No Americana are causing a rumble in the music industry. Unsigned acts rarely perform to large festival audiences, let alone playing the same festival twice, but this June the four piece band from Walsall will play Download festival for the second time.
Who are No Americana? “We are just a very British sounding edgy pop rock band that produce a massive sound,” says drummer Dan Taylor.
“I love to play drums with aggression and I think that comes across well live and on record. Dav [David Foster], being the lead singer, has a very well pronounced, unique sounding British voice which is well complimented by the harmonies from Jay [bassist].
“I think the overall sound of No Americana is down to the finishing touches from guitarist Adam. He has an amazing playing style and comes out with the most unique sounds and riffs.”
Three members of the band, Dan Taylor, Adam Beddow, and David Foster, had previously worked together but after getting Jamie Weate on board No Americana was born. The last 18 months have been spent in the studio writing new material and perfecting their sound.
Taylor recalled the success of the first Download performance: “[It] was a massive experience for us all not knowing what to expect, how to handle the pressure or who we’d bump into, but it was definitely the best day of my career yet.
“The gig itself was like any other gig, just on a bigger scale and we handled it perfectly and went down a storm. But real pressure kicked in when we had to go and do press, being interviewed by different people. But again, we handled it and came across in the right way. It was a big learning curve and it’s made things more exciting for this year’s Download Festival,” says Taylor.
“I think Download 2010 will take us a step further. We’ve progressed a lot with our songs and our performance on stage and I think we will have a lot more press attention as it’s our second year in a row. We’re still unsigned so we’re creating a bit of a buzz!”
As well as playing a major festival, the unsigned quartet have also been receiving air play on the BBC and have toured with rockers the Wildhearts.
Lead guitarist Beddow emphasised how impressive airplay is for an unsigned band: “It’s hard to get any airplay on radio so the BBC Introducing thing is a great way to get our music heard. People who would have otherwise never come across No Americana get exposed to it. The Download announcement got our name appearing on Radio 1 and the attention from that small plug has been significant.”
After a great 18 months consisting of a tour, festivals, and recording, the band have high hopes for the future: “You can expect to see a lot from us with many more songs and loads of gigs. Its the only way we operate, I think we’re hard wired that way,” says Beddow.
Taylor added: “People can expect the name No Americana to grow bigger and bigger. I don’t think that there is any end of possibilities for this band! We write brilliant songs and we give great performances no matter what. We’re aiming to get signed as soon as possible but at the moment the sky is the limit [and] No Americana will be up there with the best!”
No Americana will perform at Download Festival on June 13th. For more tour dates and information, visit their MySpace page.