IT’S almost impossible to write an article about The Strypes without mentioning their touchstones Dr Feelgood.

It’s the sweaty R’n’B sound the four teenagers from Cavan, in Northern Ireland, wanted to emulate when they first picked up their instruments. And according to bassist Pete O’Hanlon it was the attitude they wanted to take against “the real s*** that has come out in the last 20 years”.

“Dr Feelgood were around in the mid-1970s when the space-age prog rock got way out of hand,” he says on the eve of the band’s first US tour.

“Everyone was off their faces on drugs and talking about minotaurs – Feelgood said, ‘Let’s make it rock and roll again – let’s make it class and fun again’.”

He admits there’s no way today a band can influence a whole generation in the same way again – pointing to the Arctic Monkeys as the last UK guitar band to properly chart.

“It’s harder for guitar bands because of streaming, it’s harder to make an effect on younger people because it’s easier to listen to s*** music.”

Musical influences

It’s not stopped his band from adopting a Feelgood-esque hard-edged and prolific work ethic though.

They may have released debut album Snapshot late last year, but The Strypes are already working on new material, with an EP due out very soon.

“We recorded Snapshot in May and released it in September,” says O’Hanlon. “We did as much of it live as we could.

“We couldn’t do a whole album for two years and get sick of it. We tried to do it as quickly as possible and keep it fun for ourselves – make the album as new to us as it was to our audience.”

Helping them was legendary punk producer Chris Thomas, who encouraged the band to record and mix a track a day.

“It was quick in one way, but slow in the other half of the day when we were just sat there doing nothing,” admits O’Hanlon. “When we got a song completely mixed at the end of the day though, it felt like we could forget about it and move on.”

The follow-up EP has seen the band move away from the three-chord R’n’B template to adopt a punkier attitude – with O’Hanlon pointing to the likes of The Clash and Rockpile as major influences.

And there was another legend on hand to help them record it.

“We did three of the tracks in Paul Weller’s studio Black Barn,” says O’Hanlon, who adds the former Jam frontman even collaborated with the band on one of the tracks.

“We did the last track with Jim Abbiss who did some of the Arctic Monkeys early stuff. He was a different style of producer – a much more machinery-involved non-live thing. It was nice to see how different producers worked.

“With an EP you can do what you want – you can test new ground.

“We want to see where the songs go with this EP – it’s a departure from traditional R’n’B.

“We will see what we come up with over the next few months. It’s still going to be great rock ’n’ roll – we’re not going to bust out and do a disco album!”

The Strypes live shows are providing some variety for the band too.

In the past year they have moved from tiny club dates – including a memorable show upstairs at Brighton’s Mrs Fitzherbert’s in New Road, when Elton John was a surprise guest of honour – to the UK’s 800-plus capacity venues.

Throw into the mix a European support slot for the Arctic Monkeys playing to crowds of 10,000 or more, and a return to the club scene with their upcoming US jaunt, and it makes for a slightly schizophrenic live existence.

“It’s nice to play to audiences who are getting to know the set in the UK,” says O’Hanlon.

“The Arctic Monkeys shows were a baptism of fire – we tried to play the essence of the first album and a couple of live favourites in our half-hour.

“It was a statement of intent to brand-new audiences, 10,000 people who had never even heard of us.

“The US will be a whole new experience for us – we’re really looking forward to it. The buzz of playing to audiences who have never heard of you. It’s nice to play clubs and not know if anyone will be there.

“We will be a new band in another country, feeding their music back to them. They’ve lost sight of it – somebody has to tell them!”

Support from Raglans.

  • The Strypes, Concorde 2, Madeira Drive, Brighton, Wednesday, February 12
  • Doors 7pm, SOLD OUT. Call 01273 673311 for returns