Blowjobs Or Baked Beans

Cautiously optimistic is the best way to describe Zulu Winter. The band didn't form yonks ago and haven't spent years tinkering around with their sound. Actually, the band only formed early last year. Yes that's right – 2011! No doubt some readers have had biscuits that have been around longer. But all is not what it appears. “Essentially we've been playing together for a long time and have been aware of the music industry and the hype culture that surrounds it. We realised long ago that if we released anything, the attention span of A&R men is about thirty seconds and that they'd want us to release something else immediately,” explains Iain Lock, bass player for Brit indie band Zulu Winter.

Alongside Lock are Will Daunt (vocals and guitar), Dom Millard (keys), Guy Henderson (drums) and Henry Walton (guitar). For all, considering an alternative to music was not an option. Despite the boys only officially forming Zulu Winter last year, their true linage goes back around 12 years. The story goes that the boys, growing up together, all went their separate ways after they'd played only a few gigs – namely to universities all over the UK and Ireland (Walton and Millard played in a Johnny Rotten tribute band, The Next Pistols).

But life has a funny way of reuniting folk to ensure passions and inspirations are not wasted. So eventually, the boys all ended up in London. “It's funny as I was studying and working and all of us had other jobs. Before I moved to London, I was in the middle of a four-year university course whilst the others were doing three-year courses. At the end of their three years they said we should move to London to continue where we left off as a band. As I had one year left I deferred as I thought if we wanted to really do this then we should do it properly.”

Doing it properly meant no booze, girls or messing around, which is damn un-music like. He laughs, “We're not eighteen anymore,” he laughs, “and couldn't go around getting pissed. For three years we practised for three evenings a week. Our girlfriends at the time wondered what the hell we were doing as we spent that time locked in a room writing songs.”

Call them crazy, mad or even brave, but the decision to take a chance and opt for a career is to be admired. The rise from music players to music makers took time as they discovered that their natural instinct to have fun could develop into something more substantial. “We were having fun by playing together and didn't think about anything else,” Lock insists.

Lock's being modest, damn modest. The Brits' strategy was carefully constructed and well executed. Their approach is more easy does it than full steam ahead, which Lock says comes back to their combined observation that A&R men generally have the attention span of children. “We wanted to have at least eighteen songs ready and decided eighteen songs was a good number before we gave anything to anybody. Then if someone really liked our music, we'd have more ready to go. It's a reaction to the current climate of A&R.”

That current climate brought out the best and worst in the industry. “One A&R guy said if we went with an independent label all we'd get is baked beans. He then went on to say if we signed with a major label we'd get Oscars and blowjobs. We choose baked beans,” he laughs.

For a few months they worked at their own pace, buried deep in a studio until they were happy with what was produced. The result was two songs listed on a blog, and only then was Zulu Winter born. And then things went nuts. “Suddenly we had a fair bit of interest and it was like everyone wanted to speak with us.”

Because they signed to an independent label, Lock says they feel much more at home and supported. “The independents have been really sensitive to our creative needs.”

It has been 12 years since Zulu Winter first jammed as a unit. Fast forward to 2012 and the boys are playing to sell-out crowds across Europe and sharing stage time with the likes of Friendly Fires. They have also released a debut album, Language, which is typical of what the band is about: edgy, punchy beats accompanied by morose pop undertones. Lock has another way of describing their music. “At the risk of putting us into a box I say it is groove-based atmospheric pop,” he laughs. “Or I simply say that our music is good. You know, it's pop but we try to show some depth with catchy melodies with a layering of solid grooves.”

The songwriting experience is another plus for the band as it's a collaborative effort. “I enjoy and love writing with the guys as it's essentially five mates making music together. That is what's lovely about it. Because we know each other so well we're not afraid to say to each other 'Oh, that bass line sounds crap.' We all have different influences so maybe our next album will be boring,” he laughs.

It's been said Zulu Winter represent a different breed of band. They're knowledgeable, well-read, smart and have a clear tactic. Not to say bands before them are lacking in cognitive ability; it's more that Zulu Winter represent a different positioning. Zulu Winter is five book-loving lads who have carved a slot between pop and post-Coldplay. “I don't know if we're anything different. If you're not just interested in booze and birds and actually focus on the music, you find everyone has a plan. And anyway, a lot of other bands are posh public school boys,” he jests.

Still, the feeling and buzz around the boys is consistent: they could be “the ones”, or so some say. Hell, they're even managed by the same crew as The Kaiser Chiefs and The Vaccines.

In good news for Aussie fans, and after a false start with their last proposed tour, they're heading Down Under. Lock says they didn't make their scheduled April date because they couldn't afford it. “This time it's different and I've never been to Australia. I can't wait.”

Lock has a simple message for Australian fans curious to hear what Zulu Winter is about: “To be honest we always say make your own mind up.”