New Blood: Lights. Action!

What's the point of aspiring to play a 150 capacity venue? muses Karl Bareham. It's a stark beginning, but the ambitions of his band, Lights. Action! are not necessarily those of your average rock outfit. "We want our songs to still be relevant in 20 years time," he tells The Skinny, "that is our ultimate goal, to make a difference." There's a flutter of portentousness in the way Karl talks, but from the off, Lights. Action! make it clear that they will never be content to become just another rock band. "We aren't scared of saying we want to sell records," he says, "there's nothing wrong with that."

Karl discusses Lights. Action! in a way that betrays their, as yet, unsigned status. With all of the band either financially struggling or holding down day jobs, he still speaks of the 'business decisions' of signing to small labels and lays down a series of attacks towards the global rock scene. "Ultimately, great music will always outlast a bunch of posers who can't play properly," he asserts, "that's the reason why The Beatles, U2, etc. have sold millions of records."

With a sound that wavers on the verges of all that is mainstream, Karl doesn't talk about success as a possibility, but as a certainty. With comparisons ranging from The Killers to the Foo Fighters, one listen to Lights. Action! leaves the listener understanding why. Filled to the brim with huge hooks and atmospheric synths, the attachment to pop music is touched on as directly as rock music. "You can learn so much form pop music, take ideas and adapt them to something that will work for you in your own context." It's an easy formula, but Karl takes no steps to defend it, resolutely stating his belief that, "it just so happens that what we like is generally thought of as accessible."

There's something about Lights. Action! that is laden with the same cocky flare on which so much rock music is inherently based, from their stance on fashion in music to their treatment of the press, they have an unfaltering belief in themselves and what they do. Pointing to the differences that subtly define them from their contemporaries, rather than the glaring similarities, it's impossible to miss the irony when Karl closes by saying, "we'll always be the outsiders, but we like that."