Winston's Zen

You might recall London five-piece (yes, five piece despite what the picture tells you) Lion O'Brien from last weeks Moment of Zen. In their own words, "striving to establish their own brand of feel-good music" the band write songs about "love, work, robots vampires and other aspects everyday life".

Quite.

Winston's Zen was keen to find out more;

Tell us how the band got together.
We all met by chance at the Llama petting section at Lambeth Country Show in Brixton last summer. We discovered we shared a love of music as well as llamas, and so the band was born (originally as Llama O’Brien, but we changed the name afterwards).

What’s the least accurate description of your music that you’ve ever seen or heard in the media?
James: We once got described as “gravel voiced electric funk for the 21st century” in a live gig review, which sounds like a lot of fun but I’m probably the least gravel voiced singer in the history of music. I think I had a cold that day though, so maybe I just sounded ill and the reviewer was being kind.

Set the record straight. How should journalists be describing Lion O'Brien?
A great big party!

What has being in Lion O’Brien given you that you wouldn’t otherwise have?
A shared love of llamas. It’s also given us at least four very good extra friends each, which is never to be sniffed at.

What gets you excited outside of music?
Christmas, second-hand book stalls, skanky old pubs, the seaside and dogs chasing their own tails.

What can a punter expect from a Lion O'Brien gig?
Bounceability. They’ll need a new pair of dancing shoes by the end of the night and there voice may be a little hoarse from singing along.

Put your iPod / MP3 player on random. What are the first five tracks?
Implode Alright – Built by Snow
This Charming Man – The Smiths
Remember Me – British Sea Power
Old Stone – Laura Marling
Don’t fence me in - Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters

What has your hometown brought to your music?
James: I grew up in Brixton which meant that I grew up hearing a mash up of rock, pop, hip-hop, reggae, dance hall, gospel, folk, classical – all sorts. I think that’s had an impact on my writing and the Lion O’Brien sound cos we blend indie-pop sensibilities with the more upbeat danceable rhythms of ska and old school hip-hop.

Do you remember a moment when you knew you wanted to become a musician? Mike: When I was 3 years old I went missing from my parent’s house. They found me 10 minutes later following the brass band that had passed through our road in Bristol, blowing away on my toy trumpet

One dinner party at your place, five guests (living or dead). Who gets an invite? Eve: Bill Bailey
James: Stephen Fry
Catherine: Simon Amstell
Mick: Chuck Norris
Mike: Derek Smalls (Spinal Tap bass player)

What was the last record that made you stop in your tracks?
Mick: Ritual - Jape
James: Veckatimest – Grizzly Bear
Catherine: Lungs – Florence and the Machine
Eve: A balloon called moaning – Joy Formidable
Mike: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

What’s going on for Lion O'Brien right now?
We released our debut EP, Raincloud Vs Sunshine, last month on our own label (available as a digital release on iTunes, Amazon and Napster) and we’ll be spending the next few months gigging as often as possible, trying to reach new audiences wherever we can find them, and generally trying to spread the word.

Our thanks to the band for taking time out.

Winston's Zen is happy to do our bit to help spread the Lion O'Brien feel good vibe, so with that in mind here's the rather excellent This Life, a track, which in a more enlightened world would be headed straight for the top of the charts.

MP3 - Lion O'Brien - This Life

You might have noticed a recurring theme to recent articles, and yes this one is no exception. I can't deny that Lion O'Brien will be onstage at the Good Ship in Kilburn tomorrow night as part of Zen-trifuge II: The gig nights by Winston's Zen.

Doors open 7:30. Advance tickets still available from WeGotTickets.

Back soon,
Winston

Lion O'Brien links:
MySpace | Homepage | Download MP3s