The Ordinary Boys: ‘By the End of That Phone Call We Had Put the Band Page 1 of Back Together’ 5

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The Ordinary Boys: ‘By the end of that phone call we had put the band back together’

As they release their first album in a decade, Jack Davies speaks to Preston from The Ordinary Boys about what the future holds for the reformed four-piece

Tuesday 20 October 2015

It’s been a tumultuous last ten years for the man born Samuel Preston, lead singer of The Ordinary Boys. There’s been a stint in the wider public eye following his 2006 appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, a marriage (and subsequent divorce) to fellow contestant Chantelle Houghton, a much remembered and somewhat ill-fated appearance on anarchic quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and a successful career as a songwriter for other artists (Preston co-wrote Olly Murs’ number one single ‘Heart Skips a Beat’). But now, Preston has returned his attentions to the band that made him famous, the result being their eponymous new album.

The Ordinary Boys is an energetic, high-octane set of songs that sees the band return to the sound of their earliest material, particularly that of their 2004 debut Over the Counter Culture. The band reforming, though, seems to have been far from planned.

“I had had a little falling out with Charlie, the original drummer from our debut, and I figured that, after all this time, I should call him up and make peace. By the end of that phone call we had put the band back together and were planning an album and a tour.” http://nouse.co.uk/2015/10/20/the-ordinary-boys-by-the-end-of-that-phone-call-we- Archived 11 Dec 2018 had-put-the-band-back-together 10:28:06 Nouse Web Archives The Ordinary Boys: ‘By the end of that phone call we had put the band Page 2 of back together’ 5

“If you are going to do something you might as well do it properly

C”onsidering the shotgun nature of their return, the band seem remarkably in tune with one another. Preston is definitely buoyed by having the original members back in the band, and the music making has been far from a chore. There is genuine affection between the band members here.

“I’m definitely really lucky to have an excuse to hang out with my childhood pals. We have been making music together since we were 12. It’s actually only the second record after the debut album that we have done with the original drummer Charlie, and he is such an integral part of the band.”

Perhaps this new-found feeling of unity then is the source of the overwhelmingly positive energy that feels almost palpable in the album (Preston: “It was such a fun recording process and the songs are a lot of fun, so that makes this great energetic outburst”). He dubs The Ordinary Boys his “joint favourite” album along with their aforementioned debut.

That’s not to say that the album is just the same thing recycled. The lead single, ‘Four Letter Word’ is a raucous 3-minute bridge between the band’s original punk-hardcore roots and a newer, more melancholy edge. Much of the album is quintessentially Ordinary Boys (see ‘I’m Leaving You and I’m Taking You with Me’), and then there’s songs like closing-track ‘Disposable Anthems’; a sweet, melodic tune that suggests The Ordinary Boys have designs to continue to evolve their sound in the future. http://nouse.co.uk/2015/10/20/the-ordinary-boys-by-the-end-of-that-phone-call-we- Archived 11 Dec 2018 had-put-the-band-back-together 10:28:06 Nouse Web Archives The Ordinary Boys: ‘By the end of that phone call we had put the band Page 3 of back together’ 5

Perhaps this new sound is owed in part to the addition of new guitarist, Louis Jones, of lauded indie-pop outfit Spectrals. When questioned about what Louis has brought to the table, Preston says “well he’s way better at guitar than me for a start”, and describes him as his “instant first choice” when it transpired the band would need to recruit a new guitarist.

In spite of Louis adding an extra level of skill and slickness to the band, Preston is still “apprehensive” about touring. And with good reason; the band embark on a monolithic 27-date UK tour commencing this autumn. With no breaks. One can’t help but wonder whether this will leave them rocking maniacally back and forth in their underpants questioning their existence.

“We want to keep putting records out as often as we can find the time to do

“”It was only once my friends started congratulating me on doing a tour with no days off that I realised what an undertaking this was”, Preston confirms. But he maintains “if you are going to do something you might as well do it properly”. Properly indeed.

The focus right now for Preston is very much solely on the music. Gone are the days of reality TV, showbiz weddings and disastrous panel show appearances (the less said about the infamous Buzzcocks walk-off the better). Being out of the spotlight has allowed the band to concentrate on their songwriting and recording without any inconvenient distractions. This, perhaps, has also contributed to the fresher sound of The Ordinary Boys, which has seen them produce an album of genuine quality and exorcise the demons of that questionable third album How To Get Everything You Ever Wanted In Ten Easy Steps.

Preston, though, still appears pragmatic when assessing the chances of The Ordinary Boys breaking the top twenty. “I guess that’s not been our intention. We haven’t really pushed this record because we are just testing the water.” The band’s three previous albums all broke into the top twenty and they intend to “aim slightly higher next time”, although chart positions seem to currently be unimportant to a http://nouse.co.uk/2015/10/20/the-ordinary-boys-by-the-end-of-that-phone-call-we- Archived 11 Dec 2018 had-put-the-band-back-together 10:28:06 Nouse Web Archives The Ordinary Boys: ‘By the end of that phone call we had put the band Page 4 of back together’ 5

group that aim mainly to find their feet in a constantly changing music industry that they’ve been away from for ten years.

So what next for The Ordinary Boys? Preston is keen to emphasise the fact that having enjoyed making this album so much, the band thoroughly intend to make more music in the near future: “We want to keep putting records out as often as we can find the time to do. It would be great to spend a little more time and money on recording and having more time to promote it. I think with how good it feels to be releasing our own music again I will definitely be back in the studio with the boys very soon”.

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