`It's black and white and Irish" sounds like an early marketing slogan for Guinness, but it applies with just as much relevance to Co Down's Relish, the least indie-influenced Irish band of recent years.
Formed by Downpatrick brothers Ken and Carl Papenfus and Darren Campbell in the mid-1990s, Relish signed to EMI Ireland in 1998, following a series of (literally) in-house auditions in the Papenfus living room in front of bemused record company A&R staff. While Hobnobs were nibbled and coffee sipped, Relish proceeded to rattle the pots and pans with their funk/soul-influenced music.
The result was time in the studio recording their debut album with Radiohead and Stone Roses' producer John Leckie, and a highly-regarded, hi-octane single last year (Heart- Shaped Box) produced by Al Clay (Reef and Stereophonics). Before the high life, however, was the usual scenario of digging in the dirt for scraps of silver.
"We were in a five-piece band called The Id. We were a bunch of misfits doing our own thing, hoping to get a deal, enjoying gigging," explains lead singer Ken of the period before Relish signed on the dotted line. "The more gigs we got the busier we became - and although we were in it for the long haul, some guys in the band wouldn't commit to the workload."
Two members of the band left, but there was still demo time booked in a local recording studio. There was one problem, however - there was no official lead singer. "I was very happy being a guitar player," says Ken. "Singing is just something to do. I'm not made to be a front man. For a long time I didn't say anything between the songs, and that seemed OK for us. But we've been told countless times that it's a good thing to communicate to the audience other than with the songs. I don't want to be caught in a trap, however, so now I just say things when I feel like them."
The Id, according to Ken, was part of the fashion-conscious element of early 1990s grunge/metal music. Yet, he says, the band's demo tapes were described as having a distinct soul/blues feel to them. "We weren't aware of that at all. When Relish came about as a three-piece, we wanted a full band sound, so we beefed it up. We concentrated on songs, and simply wanted to do what we wanted to do. It feels very natural to be doing that."
If there's a notable natural degree of soul in Relish it's a safe bet to say that most of it comes from Carl and Ken's parents. Thirty odd years ago, their mother was a very successful solo jazz artist in South Africa (she was also signed to EMI). Their father was a psychology student at Capetown University, a man with an interest in percussion and female jazz musicians.
Racially mixed marriages, however, were strictly forbidden. Through associating with Irish people in the early 1970s they were seduced by the descriptions of Ireland, and having to move quickly somewhere outside South Africa, Carl and Ken's father decided to emigrate here. Once there, he would find a place for his family to live.
"He liked Dublin a lot," relates Ken, "but he wanted to be near the sea, and he was offered a similar post in Downpatrick. He asked mum and myself to come over on the proviso that if she didn't like it, they'd move. Mum really liked Belfast in the 1970s, which was strange! The people were great, she said, but the only thing she didn't like was the weather. They had no idea about the Troubles, just thought about the land of saints and scholars."
Despite their fresh approach to Irish rock - and the satisfying fact that Relish do not slavishly follow the whitebread rock or sons-of-Radiohead route of so many current rock bands - the band's last single, Let It Fly, is five years old. Conceived at the height of Britpop, it was then extremely uncool, with its apparent Curtis Mayfield influence. Similarly the new single, Rainbow Zephyr (not as old as Let It Fly) brims over with direct soul and gospel influences. "The Curtis Mayfield thing is fine by us," says Ken, "because he's soft and soulful, but he also rocks. Then again, it could be my high vocal and the fact that we have a socialistic approach to the lyrics . . .
"The society we live in is, generally speaking, anti-individualistic. Being into art and being individual is seen as being apolitical and offensive to both sides. That happens in most politically vibrant countries, I think. Some people think you have to support one side or the other. We're political in a sense in that we're aware of people being poor. . .Our politics is not the Ormeau Road politics. Other people can deal with that better than us. When someone comes up to myself or Carl they don't see a Catholic or a Protestant, they see a black guy first. So that's where we come from - from the underdog point of view."
At this, Ken gives what can only be described as a rueful smile. He doesn't need any arm-twisting to warm to his subject. "If I was to bring relatives over here they'd think Ireland was a wonderful place. But if I'm out with my wife and we're sitting in a cafe, and we're ordering from the menu, she'll be asked what I'm having: `What does he want?' Not even, `what does your husband want?' "
The new album from Relish has been a long time coming. It was started two years ago, and the impression one receives from the three band members is that the recording and scheduling of the album has been an incredibly long and arduous process. Apparently, record company politics has implied that Relish weren't ready (when, arguably, it could actually be the other way around). Nevertheless, the sense of timing in both camps now appears to be synchronised.
`The way the album sits now," says Carl, "is that it's a cross section of styles, from fullon rock to mellow jazz, and a bit of gospel thrown in. What has to be taken into account is that we were signed on the basis of three tracks on a demo tape. We got signed by a guy from a publishing background, and that was done because he felt we could write songs. But then the fashion element comes into play, with the record company wondering if they can mould a band and make them what the record company wants. That, and the fact that they can only gauge a band on what's in the charts at any given week. People are getting tired of pop and want something different. Nothing too radical, but slightly left-of-centre."
What's it like being a slightly left of centre rock/funk band in a pop/boy band culture? Carl: "To be honest, it doesn't bother me at all, it's not something we think about." Darren: "It's a non-issue." Ken: "Remember we were once in a band called The Id. We're too self-centred to be thinking about that. We reckon we can create our own niche."
Rainbow Zephyr is released on October 13th. Relish play the following Irish dates: tomorrow, The Stables, Mullingar; October 10th, Coleraine University (supporting The 4 Of Us); 13th, Buttery Bar, TCD; 18th, Dolan's, Limerick; 21st, Whelan's, Dublin; 25th, Maynooth College: 28th, Olympia Theatre, Dublin (supporting Teenage Fan Club)
