Aberystwyth was lacking in any sort of credible music scene when the band Race Horses were growing up, there were just the usual pop and parental influences to take in.
Thank goodness then for the tuba, which is how singer Meilyr Jones first discovered his love of music. And he studied it at the Royal Academy of Music, don’t you know.
But when those student days were over, something with a much quirkier edge was needed. Four friends and a love of music spanning decades and genres, and Race Horses were born.
With a debut album and an EP already under their belt, it’s easy to draw comparisons between their Welsh psychedelic elders, especially Gorky’s. Race Horses have the same blend of Welsh atoned spoken parts, the Soft Machine influence, churchy organ and sweet harmonies. It’s blatant pop verging on early Beatles simplicity, sitting comfortably amongst its subtle strangeness.
But these boys – two living in Cardiff and two still living in north Wales – add their own unique twist, which can be heard in the weird and wonderful pop tunes of ‘Isle Of Ewe’, ‘Pony’ and ‘Cacen Magmu’, raucous with a hint of Oliver!
“When we were at school, everyone was listening to The Libertines, but I was more into Emerson, Lake And Palmer, krautrock and [Captain] Beefheart,” says Meilyr, happily chatting as he steps off the train in London in time for a Radio One interview.
“In West and North Wales, there wasn’t much of an outside influence. There are not even any motorways in Aberystwyth. I hadn’t even heard anything near the avant-garde until I moved to London to study, where I mainly listened to Strauss and John Cage. That upbringing is why we’re all suckers for pop at heart. I love a bit of Abba and Queen.”
“But now,” he continues, “the main thing for us is to make something new, and that’s difficult to do these days. You have to push your mind to an extreme level.”
Citing Sixties pop, prog and krautrock amongst their musical loves, the band’s tastes are seriously wide-ranging and bring in garage, funk and soul and Indian, all of which can be heard in their debut.
But influences on the Race Horses run much deeper than musical ancestry. Films like Eyes Wide Shut, Vertigo and Antichrist have played a huge part, as has photography.
“It’s important to create a narrative in your song, especially in the lyrics. You can write the best tune, but it wouldn’t mean anything to me if it had soulless lyrics,” says Meilyr, recalling how he pens his songs on the album and in his own work. “My lyrics feature a lot of death, a lot about relationships, but also a lot of everyday observations. I once wrote a whole mini album about fruit and veg,” he says. “For me, I also like to get inside someone else’s head and write from their perspective, showing their mental side. It’s just storytelling.”
This hybrid of sounds and smells is doing Race Horses well. The band flits between home and London, playing all around the UK and deepening their carbon footprint with many a journey across seas. Catch them if you can.
Words by Gemma Hampson
Where: West and North Wales. Pobol y Cwm.
What: Psychedelic pop from some Welsh speaking lovelies.
Unique Fact: Singer Meilyr studied tuba at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Get 3 songs: ‘Pony’, ‘Isle Of Ewe’, ‘Cacen Magmu’
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Right Guard Presents: Off Guard Gigs at Bestival 2010
Watch an exclusive acoustic performance of ‘Alpine Resort’ by Race Horses, brought to you from the intimate setting of the Right Guard camper van HERE and check out more of our coverage at our Off Guard Gigs hub page HERE.
