Q&A with The Novellos' Mike Thomas

Courtesy of SONS Records

North Staffordshire band, The Novellos, have fused soul with rock & roll to create quite a stir. Adam Steele (Bass and Vocals), Sam 'Fingers' J Walker (Keys, Brass and Vocals), Eddy Gillespie (Drums, Percussion and Vocals) and Mike Thomas (Guitar and Vocals) have been the current set-up for a few years now. Having received national airplay on Radio 1 and confident backing from SONS Records, lead singer Mike Thomas speaks to Folkopops about the bands re-release of single The Lady Is Not For Turning.

Folkopops: Why have you chosen to re-release the single The Lady Is Not For Turning?

Mike: The Lady Is Not For Turning has always served us as a great live track, to re-release it remixed and re-mastered exclusively on vinyl is a big deal to us. It was our first single on Sons and it definitely captures our live feel on record. We wouldn’t re-release unless we thought a revision of the track was truly worth it, and with the sound we’re getting out of the SONS studio now, it truly was worth revisiting.

What were your reactions when it reached No3 in the Indie Charts in 2008?

Well, as you can imagine, absolutely ecstatic. It was a great time for the label. We had four artists in the top 5 that week (This is Seb Clarke snatched No1 off The Futureheads). We had a live session for Steve Lamacq the day we got the news, needless to say a lot of time was spent down the pub afterwards!

How would you describe your music? Who are your influences?

With the Novellos, I’d say it’s pretty easy to strip down the tracks and see the influences behind them. We all take a lot of stock in the early soul scene and 60’s beat music. Think Billy Preston, Spencer Davies Group, the Revolver and Rubber Soul albums – I suppose the aim is raw-feeling brass-led punk-pop rock & roll. We strive more for Blondie meets Dexy’s Midnight Runners than another Mark Ronson-ified indie-band.

Why ‘The Novellos’?

I think it’s easy to get carried away with ‘the meaning behind the name’- I could say it’s a back reference to Ivor Novello as a tip of the hat to a great song writer, but really, the name just felt right and was one of few we could agree on!

Courtesy of SONS Records

Has it been difficult having so many band member switches over the years?

Not at all. We’ve had our fair share of drama, sure. Brothers and best-mates don’t get along forever and when each of you are songwriters there will always be those clichéd creative differences. But you can’t forget we’re here for the same reason, we want to play – the four as we are now has been the same for a long time. I think we’ve got the formula right now.

How did you find the reception of single Not So Sure?

Not So Sure was one of those live-tracks that people always asked us to release. It’s a heavy hitting track that relies on the rhythm section to drive it along. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a love it or a hate it track and it splits the crowd but it out-sold The Lady Is Not For Turning as I think it pulled in a wider audience.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

The Sons showcases never fail us, when you have the likes of Phil Jupitus and Steve Lamacq introducing you with a DJ set you know you’ll get a warmed up crowd. It’s also a chance for all the bands on the label, staff as well, to get together and show what we’re about. The nights always bring a few surprises. Carl Barat and Alex Turner caused their fair shares of drama backstage when they turned up as well!

How was SONS Records affected your career?

To say SONS affected our career is an understatement. Sons has been everything that we are, were and will be. Seb’s (Seb Clarke) a rare producer. He knows how to get the best (sometimes painfully) out of every performance, that goes for live and recording. We’re a DIY with a lot of clout, but not a lot of money and I’m happy to keep it that way.

What does the future hold for The Novellos?

We’re going to be churning out all the singles we’ve been working on these past couple years. It’s nice to have the flexibility of being a singles band. It gives you the opportunity to move in a lot of directions – we’re going to try and get some tour dates in this summer around our releases, perhaps catching the end of the festival season.

Courtesy of SONS Records

Seb Clarke, 40, Company Director of Sons Records & Sonstream, Musician and Songwriter and House Producer for Sons Records was asked about The Novellos.

Why are The Novellos signed to SONS Records?

The Novellos (original line up) approached us in 2006 and we agreed on a 'one release' deal at that point - that turned out to the The Lady Is Not For Turning release. It proved a successful working relationship from that point onwards and there's never been any reason for either party to want to change the set up.

What do you think they can achieve?

I think they could be the next Beatles, if they want to work as hard as did John, Paul, George & Ringo...

Find out more about The Novellos on Facebook and via SONS Records and buy The Lady Is Not For Turning and Not So Sure on iTunes.