Lily Allen, Dizzee Rascal, Patch Who? Papers have been a-buzz with chatter about these unknown youngsters, and for good reason. Patch William’s ‘The Last Bus’ has been nominated for best song musically and lyrically by the Ivor Novello Awards, which are typically the domain of U2, Amy Winehouse, Eric Clapton, and most recently, Elbow. So why Patch William?
The band are gathered around the kitchen table of their producer’s semi-detached in Parson’s Green, London. Frontman Will Adlard stands out as the folksy, creative epicentre, his skinny frame made gaunter still by his thinner-than-paper jeans and enough alternative jewellery to set up a stall on Brick Lane.
Both his older brother Ed, on drums, and guitarist George Eddy take a more ‘blank canvas’ approach with vaguely indie T-shirts and jeans; they are there to ensure the band doesn’t stray too far from their rock ‘n’ roll roots. ‘The skeleton of Will’s songs is usually pretty folky,’ George remarks. ‘I have a pretty rock-centric background to my drumming, though,’ adds Ed.
The group’s girl-in-residence, Ali Digby, stands up for herself in the wake of the boys’ teasing, replete with obligatory Wayfarers and blonde locks. She was first brought in as a supporting cello player on the band’s game-changing, Ivor-nominated song, ‘The Last Bus’. She learnt the bass from scratch in a matter of weeks, just in time to clinch their publishing deal with Chrysalis.
The band are in no doubt about their good fortune in being discovered by their producer Steve Levine. ‘That element of luck is key in this industry,’ says Ali. Their break on BBC Introducing last year was only the tip of the iceberg; the show’s Tom Robinson, Will’s ‘mentor’ at school, bumped into Levine on the street.
Evidently they are thankful for their good fortune, and they know how different things could have been. ‘We’re lucky with Steve guiding us,’ emphasises George. ‘There’s such an oversaturation of companies and people that’ll say stuff and never go through with it.’ ‘It’s a minefield of bad managers, record labels and promoters,’ agrees Ed.
How did the Novellos come into the picture? ‘Steve thought we might as well put the track forward, I didn’t even know he’d done it…we got these letters…it was bizarre,’ mumbles a grinning Will.
But young bands get lucky for a reason. And their recently released album proves they won’t just be a one-hit wonder: Will’s vocals have an arresting clarity, and the clean, summery electro-acoustics can shift from sweeping melancholia to grittier up-tempo solos. The well-worn streets of adolescent yearning are recast in glowing riffs. If the eponymous album should be played at a time of day, it should be sunset.
The parabolic progression of the album ends gearing us up for the night. ‘‘The Last Bus’ is the defining flip because the first few songs are pretty mellow and fun, then it gets darker,’ George explains. The flagship song is indeed superbly crafted, and provides the contemplative fulcrum, a nebulous fabric of harmonies woven together by mournful cello strings.
Lyrically, London has made its mark. Will feels indebted to his city: ‘I haven’t really left London for an extended period of time…ever.”‘
Ali finds the band’s variation in styles stems from their different musical upbringings. ‘There’s a lot of musical friction,’ she says, ‘and we’ve only recently realised that’s a good thing’ Her eyes glint as she talks of a jam-packed summer of tours and gigs. ‘New York,’ she sighs. Start spreading the news, because Patch William are here to stay.
