» Sweet Sweet Lies
Sweet Sweet Lies’ Dominic Von Trapp tells us what boys are really made of…
It’s always heartening to see a Brighton band break out of the confines of their local environment, often after plenty of toiling, a stream of people telling you you’re great, and a musical environment that often goes against you.
“The low point for us was when we felt everything was still in the grip of the skinny indie jeans brigade. The sort of stuff we were doing just wasn’t get any press attention,” says Domonic Von Trapp, lead singer of Sweet Sweet Lies, a fixture on the Brighton scene for the last three years. “But the attention that bands like Mumford and Sons are getting was a gift to us. There are other bands like Fleet Foxes and Stornaway, that fit into this loose acoustic style that is suddenly becoming favoured.”
While Sweet Sweet Lies don’t in any way sound like Mumford or Fleet, “…people are prepared to give this stuff a go; the charts are filled with all sorts of different music at the moment.”
Along with Dominic the band’s feature fellow songwriter and guitarist Michael Hayes, Ken Box (piano), Matt Sparkes (bass), Toby Horton (drums) and Kris Jones (trumpet). It all began in Brighton in 2007, when Dominic and Michael found themselves both at Sussex University. The pair musically bonded over their shared love of The Beatles, Dylan, Leonard Cohen and The Magnetic Fields (Dominic’s favourite band). But, despite a flirtation with a local label and some general industry interest, things didn’t really take off until they went to record at Brighton Electric on the Lewes Road. “Russell Keffert (who has engineered and produced for bands like Blur and Larrikin Love), saw our potential and we worked very well together. He introduced us to Supervision (who count Kaiser Chiefs amongst their roster).”
With more resources at their disposal, the band have recorded an album, are about to set off on a 20 date tour and will see one of their signature songs, ‘Overrated Girlfriend’, released as a single on 19 April. “It’s based on feelings of inadequacy, about how you rate someone too highly at the beginning of a relationship. Men do that a lot… put girls on a pedestal, and then things come crashing down” As well as the tough lyricism within the song, it’s also a perfect example of the sound that they have become known for, a sweet yet sour delectation. “We’ve always blended soft sounds with hard sounds – a kiss with a bite. It’s often gentle and then we throw in an expletive, to knock you off balance!”
Dominic’s strong and noir-cabaretesque voice is the tool that brings it all together though. “My dad used to play a lot of Motown, and I liked those big male voices. There’s something beautiful and yet still masculine about that sound.”
The bands name sums it all up. “It’s a paradox, nice and nasty, a reflection of our music.”
Tuesday 27 April, Club NME, Audio
