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Web Earns Band Global Fans

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By CURTIS ROSS cross@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 15, 2009

Updated:

A group of college friends get together to play music, their greatest ambition to possibly play a gig outside of their hometown.

"But we've ended up in this situation," says Ollie Campesinos, drummer for that group of friends now known as Los Campesinos.

"This situation" translates to a well-received debut album, several much-loved singles, tours across Europe, North American and Japan; in short, a proper music career.

The lark-grown-large began at Cardiff University in Wales when students Ollie, Neil (guitar) and Ellen (bass) Campesinos - all have adopted the band's name as their own, a la The Ramones - got together to make music.

"I played drums before, nothing serious but I'd had a band," says Ollie, who was studying history at the time. "Me and Neil knew each other. I lived above Neil in the student hall, and he knew Ellen."

The trio began writing songs and adding instruments, and new members, as needed.

"The sound evolved as the songs developed," Ollie says. "We just sort of added new things as we'd think, 'This could use some violin.' We never intended to sound this way."

"This way" is generally categorized as "twee-core" - one of the band's most popular singles is "The International Tweexcore Underground" - and the band's sound is devoid of power-rock cliches.

Energy, rhythm and wit, though, the band has in abundance.

Glockenspiel (played by singer Gareth), horn (Aleks) and violin (Harriet) plus lead guitarist Tom give the band a rag-tag orchestral sound, sort of like Arcade Fire in a much more jovial mood.

The septet thwarted its modest goals by posting songs on its MySpace site, which attracted fans worldwide, including BBC radio presenters and the members of Broken Social Scene, which signed Los Campesinos to its Arts and Crafts label.

"We are purely a MySpace band," Ollie says. "If it wasn't for the Internet we wouldn't be in the position we are.

"Bands like Black Flag toured and toured before people heard of them," Ollie says. "We had a lot of people hear us on the Internet."

It certainly sped up the band's progression, from its formation in 2006 to the release of an EP, "Sticking Fingers Into Sockets" in 2007 and its album, "Hold On Now, Youngster" in 2008.

Last year, in fact, saw the release of not only "Hold On" but a second full-length CD, "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed," a limited-edition release that's now only available digitally.

"We never intended it to be a proper album," Ollie says. "We made it a bit more special than a normal album."

The package featured a DVD and a poster.

"It was to make people rush out and buy it; it's marketing," Ollie says with a laugh.

ON TOUR

Los Campesinos

WITH: Titus Andronicus

WHEN: 8 p.m., Tuesday

WHERE: The Orpheum,1902 Avenida Republica de Cuba (14th Street), Tampa; (813) 248-9500

COST: $13 advance, $14 day of show

Curtis Ross can be reached at (813) 259-7568.

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