Beggars are a fine choice
THROW your support behind any new band this semester and it ought to be Beggars.
They're wilfully enigmatic, they've got tunes to thrill, looks to die for and even some juicy sibling rivalry to throw into the rock fable: all the essential tools of indie stardom. And just a couple of years into life as a band, they've even got a Pete Doherty anecdote. Top that, Alphabeat.
Pleasingly, all these vital ingredients come together in one story.
Back in February, Beggars got their first slice of Mancunian hospitality when they played at the Apollo as part of a nationwide tour with The Courteeners and Babyshambles.
It was, as the band's blond bombshell, co-frontman and guitarist Justin Girdler tells CityLife, a singularly surreal moment.
"Before we came on, we were standing behind the curtain thinking, 'There's probably 10 people who have heard our music out there'," he remembers.
"Then we got on and had such a great reaction. That was the turning point, the moment that gave us so much confidence, that really turned us into an ambitious band."
Decided
The tour, though, got even weirder when Doherty decided to keep a Glaswegian crowd waiting.
"We were in the dressing room and our tour manager came in to take us to the van after the set. He's a big guy but he looked really nervous.
"He said, 'We're gonna leave now but I want you to stick really close to me. Pete's not turned up and it's all kicking off'.
"We expected to open the door and find nothing out there, but our manager opened the door and this 14-year-old girl punched him in the face and knocked him out. We just looked at each other and said, 'Let's get out of here'."
Luckily, the six months since have been a little smoother for the brothers Girdler (Justin and younger brother James, guitar/vocals) and the two Daniels - drummer Webb and bassist Stargatt.
They've spent much of it in a studio near Scarborough with producer Brendan Lynch (Paul Weller, Primal Scream), putting together their still untitled debut album.
Eponymous
Justin says the record will probably be eponymous, and somehow that's a perfect fit for this mysterious Reading quartet.
So far, they've given fairly limited interviews, and when they grant an audience they rarely give much away. So little, in fact, that they still don't have a page on Wikipedia.
"It's not that we've got anything to hide," smiles Justin.
"We're just sick of seeing bands who are thrown into the limelight for the wrong reasons, because of who they're going out with or what they're wearing.
"We didn't ever set out to be enigmatic any more than we set out to throw our faces everywhere. We never wanted to be that type of band.
"It was really about the music for us. As a new band, I'd rather people have the music first and want to find out about us after that."
CityLife, though, thinks it's time to pull teeth. They're a good looking four piece all under the age of 22 - how's life on the road?
After a pregnant silence, Justin laughs. "What kind of interview is this? Yes, life on the road is... great," he chuckles.
Villages
"We love the idea of discovering the villages and towns of the UK and being on the road - there's something quite poetic about it."
Somehow, Justin has a nose for the tabloid angle and knows how to sidestep it. But his serious outlook suits the band, his roots ("I think my surname comes from someone in my family who used to make armour, It gets misspelled a lot, usually as Gurgler.") and the music that inspired the group.
Talk heroes with Justin and he throws Leonard Cohen, Tim Hardin, Nick Drake and Sly & The Family Stone at you.
If the band had a theme song, it would be The Impressions' The Young Mods' Forgotten Story. Ask him who he'd share a fantasy meal with, and Cohen gets a chair at the table alongside Jack Kerouac and Anthony Hopkins.
Witness their galloping, Coral-meets-Kloot cover of Cohen's The Future (a regular part of their live sets) or Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone and you understand how deep his appreciation goes; CityLife can hardly draw to mind one of their contemporaries that could handle these tracks with such aplomb.
Kinks
Elsewhere, there are hints of The Libertines, The Kinks, The Lovin' Spoonful, even 1990s new-(indie)-romantics Gene.
It's a studiousness that even extends to their moniker. They had at least two aborted attempts at naming themselves - the second, A Beggars Opera, was tweaked down to Beggars.
But CityLife is sworn to secrecy about the first ("We were young and stupid and we just thought it sounded good," Justin dangles about their controversial first choice.
"We didn't realise all the connotations and the history.").
To ensure they didn't make the same mistake, they set off to a library in London and made their way through the shelves of dusty books looking for a Eureka! moment.
It came when Justin stumbled on the 18th century John Gay satire in an old book shop.
"I found this book about quintessential British plays and I thought, "We're a very British band'. It just seemed to fit."
With the media buzz rising, they dropped it to Beggars.
Headline
This weekend, they hit Manchester as part of their first headline tour - a 21-dater with plenty of sold out nights. How are the nerves holding out?
"The best bit is being in that van with my brother and my two best friends, being able to play and express yourselves as people," he smiles, fondly, a twinkle in his eye, "{hellip}and signing autographs at the end!"
Beggars play Night & Day on Sunday, September 21. £6. Call 0161 832 1111.
Published: Tue, 02 September, 2008
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