The members of Alt-J didn’t set out to be overnight sensations. It actually took a lot of work. But they are here now and basking in the glow of their seemingly out-of-nowhere success. The boys in the band — Thom Green, Joe Newman, Gwil Sainsbury and Gus Unger-Hamilton — met while attending University of Leeds.
Newman had written some songs heading to university and was intent on meeting some like-minded people to jam with. After the first year, the foursome evolved into a serious musical wolf pack, jamming in their dorm rooms at all hours.
The freedom that comes with all good university experiences trickled down into the newly formed quartet’s song choices.
Even as news of the band’s progressive, guitars-to-the-rear sound began to make its way to a wider audience, Alt-J (named after a Mac computer keystroke combination for the Greek symbol delta) didn’t allow their faces to be shown in photographs or promotional material. It was all about the music.
“We had no pressure to write pop songs,” says Green. “We just did whatever we wanted. We tried to make music we found interesting and [that] was not generally on the radio. That was the environment in which we wrote songs for the first album.”
The result, An Awesome Wave, sounds like the product of a seasoned group exploring new and adventurous sonic territory rather than a debut.
Thanks to the band’s unorthodox approach, the album is as original and fun as it is well crafted. Lyrically, it is nothing short of brilliant. An Awesome Wave is so good the band took home the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2012.
“The Mercury Prize is something we all really respect as music fans,” says Green. “In Cambridge, the year before, we went to our friend’s house and watched PJ Harvey win the prize. Twelve months later, we won and it felt like a massive achievement.”
But don’t call them overnight sensations.
“It was three or four years before the album came out, and we spent a long time working,” Green explains. “It was really important, as we were trying to make our entrance onto the music scene, to come up with songs we were really happy with. So taking our time was really important.”
Although reluctant to play live shows in the beginning, the band did manage a very memorable private show in Sainsbury’s bedroom that attracted 40 to 50 people.
“It was one of our best gigs ever,” says Green.
“We realized how fun it was to be playing, and we just decided to carry on and we started playing a few towns around Leeds.”
This summer, the band continues to tour and has made a big splash in North America showcasing their Radiohead-esque sounds at all the big festivals, from Bonnaroo to Osheaga.
The band returns to Toronto on Sept. 11 for a show at Echo Beach (Ontario Place) with opening act Lord Huron.