Seafood - Forget What You've Heard

Seafood, now where have you heard that name? Celebrated only by certain elements of the music press, for ten years this band have been making steady ripples (but never waves) on the underground indie scene. However, with the release of their fifth album and a recent string of sell-out dates across the UK, the tide may be about to change. The Skinny spoke to lead singer David Line about this exciting time for a band who are dealing with demons and defying expectations.

Most often drawing comparisons with American indie rock outfits, there is a distinctly British sound to Seafood; guitar distortion is offset by David's English accent and the subtler, less frenetic pace that Seafood employ sets them apart from the staple college rock sound. Although difficult to pigeonhole, Seafood are relatively easy to describe, as one reviewer succinctly put it; "beautiful songs with loud guitars."

Their most recent tour proved that they have "established ourselves as a cult band," Line believes; returning from a two year hiatus they were selling out medium sized venues having done no more in terms of advertising than post the information on their MySpace page. "The tour was amazing, one of the best we've ever done. Glasgow in particular was special, only there and the Barfly in London could we do the 'stop and let the crowd sing'." Following the amicable departure of bassist Kevin Hendrick and recurring health problems for David, the success of the recent tour was also important as a morale booster; "We're constantly being called 'indie underdogs' and it gets really tiring, We're a band full of confidence now, and we're really, really good live."

Upcoming release 'Paper Crown King' is another satisfying achievement; "We're really, really happy with the new album... this is my favourite record so far, we just went 'We don't care anymore.'" Mixed in New York by Eli Janney of Girls Against Boys, David explains that this was a sound the band had wanted to achieve for some time, "this album is the closest we've come to capturing how we sound live, we're a different beast onstage; heavier, more erratic."

This excitement and enthusiasm is perhaps surprising from a group who, by their own admission, have been consistently overlooked; "We've been pretty much ignored by the style makers. People like us and respect us, but no-one champions us. Obviously the NME are basically a youth culture magazine, but it's a shame they can't support a British band who have been around for so long when others have sunk without a trace."

With a palpable excitement about the release of the album and upcoming UK dates, David sums up an attitude that seems common among bands who work on their music rather than their image; "We've accepted who we are and if bigger things happen, that's great, but we're not going to worry about it."