'Cowboy' builders play country in the city

WHEN Sheffield band Dead Like Harry decided to record their debut album with Alan Smyth – renowned producer to the likes of Pulp, Arctic Monkeys and Richard Hawley – they ended up striking a rather unusual deal to finance it.

For three months last year they put down their instruments and slaved away as builders, helping to construct and renovate Smyth's new 2 Fly Studio on John Street.

"We did everything from tearing out all the old factory fittings to making the walls," laughs vocalist and guitarist Sam Taylor. "We were literally on our hands and knees for the bulk of the time, though Alan would pop in and accuse us of sitting around reading the paper."

Clearly this is a band with supreme dedication to their cause. But now that the fruits of Dead Like Harry's labour can be heard, it is clear that there's more to them than a simple willingness to graft for studio time.

They may be good friends with fellow Sheffield bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Reverend and the Makers, but their own sound couldn't be more different from their contemporaries.

Know The Joy of Good Living, released on Feb 15, is a lively pop album that is wholeheartedly infused with American Country vibes. The jangly guitars, rippling piano and male-female vocal harmonies of Taylor and co-vocalist Alice Faraday lead you to conclude that Dead Like Harry have brought the spirit of Nashville to South Yorkshire. It's not a sound you'd typically associate with the Steel City.

"We're not what you'd expect," agrees Taylor, 25. "We don't sing about going out on Friday night and getting drunk. Me and my brother Matt write the songs. We grew up listening to Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac, and what really got me into Country as a teenager was The Eagles and Ryan Adams.

"We've never intentionally set out to do something different but as we've gone on we've realised that we do stand out against the current fashion. We've almost had to forge our own scene."

It may be tempting at this juncture to crack a joke about "Cowboy builders", but the young sextet's unusual approach has been making a real impact on both the local and national consciousness. They've been championed by influential Radio DJ Steve Lamacq, were picked by

Q Magazine to play Glastonbury last year and recently played to a crowd

of 6,000 at Sheffield Hallam FM Arena.

The band are also fully independent in a way that has been made infinitely more possible by the internet. A lack of major label backing may have necessitated their work-for-studio-time deal with Smyth, but the benefits include greater creative freedom and direct access to their fanbase. Know The Joy of Good Living will be released on the

band's own label and made available on the web through 700 online stores.

"Labels have less money now, so bands have to create their own buzz," says Taylor. "You have to take your music out there and play a lot of gigs. With the internet you can build your own fanbase."

Dead Like Harry formed in 2007, when the Taylor brothers and their old school friend Alice Faraday joined forces with bassist Robin Baker, guitarist John Redgrave and drummer Adam Crofts.

The Taylor brothers had been playing music around the pubs and clubs of Sheffield since their mid-teens, going on to perform with an earlier band at venues like The Boardwalk.

The Sheffield music boom has been a story of personal connections and influences, and Taylor's time at The Boardwalk confirms this.

"I was about 20, and there was me, Alex Turner and the lads from Reverend and the Makers all working behind the bar," he recalls. "Little Man Tate were there, too. We all shared ideas and supported each other. That's how a lot of scenes happen."

Just a few years on, The Arctic Monkeys have become nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, while Reverend and the Makers and the recently disbanded Little Man Tate have also made their mark.

Other acts, such as acclaimed singer-songwriter Richard Hawley, continue to impress.

It's not exactly a secret that Sheffield is producing some of today's most potent pop music, and Taylor has his own theories on why.

"It's a city with history. It has real heart, and when all the traditional industry shut down, it was artistic industries that moved into the empty spaces.

"Alan Smyth's studio is where the old steelworks was, and it's a great environment to be in."

Know The Joy of Good Living is released digitally on Feb 15. Hard copies of the album will be available from www.deadlikeharry.co.uk. The band play The Plug in Sheffield on Feb 27, 0114 241 3040, www.the-plug.com

The road to success

Dead Like Harry were formed in 2007, but songwriting brothers Matt and Sam Taylor have been performing in Sheffield since they were 14.

Three years ago, they were joined by old school friend and vocalist Alice Faraday and rhythm section Robin Baker, John Redgrave and Adam Crofts.

They have already supported the likes of Scouting for Girls and

been placed on the same bill as Paul Simon at the Cornbury festival

in Oxford.

Dead Like Harry are currently collaborating with producer Alan Smyth (Richard Hawley, Pulp, Arctic Monkeys) and have been backed by BBC 6 Music DJ Steve Lamacq.