A decade ago The Hoosiers exploded upon an unsuspecting public with their debut album The Trick To Life, which hit the top of the album charts and spawned the indie-pop classics ‘Worried About Ray’ and ‘Goodbye Mr A’, which still pack out indie dance floors.
Ten years on, and the band is hitting the road to play The Trick of Life in its entirety.
You'll be able to see it, and hear it, when the band plays MK11 in Milton Keynes on Sunday night (October 1).
Take your pennies too - for the first time, the release will be available in a tasty limited edition vinyl...
Ahead of the show, drummer Alan Sharland talked music with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical senses
I can’t surely be expected to pick one. That’s not fair. And, moreover, it’s impossible. My musical senses have been awakening gradually over many years. So much beautiful music gets lost amongst the dross of popular music. Not to be a snob about this - but I could lose myself in the decades of genius that have gone before before ever having to listen to Ed Sheeran (not that he’s bad - he just isn’t Neil Young, or even Paul Young,) I remember vividly hearing Life on Mars for the first time, and Breakfast in America and then someone introduced me to the Flaming Lips and the productions of Dave Friedmann (mind-blown). The Final Countdown was possibly the first song I heard that got my pre-pubescent juices flowing. Im rambling. Its a good question, soo good I refuse to answer it properly.
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
Digital please, with a side of mushy peas.
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me’
I think you just get tricked into it. It’s very well marketed. The NHS could take a leaf out of its book, as could a lot of other industries. Whoever has a poster of a teacher on their wall, or a nurse (well)? It’s the impossibility of it that draws you in. I just wanted to be in a band, with mates, without a boss.
Your best on stage memory…
Glastonbury - squeezed in-between Vampire Weekend and Ben Folds. What an honour.
And the worst gig you've ever done
Before the ‘success’ - every one of them was memorably/romantically awful - lugging my drum kit through the northern line. Ughh. After - anything we had to mime. The Girl guides gig at the MEN springs to mind.
What made you take up the drums?
They were just so visceral. And accessible - in terms of my ability - the guitar and piano seemed such a long way away in terms of playing a song, whereas, the drums, once I'd learned one or two grooves, worked with almost everything - pop-wise.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you had written
Life on Mars. The chords!!! Oh boy.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
Worried About Ray was just a very neat and tidy pop song - which fell into place really easily. It was the moment that we realised that everything else we had been doing wasn’t good enough; a bar raiser.
Are there any current influences you look to?
Loads - but it’s mainly production values that I get jealous of. Dr Dog, Midlake, Sufjan Stevens and Tame Impala.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
Depends if I had to stay there. Let's just say it was for one tour; I'd probably have a little whirl in Prince's pumps. Firstly, I bet he has some comfy sneakers, and secondly, it would be amazing to feel the confidence of his genius. Not that I’m a big fan of his music even.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
Anything Funky. So, Funk.
Finally, plug your show in Milton Keynes - what can we expect?
We are getting stronger and stronger live. And playing the Trick to Life from beginning to end. There is always a surprise or 2 at our shows, good or bad.
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