Coffee House Sessions: The Tailormade

The Tailormade are a boyband, but not in the conventional sense. The band in question is the now London-based threesome Jack Frimston, Matt Pickersgill and Aaron Murphy. Originally crossing paths at university, the trio has been touring a number of universities and seeing fresh faces like their own from just a few years ago. From the first song of the set, they have a unity that can only be mimicked by rivals, and while they possess a vibe similar to that of British bands that have come and gone, these young men too possess a charm which distinguishes them to the extent that they have secured the ‘London’s Best Buskers’ title. If this isn’t enough, a quick Google search will tell you they’ve already toured Europe, supporting big and small and far from limited to a genre. Yes, the first description that comes to mind is ‘indie-pop’ but it appears the band delve into genres much deeper than this, preferring to disassociate themselves with such a common and potentially unremarkable label for today’s music scene.

They tell me that remaining unsigned is what they feel is necessary since it places no inhibitions on creativity

To ease coffee-drinkers into their performance, The Tailormade begin with Aerosmith’s ‘Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ which is simultaneously analogous and yet dissimilar to the likes of Razorlight and, particularly, Scouting for Girls. It’s lighter, honest and also repetitive, but in a way that you can sing along by the end having no prior knowledge of the words. The ‘no-nonsense’ label they have received is accurate since their music is not overcomplicated or stylised as such (‘Mug’ and ‘Too Dumb to Dance’). Knowing that heartbreak is essential to their writing process, when speaking to them after their set I ask if that fact has changed and find they are still of the opinion that broken hearts are extrinsic aids to composing lyrics. ‘Primose Hill’ is a bittersweet love song set in what is penned by Frimston as “the most romantic place in London” and precedes the newly released single ‘Mr Perfect’ which tackles scorn (“you just go for rotten blokes”) more practically, and with a rather reflective bridge.

The band also perform the hip-hop anthem that is ‘Gold Digger’, a higher-tempo, strumming-based rendition that one would hope Yeezy would be proud of. What it lacks without the same riff it makes up for in the energy of each of the three members, and this is where they make evident their selling point: the boys scale down on harmonies – though they are certainly existent – instead choosing to sync their vocals to the same pitch. The significance of equity within the group is clear; the role of each member is blurred so that vocal responsibility is shared, and this too goes for lyrical and musical arrangements.

The plan, I am told, is to remain to unsigned. They tell me that this is what they feel is necessary for as long as they see fit, since it places no inhibitions on creativity. And when the band are quizzed on what they wouldn’t rule out, I am met with conflict over a topic I wasn’t expecting to come up: musicals. Included in the plan for the near future – more specifically, the next week – is a visit to London’s long-awaited West End show Hamilton. Frimston, sat between Pickersgill and Murphy, seems uncomfortable while the others detail their love for all things theatre and even express an interest in this avenue. He later adds despite covering many artists, the band are also conscious that doing so on an album would do an injustice to those who inspire them. As for what is next – The Tailormade is shortly due to unveil four original singles.

The Tailormade’s first single in a series of release, Mr Perfect, is out now on YouTube and Spotify.