If you've been hearing about THE CAST OF CHEERS on the radio recently, you might be wondering why everyone's talking about a TV show that ended years ago - I know I did.
But The Cast Of Cheers also happens to be a Dublin math rock band, and the hype they're receiving at the moment isn't just because of their cute Irish accents.
While the name might sound unusual for a band - although really, given that we've got The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Black Joe Lewis And The Honey Bears it isn't that strange - the foursome are no newcomers to the music scene, playing for years in various bands before coming together late in 2009 as The Cast Of Cheers - a name that was initially added to their shortlist of band names as a joke, but which ended up being the one they liked most.
Their album Family and the single of the same name are being billed as their debut - yet you might wonder what they've been doing for the almost 3 years that they've been together if this is their first set of recordings. In actuality, Family is their second album, but the first, Chariots, a digital album that they offered for free download off their Bandcamp, never got a physical release. Chariots, recorded while they were still unsigned, did however receive widespread acclaim, and it's a pity that the release of Family is something of a reboot similar to those comic book series' often undergo, with their past works rendered almost nonexistent, and hardly a mention of Chariots amidst the bands' online presence.
The band takes inspiration from the books they read, the video games they play and the music that they themselves listen to, their wide range of influences evident in the pastiche laden lyrics, intricate guitar work and heavy drums on Family. Their music is original, highly danceable and catchy enough that they stand out amongst all the other new music playing on the radio.
They'll be in Australia in July, supporting Django Django and will be playing Splendour in the Grass.
Words by Desiree Conceicao.
