With strained, characterful vocals that could be likened to any of rock and roll’s legends and danceability that comes from somewhere deeper than the electronic thuds we’re used to, Hidden Charms are welcome breath of whiskeyed cigarette smoke. Their next release, “Dreaming Of Another Girl”, produced by the legendary Shel Tamy, comes tinged with psych thanks to sweet and hazy harmonies alongside a creeping, swaying bassline.

The product of two blues bands merging, Hidden Charms have been doing the rounds for little over a year now. Fashion fans might have already spotted Oscar and Ranald looking dapper alongside Tom Odell and plenty more bright young things in Burberry’s AW15 campaign. With the imminent release of “Dreaming Of Another Girl”, a full UK tour and a handful of European appearances on the way, you’re bound to be seeing a lot more of these boys. We won’t be complaining.

https://soundcloud.com/hiddencharms/hiddencharms-dreaming-of-another-girl

Can you tell us how Hidden Charms came to be?

Ranald: We all met through music. There were a couple of bands all playing on the same blues circuit in London and we formed essentially when two bands merged, it was about a year and half ago.

What drew you all towards music as a career? Has it been as you imagined?

Ranald: I guess it was just a love of bands that we all grew up listening to that made us want to go into it. People like the Beatles and the kinks and the early blues stuff, for me it was Elvis. I think it hasn’t really hit us that the band’s going OK now, it’s so competitive that we never really thought it would.

You’ve worked with Shel Tamy! How was the experience? What was the most valuable thing you learnt?

Vincent: Working with Shel was undoubtedly a dream come true, he is in the top tier of producers that have ever existed. He was a pleasure to work with and surprisingly easy going! For someone of that status he was very open minded, as the person who was the first to record a distorted guitar and feedback, it should have come as no surprise. I think that’s exactly what we learned from him; to keep growing as a creator you have to keep an open mind which sounds obvious but I think a lot of the time when creative people have success they get stuck in their ways which is the difference between them and the geniuses of this world.

Do you think you’re heading down the same road as The Kinks and The Who? Is there anything they’ve done that you really want to match?

Vincent: We don’t want to be dead or accused of paedophilia but we wouldn’t mind headlining Glastonbury so that’s a hard question to answer. Those are legends so it would be impossible to say we’re heading the same way but everyone can dream!

Oscar and Ranald, you’re Burberry boys! How did that come about? Were you more nervous walking in the show than you get playing a gig?

Oscar: We got called in and just had a really good chat with the CEO about music and our shared passion for The Kinks. One thing led to another and the next day we were on set, it was all pretty casual and the rest of the cast are all emerging and interesting guys. They have been really supportive and it was an amusing experience.

You guys have got the rock and roll-skinny jeans-long hair-good shirts look down to a T, how important is it to you all to look good and that your look matches your music?

Vincent: The way we dress is basically coincidence, we don’t have conversations where we coordinate our outfits or anything like that! We just have similar tastes in clothes. Wouldn’t it be strange if we all liked the same music and nothing else? Music and fashion have always gone hand in hand.

Your new single is called “Dreaming Of Another Girl” but who are you dreaming about? Who’s your ultimate pin-up?

Vincent: Khloe Kardashian is a big one for Ranald. Josh is a mad for Taylor Swift. Oscar is a Pam Anderson fan. I think it’s what’s inside that counts.

The track’s licked with 60s R&B, what attracts you to that time and that style?

Vincent: We never set out to be a 60s band and we still don’t think we are one. We just make music that we think is good, today we like Slaves, The Parrots, Fat White Family, The Yetis, Alabama Shakes, bands like that. Obviously as a guitar band from England it is impossible for The Beatles and The Stones and all that not to be mentioned but it really isn’t something we’re trying to copy.

You’re currently amidst a full UK tour, how’re you enjoying your time on the road? Where do you think will be the best place to go for a party?

Ranald: We do enjoy touring, it’s hard work though, if people knew how we did it I think they’d be surprised. It sounds glamourous but it isn’t really. We do lots of lugging our gear on mega buses around the country but playing live is worth it obviously or we’d have given up!  We’re really looking forward to Sheffield, we’re playing with a local band we know called Bang Bang Romeo who are great.

What can we expect from you in the near future?

Josh: We’re planning to be on tour for the foreseeable future, we are finishing our UK run, then off to Europe with Awolnation in August, which will be fun and a chance to see some new places. Then in September we have a residency at KoKo in London. Also to keep releasing singles leading into an EP in Autumn, and hopefully an album after!

