From the casual jam sessions of two Lancaster Uni lads comes Tailored to Fit. Yorkshire boys Craig Smith, Richard Jenkins, Dave Moran, and David Findlay are a new band to hit the local music scene. Forming over the last couple of years through Lancaster University they have recently unleashed themselves with their funk rock sound, and have proved themselves to be extremely popular amongst the student crowd. They burst onto the scene when they not only played Lonsdale bar’s open mic, but also Stonewell Tavern on a February night, before topping it off with a cheeky bar crawl. Pulling inspiration from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin, Jamiroquai, and apparently Peter Andre, it’s pretty obvious they have a diverse sound accessible to most people.
The songs develop initially from an upbeat musical riff produced by either Craig on bass, or Rich’s guitar, taken eventually to David to add a snappy drum beat to complete their funky sound. Their distinctive lyrics are formulated around their song titles, delivered with feeling by singer Dave Moran. Inspiration is pulled from a number of places, ranging from personal experiences to the band members themselves, particularly Craig who is ‘Mr Preparation’, which can be heard on their MySpace: www.myspace.com/tailoredtofituk. Winning the battle of the bands at Hustle, Monday of Week 21, against some tough competition including A48 (who have now joined the Atticus tour) won them a guaranteed gig once a month, so keep your eyes peeled and ears open for upcoming shows.
So what’s next for the boys? They plan to record some new tracks, and hope to play a summer festival in Blackpool donating all the proceeds to the Tommy Castles Trust (check out www.tommyfest.co.uk/ for more information). Charity gigs seem to be a bit of a trend with the boys, also playing Cartmel’s charity night earlier in the year. This band definitely has a bright future ahead of them, going from strength to strength, and we are sure if you caught them at the Plough’s musical bank holiday weekend you will have been pleasantly surprised.
