Click here to download Headland's track Monster In A Shirt, free exclusively to Times Online

It was an odd spectacle at north west London’s music venue Luminaire last week. Not only was electro-pop on offer, but so were gratis choc-ices, served by beautiful, 1950s-style usherettes. Luminaire was playing host to a series of nights called, fittingly, Choc-Ice. Each party heralds the release of one of ten singles rockers Headland are releasing over the next year, with an album containing all the tracks due to be released towards the end of the year.

But it’s not the ice cream that gets people in; this band knows how to put on a show. Headland like to mix up music with sartorial elegance, and are kitted out to the max on stage. “It’s an occasion,” says singer Tom Ball of their gigs. “I like seeing a band acting in a different world. I don’t think there’s enough genuine glamour in the world, and a bit of make believe is very healthy.” Many appear to agree – the gig is sold-out.

The band kicks off with “Bible, Torah and Koran” – a track with relentless drumming and a dirty bass-line. The music is funky, sexy and insanely danceable. Things get moving with “Love/Hate”, which features samples of the public confessing their strongest feelings on subjects such as racism and sex. The band, armed with Dictaphones, collected the sound-bites themselves.

However, it’s with “Monster In A Shirt” that the mood gets wild. The drums, sleazy guitars and bellowing chorus pack a megawatt of power. Lyrically, it’s a dark song, written about influential, suited men who propagate evil. Despite the subject matter, Ball, with his zen-like chill demeanour sees their message as positive: “We hope that people have a life-affirming experience when they come and see us.” Tom Wegg-Prosser, be-hatted co-vocalist and guitarist, counters: “That might be a tad optimistic" (although he later concedes in agreement).

Headland began as a duo in 2003, formed by the two Toms, who first met at Durham University. It was Wegg-Prosser, who came up with the band name while sitting on a headland – or rocky coastal outcropping – in the Orkney Isles. They self-released a critically acclaimed album, Touchy Feely, in 2004, but things really took off the following year when they expanded to become a five-piece. They met keyboardist Mary Douglas, or “Maz”, who attended the Powerhouse music school in Acton, while Ball was flat hunting. Seb Sternberg, their drummer, they joke, popped out of a pod in Hoxton. Bizarrely, out of five band members, three of them are named Tom, including bassist Tom Foster, whom they met through a mutual friend. “There were actually four of us,” says Wegg-Prosser, “but it was a Tom too far.”

Fans include DJs Mark Moore, Zane Lowe, Milo, XFM radio, and most recently ex-Blur member Alex James. James showcased them on Channel 4 radio show The Tube, and proclaimed them to be his new favourite band. “He was down to earth, very self-effacing. I always thought he was the coolest one in Blur,” Ball says.

Headland want their music to be heard globally. “I’m not bothered about being cover-stars; I’d much prefer to be listened to all over the world,” Ball insists. In the long-term Japan is a future aim for a tour, and Wegg-Prosser would love to play the Fuji Rocks Festival. With sites such as MySpace picking up on the band twice as featured artists – this could indeed be within their grasp.

For more on Headland click here

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