Seeing them onstage as performers, The Zutons look exactly the same way they sound. They play danceable surf rock that sounds straight out of a horror movie, and they represent it with long hair flipping everywhere, angular cut black outfits, good time harmonies, and a perpetual Charleston dance - and that's just their saxophonist, Abi Harding. Put this kinetic sax axer in the mix with four fellow Liverpudlian rockers, and you've got one of the best live shows in the Orlando area in recent memory.
With Harding, the band is made up of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist David McCabe, leading guitarist Boyan Chowdhury, bassist Russell Pritchard and drummer Sean Payne. With all of the kinetic energy and hand-clapping sing-alongs in their show, no one in the House of Blues on Nov. 22 could deny that a great time was had watching and listening to The Zutons - especially in comparison to the somewhat stoic Killers that soon followed. That audience participation and love of music, of course, is what The Zutons are all about.
"If people are there to see you and you're not enjoying yourself, it's a bit s***tier," Payne said. Speaking with what he calls a "Celtic" accent that is often mistaken for Scottish, Irish, or Austrailian, Payne answers questions about his band, their purpose and their style in a very comfortable, affable way. When asked what motivates them onstage, he said, "Partly, it's because we enjoy the music we're playing, partly it's for the crowd...it drains you when the crowd doesn't give back."
The band formed in 2002 in Liverpool. According to Payne, each of the band members had been playing in different bands in the area and each found themselves not compatible with these other bands. Through the Liverpool music scene, they al gained a mutual appreciation for the way each other played, and "it all worked out."
While there is a great deal of buzz aboutr the band's enormous appreciation for horror flicks, Payne said this isn't what brought them together.
"We like a lot of offbeat films, Hitchcock, and the occassional B-movie is good," he said. "People think we're obsessed with B-movies, but we're not. The name [of the band] doesn't mean anything."
Though the artwork on their album cover and their website might belie this, The Zutons musical style speaks for itself.
Payne spoke about the size and depth of Liverpool's music scene. "We're never in Liverpool anymore, and here each state is the size of England. Liverpool is so small, and not a lot of bands [there] are putting out records." Payne said that in the UK, The Zutons are often compared to Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight, and The Futureheads.
When it comes to defining a genre, however, Payne gave the idea that he and the rest of the band, as well as the press and the radio, have a much harder time with that. "I don't like categorizing music. People who just do whatever they want, I like that." He cited Beck, the Beastie Boys ("you could call them hip-hop, but Paul's Boutique...") and N.E.R.D. as examples of such. While some may hear The Zutons and immediately make an influential connection to The Rolling Stones, Payne said that their influences include "good songwriters who have a good feel for the music," including The Stones, James Brown, Neil Young, and Sly and the Family Stone. He listed Queens of the Stone Age as one band he'd like to see while touring in America.
As for future plans, The Zutons will be recording next year. Payne said the band isn't looking for a new direction on the next album, but that it will feature "whatever comes out, really." He added that the band would love to come back to a place like the House of Blues as a headliner. While they would be happy just to come out and tour the states again, "If we do get our own crowd, that would be amazing." For those about to rock, we can only hope The Zutons get their wish.
And in case you were wondering, lead guitarist Boyan Chowdhury's moustache is not real, despite appearances.