Francis Brown
Who?
Jack Shephard – Vocals, Guitar
Daf Thomas – Vocals, Guitar
Raychi Bryant – Bass
George Percival – Drums
Where?
Daf is from Merthyr Tydfil, Raychi is from Swansea. The other two boys, Jack and George, are from Cardiff although we all live in the capital nowadays.
Why?
We always say Manics and Libs, but that can feel a little audacious in the sense that we wouldn’t put our lyrics on a pedestal with those two yet. Other people might. On the other hand, we’re far from a tribute to either of those bands, you wouldn’t immediately cite their music as an influence of ours. We’re a different kind of beast.
How?
Jack and Daf met at a party some time back, in 2015, but they ultimately found each other through mutual friends. There were dreams of making a band and doing what we are doing now, but it was never much more than stoner talk. George and Raychi basically joined on a whim, it was all very coincidental how it all fell into place. Us four have been together since the end of 2017.
Past?
We’ve never really been in a band before Al Moses. Raychi played drums in a covers band back home in Swansea, where he played covers like Mansize Rooster and Yer Blues. We’ve proper learnt on the job as a band, which gives us a bit more gut. We could play a guitar solo or pen a 2-minute punk song a couple years ago, we’ve had to make all the mistakes in the book to even get this far.
Daf is an actor in Royal Welsh College so he’s got that going on, and Raychi’s studying producing. As a band we’ve had every job under the sun; chef, barman, retail, door-to-door. George has worked in a nursery. It’s hard to keep your boss happy when you have to keep booking off days for a gig, and then you rock up the next morning with bloodshot eyes and 2-hours sleep.
Present?
It’s raw, raucous, angst driven rock n roll, but it’s crammed with heart. Anyone can sing our songs, they’re those type of tunes. It’s the awful way we play them that makes then original…
Future?
We want to headline festivals, and we think we can do it without writing cheap anthems. In the short term we are just gonna tour around ’til we can’t take it, and release some new songs for everyone.
Did you know?
We played a sold out gig to 300 people at Clwb, then invited everyone who went back to Raychi’s house for a party. It was a long night. George brought some lads from Birmingham back to the party from a club, they were all dressed as the Spice Girls. They came in for ten minutes, stole a bunch of stuff and then left. We didn’t even notice until the next day, didn’t find it particularly funny then…
What’s next?
We have a tour with This Feeling in February and March, and a couple new singles early this year. It’s gonna be a stormer.
Live4ever:
As South Wales continuous its reign as the ultimate host for some of the best new independent guitar music, Al Moses’ blistering single I Want More raises the bar and takes things a step further. Surely one of the most exuberant debut singles of 2018, its explosive and in-excess energy is refreshing and is a cracking, swagger-oozing display. Whilst it echoes some of the biggest Welsh bands, it also projects an attitude resembling the intensity of early Oasis. Comprising biting vocals and sizzling but melodic guitar riffs, it fits the band’s description as a ‘head-on, hands-up anthem’. What’s also clear is it represents only a fraction of what Al Moses are capable of.
