Hotly tipped as ‘ones to watch’, Welly – consisting of band leader Welly, originally from Southampton, and his schoolmates – have been all over the UK this summer – playing and wowing crowds at the likes of Latitude, Leeds and Reading festivals.  Recent single Cul-De-Sac supports this buzz and provides the ying (songwriting) to the bands yang (stand shows).  Damian Robinson caught up with Welly to find out more.

I saw your set at Leeds and thought it was excellent.  Is this a usual Welly show?

Thanks – I thought we were slightly off that day as it happens, as we had a bit of technical complications.  But that’s good to hear.  I think it’s a typical show yeah, we try to mix live songs with serious intent whilst not taking ourselves too seriously.

You’ve got some great songs, Shopping I thought really sounded good live

I think when we tend to play we try to make it a bit of a pantomime really – I write the songs so we’re a bit like Scooby Doo in a sense that we use the Welly name but we all add pieces to it – especially when we play live.  So yeah we all have different elements that we add live, not just musically, but as a spectre. It’s fun.

You’ve announced your National Service Tour Part 2: The North which will see you play in Middlesbrough and Carlisle as well as other places.  Will that be a similar show to Leeds?

Up to a point, but the theme with this tour is more like a School Disco, so we’ll play, have fun, probably having bunting and things up, and just try to have a good time.  It’ll be like a Saturday morning tv show – so something along the lines of if Dick and Dom were drunk…

And in terms of studio work and singles, where are at the minute?

Cul De Sac was out recently, as was the video, and we’re got an album recorded and ready to go.  We just need to work out how and when it’s coming out and then what’ll come after that.  We’re pretty relaxed really, we’ve got some good songs so we’re confident that good things will come.

Cul De Sac the video is fun

Yeah, people seem to be enjoying it. We recorded it in the town they recorded Hot Fuzz, and I downed a bottle of white lightning at one point, so it all sort of melts together in a strange way.  It was a good time recording that.

Welly play Sat 23 Middlesbrough Play Brew Tap Room and Thu 28 Carlisle Brickyard.  Cul De Sac is out now.