days. Guitars erupting and vocals like volcanic ash. The musicians rolling their eyes upwards and simultaneously catching a little bit of heaven. The Leaders of Men are on a mission. What’s more they are on a roll...
It was as recently as March, when five mainstays of Tallaght’s music scene all stood on stage together for the first time. That sold-out Workman’s Club show announced Leaders Of Men to their hometown. The Debut Collection EP followed, bottling their sound on record and serving notice that this band are open for business. In earnest.
Contrarily, Leaders Of Men are not happy. With the country, with the music scene, often with each other. But, in a strange way, they’re revelling in that friction. Let’s look at their online mission statement: “These are demoralised times. The old leaders have failed us and everyone seems to have given up to shuffle home, shoulders sagging in the rain. Leaders Of Men do not accept this.”
Surrounded by his bandmates, lead singer Brian Ashe explains their moody modus operandi. “I can sum it up, because I’ve thought about this before!” he laughs. “When we first started talking about getting the group together, [guitarist] Ed Porter texted me the lads’ names and said, ‘Imagine that as a line-up, think how angry that band would be!’ Well, he was right. We just love giving out!”
This is evidenced by the good-natured intra-band squabbling that goes on for the duration of our interview. They may have lofty ambitions and a serious sound, but they’re also straight-talking and up for a laugh. Peter Hook would like these lads. At one point, Brian questions Ed’s early grunge credentials. Porter is having none of it. “He came from more of a stage school background – Billie Barry,” he retorts. Later on, bassist Darren Lindsay will finally pitch up to talk about their victory in the Play On The Day regional final and is immediately drowned out with a shout of: “I’d forgotten you were here man!”
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