These guys have a lot to look forward to next year. The Fanclub’s orchestral indie pop has seen praise lavished on it, and they only have two singles out. Gareth O’Malley had words with Josh Todd and Lewis Tobia last week, discussing things such as how their year went, their plans for the next one (including, of course, that all-important debut album) and what records floated their boat in 2010.

—

Describe your sound - we want to hear it ‘from the horse’s mouth’.

Josh: Morose rock. Music for a rainy day.

Lewis: We try to make the most honest music we can. We’ve never been reluctant to share and credit our influences but we just try to make the kind of sound we want to make.

—

How’s the album coming along?

Josh: The album is coming together very nicely indeed thanks. We’ve decided on the bulk of songs we want to go into the studio with and can’t wait to get started. A lot of the songs have been with us for a long time so it is great to finally be at this stage.

Lewis: It’s nerve-racking as you only get to make one debut album. We’re so keen to get it perfect and make sure every word and every note deserves a place on the album.

—

Have you guys ‘found’ your sound yet, or are there other avenues you’re keen to explore?

Lewis: We’re both open to new ideas and sometimes we listen to totally different types of music. We’ve always found that by respecting each other’s influences and embracing how they effect either Josh’s songwriting or my lyrics then we tend to make the most progress. So a lot of our genre or content is directly influenced through what we’re going through at the time, so it’s impossible to predict what we’ll sound like next year. 

Josh: We seem pretty settled on our brand of sombre rock for the time being. I’ll never rule out a shift in sound though. I think it’s important to keep developing as a musician, and if this leads us to other avenues then I will fully embrace this.

—

What was your favourite Fanclub moment of 2010?

Lewis: The first time we rehearsed with our string section. Afterwards we really realised that we were finally going in the right direction. It was a really big moment.

Josh: This was the turning point really.

—

Has playing live shaped the direction of the band?

Lewis: Absolutely. We’ve had to really think about how we play songs live due to adding strings to the band. We used to mess around with a lot of tunings too and it gets to the point where you just want to avoid all the hassle and play.

Josh: Certainly. When we were a three-piece we felt compelled to make more noise and move around. Performing with the strings has helped us develop a more intimate sound and I think this comes across in the songs we are now writing.

—

Finally, what was your favourite album of this year?

Josh: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Lewis: Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man

—

Here’s a Christmas single, a cover of Chris De Burgh’s ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’:

A Spaceman Came Traveling by Underdogs

Here’s ‘Poets Die Too’:

The Fanclub - Poets Die Too by Underdogs