“Dreaming Of Another Girl” is out 24th July on Deltasonic Records.

The post New Noise: Hidden Charms appeared first on Wonderland.

You guys look incredible – tell us who or what has inspired the overall aesthetics of the band and they way you choose to represent yourselves, visually.

Vincent: Well obviously there’s that whole scene from the sixties with The Kinks, The Beatles and Stones and all that. We like all the flamboyant shirts and jackets of that era. The whole Carnaby street thing, I mean we feel more like mods than hippies or anything like that. But also the blues guys like Muddy Waters or Bo Diddley, they were sharp as anything.”
Oscar: We’ve recently struck up a partnership with ‘Chenaski’ Clothing who make some serious shirts and stuff.

How did you all meet and were there any previous projects before Hidden Charms?

2. Oscar: It’s an odd one. Me and Josh were in two separate projects playing with both Ranald and Vincent. They had obviously heard a lot about each other and there was a lot of healthy competition as we both moved in similar circles but they had never met. One night there was an acoustic blues jam at some bar and we were all there, Ranald just walked up onto stage, introduced himself to Vini and they sang a load of chuck berry numbers and that was that. We decided to merge the two bands into one.

Are there ever any in-house fights over creative differences? How do you deal with the compromise?

Vincent: There are many, many fights over everything not just music but that’s what being in a band is like or so I’ve heard. At the time, it seems like the most important thing in the world but after all the kicking and screaming is over we’re best buddies again. Life is all about compromise so being in a band is just good training I suppose.

Give us an isight as to who inspires you musically – your sound is pretty reminiscent of the organic rock’n’roll of yesteryear.

3. Vincent: We like anything that’s good, I don’t like the idea of retro or whatever. We don’t like music because its old it’s just good stuff, the melodies the rhythms seem to be better from the 50’s and 60’s to say now where all the tunes seem pretty bland. Our influences from the past are Howlin Wolf and all those guys but today the guys we like are Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, Paolo Nutini and The Temples. They seem to really believe in what there doing you know.

How do you think London as a city has enriched you musically? How has it influenced the way you write, produce and execute yourselves?

4. Vincent: It’s hard to say really, it’s a very interesting place to grow up. I’m sure it probably influences everything you do like the way you walk, talk as well as the writing stuff.  But when you’re playing music inspired by black guys from the 50’s and 60’s in America maybe London Town doesn’t come across too much.

Tell us more about the debut track Sunnyside?

Oscar: Sunny side came about while we were in the states ironically. We were working with an artist called Nick Waterhouse who is really, really good. He’s the meaning of rhythm and blues, he took us and under his wing and showed us the ropes. He wears sunglasses at all times like Dylan in the 60’s which is funny as the hook in the track is Been trying to hide from the sunny side.

What can we expect from the full-length record and are there any stand-out tracks which you are particularly proud of?

Vincent: More of the same really, were just trying to make the music we want. Today your up against dance music at least where we’re from all the young people want to dance in clubs rather than go see a folk band or a poetry reading or something. So really we just want to make music that you can dance to but with more than 4 words in the song ya know. I think we’re proud of all the tracks but usually the newest one you write is the one everyone is excited about.

As we said, you look great. Are you concerned that style might overshadow the music?

Oscar: I hope not. I believe the two can go hand in hand. But at the end of the day we like the stuff we wear.
Vincent: If I were to go to the shop I’d wear a shirt and a velvet jacket maybe a tie, it doesn’t seem like a big deal or particularly crazy to me so I don’t see why anyone else would feel that way. Whenever you see people go on stage in a t shirt and jeans it always seems pretty lazy to me, we’re entertainers you have to look the part.

Give us your top 5 tracks of all-time?

Vincent: That’s an evil question, it depends what day it is. Some days I’m a tomorrow never knows man other days Waterloo Sunset man. But Today, Black Math by the White Stripes, Rain by The Beatles and Turd On The Run by the Rolling Stones.

If you could have written any other track by another band / artist, which would it be?

Vincent: My Generation, it’s one of those that everyone wishes they wrote.”

What has been the best and worst live gigs you’ve played to date?

Vincent: Worst gig we ever played was in a fish market, they kept telling us to turn down because people could hear the fish mongers. Best gig would have to be the electric ballroom, it’s definitely the best venue we’ve ever done in terms of sound, lighting and all that stuff but also the biggest crowd yet thanks to Razorlight who we were supporting.

Words: Shane Hawkins

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