Three teenage boys pack their bags and head to University. Between chugging pints of snakebite and the awkward sexual encounters of further education, their paths cross and they end up forming their own band. Same old, same old. Except Tall Ships aren’t your average rock band.
With influences from Battles and Sigor Ros, Tall Ships use experimental rock as the foundation while fusing their sound with sonic rhythms and wielding guitars. Favouring a more stripped-back approach, lead singer Ric Phethean fails to identify with some of the comparisons.
“We get tagged with the whole ‘math rock’ thing quite a lot, which is a bit strange. We are not particularly clever with time signatures and use straightforward chord sequences too.” But it’s in fact this understated simplicity that makes Tall Ships so intriguing.
Now based in Brighton, the band hail from Cornwall, which is where they chose to return for their second EP ‘There Is Nothing But Chemistry Here’. “We recorded it in this surfboard workshop on the sand dunes of Hayle beach. We lived there for seven days recording, eating and sleeping out of this one room,” explains Ric.
Having toured with 65 Days Of Static, Tall Ships take their show on the road later this year and at last tackle that debut long player. Based on the evolution across just two EPS, both this leftfield trio and their fans appear destined for a very happy new year.
Words by Laura Routledge
Where: Brighton
What: Sonic experimental rhythmic rock
Unique Fact: The band all started in various Green Day tribute bands.
Get 3 songs: ‘Plate Tectonics’, ‘Snow’, ‘Bear’
