Music: Big Deal – Signed to Brighton label Fat Cat

American Kacey Underwood met Alice Costelloe whilst living in London in 2010, teaching her some songs on the guitar. Not only did love blossom but so did Big Deal, the band they formed as a duo. They quickly released the lo-fi acoustic grungey ‘Lights Out’ the following year, followed by ‘June Gloom’, released on the legendary Mute label. Around this time they expanded to a four-piece, bringing in drums and more guitars. But despite touring with Depeche Mode and winning critical and popular acclaim, Mute, in an ever challenging financial world, decided not to renew their contract. This, however, only gave them the impetus to move forward… “We just went back in and made a record,” says Kacey, whilst on the road for the first date of their UK tour. “The only way we could do that was fund it ourselves and then shop it around. We didn’t have deadlines to give us extra stress or the label coming down to check out what was happening.
“We thought about raising the money publicly, but that gives us the heebee jeebies. So, we borrowed the money from our parents, and luckily our parents are fans.” So they will get a free copy of the record when it is released? “You would think so,” laughs Kacey, but no, ‘we are buying it’! My parents are really big music fans. My first experiences of falling in love with music was my dad’s records, like Hendrix, Creedence, Beatles, Led Zeppelin.”
Their new album, ‘Say Yes’, is to be released on the highly regarded Brighton-based label Fat Cat. “As well as the heritage that Fat Cat has, they don’t rest on that, they release really good records year in, year out. Like Honey Blood’s record. Me personally, I’m not that impressed by most of today’s indie rock records. But those bands that Fat Cat releases are just good bands, releasing really really good records.”
Hope & Ruin, Saturday 18 June, 8pm, £8