The Attic People
In this case, it‟s a band comprised of students. Folk(ish) band The Attic People met at uni and developed in venues across the city, as Crystal (vox) explains: “It started growing after an evening out, Katie showed me some of her lyrics and we started experimenting,” she says. “I joined the band she was in at the time for a gig. After a show we got talking to some lovely ladies who were on our course, who wanted to get involved...so then came Alice, Kareni (both vox) & Suvi (djembe drum) to practice with. We went to MilkwoodJam to do our first open mic. Friends came to watch with other friends, among them was Anton who said he could play guitar, and Steve (keyboards), meaning that they came to practice too.
There are more in the band too, which certainly adds something a little different, according to Finnish Suvi: “We sound down to earth and that we are really having fun with this band thing.” Alice elaborates: “I still feel a little shell shocked about how it‟s all come together so quickly,” she says. “It‟s really exciting and I think our excitement comes through in our music and gigs.” And while The Attic People are an enthusiastic posse, being students presents some unique challenges, as Katie (guitar, vox) explains: “It's pretty difficult to practice when we're not in Swansea,” she says. “With two of us over the ocean, and the rest of us dotted around the UK, it's a big commute for a jam! But we all keep coming up with new songs, music, and lyrics individually. Swansea‟s just where all these elements are brought together, and luckily for us it works out brilliantly.”
One of those overseas members is Toronto native Steve (keyboards), how does it compare with South Wales? “It's obviously much smaller than Toronto, but Swansea is a perfect example of „quality over quantity,'” he says. “It's lively, but not so busy that you're constantly watching to make sure you don't walk into a stranger. And then there's he sea...”Steve also notes a difference in the way bands are here, compared to Canada: “It might not be the biggest, but it's really refreshing when you play music in a place where everyone shares the same common goal of simply spreading some musical love,” he says. “On the other hand, while Toronto's band community is massive compared to Swansea's, it's sometimes so painfully obvious that every up-and-coming indie band is trying to top the next, and it's less fun for everyone that way.”
The Attic People even recorded their demo in their friend‟s attic, but Katie cites another student restriction when it comes to EP‟s and albums: “We did our first recording in our friend, Sera Rabbett‟s attic but we'd be very excited to do a studio recording and get our music further afield,” she says, “but at the moment we're all studying hard as well as playing around South Wales.
Keeping the balance between work and play is crucial, but it will be another story once we've graduated!” Alice describes their live shows as “involving the audience and showing our appreciation for them coming to see us, and trying to make everyone feel welcome and happy.” They‟re playing at the Vault on the 16th.
Catch them on myspace.com/theatticpeople and facebook.com/theatticpeople.
