Putting Their Foot In It

By Joe Kavanagh

As 2007 draws to a close, there is still time to find those few acts that may have missed the initial glare of the searchlight.

While most breakthrough artists ride into the public glare on a media generated parade, complete with bells and whistles; there are others whose careers are set to a slow burn.

In the past, many artists have had to forage for a livelihood in the industry, until a combination of skill, endurance and luck propel them from obscurity.

For every debut album that bursts onto the scene in the midst of a media frenzy, there are many other sleeper albums who remain virtual unknowns until their existence is revealed to the general public by means of the internet or even word of mouth.

Despite the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, Think Before You Speak,, Good Shoes fit squarely into the latter category, despite the fact that they were initially tipped to be one of the biggest acts of 2007.

Morden almost sounds like a place from Lord Of The Rings, and this relatively lackluster south London suburb is hardly renowned as the type of place where showbiz careers are born.

Until now, its greatest claim to fame has been as the birthplace of comedian, Paul Merton, but the seeds were lain for another famous export when Rhys Jones and Steve Leach began writing songs as teenagers a few years back.

Driven by influences that ranged from the quirky pop of Devo, to the literary musings of Kurt Vonnegut, the pair set out to make "danceable, shed-rehearsed, guitar music" but harbored no ambitions beyond their immediate circle of friends, until the duo was coaxed into performing at a local charitable event in January of 2004.

Playing under the moniker Good Shoes for the first time, the overwhelmingly positive response they received instilled in them a sense that they had created something special, so, seeking to flesh out their sound, they enlisted Jones brother, Tom (who wouldn't want a Tom Jones in their band?) and school friend, Joel Cox, and began rehearsing on a regular basis.

As the main songwriter in the band, Rhys is a leader in all senses who has always felt the compulsion to write down his thoughts no matter where, saying: "I don't write my songs on guitar like a lot of people. I think of lyrics in my head while I cycle around."

Even still, he believed that his true calling in life lay in the field of animation and he left to take a place studying illustration at university.

It wasn't long, however, before he realized that the course was not what he anticipated so he returned to his friends and adroitly set about pursuing his true calling with a vengeance.

In early 2005, the band left the safety of their rehearsal space and made their live debut at a gig organized by a friend who was attending Cambridge University. Their early exuberance was soon dashed when the gig turned out to be - in their own words - "terrible", where the band "cleared the room" of an audience looking for cover versions and the entire experience proved entirely distasteful.

In a measure of just how quickly things can change, their next gig was at a sold-out appearance opening for hot up-and-comers, Mystery Jets, whose lead singer, Blain Harrisson had befriended Rhys Jones at university.

The band also recorded a demo, Small Town Girl, which came to the attention of Friendster (the once-popular UK rival to MySpace), who put it out as a single that eventually crossed the desk of deejay, John Kennedy, at hugely influential radio station, XFM.

Within weeks, Kennedy had invited the band in for a live session and the band's tireless gigging throughout London paid off when they were asked to appear as part of a tour being promoted by UK underground music publication, Artrocker.

By last year, Good Shoes began making noise outside their own backyards thanks to single, The Photos On My Wall and the We Are Not The Same EP, which brought them to the attention of such highly-influential BBC deejays, Steve Lamacq and Zane Lowe.

With the support of their label, the band also set out on tour with contemporaries such as The View, Art Brut and the Long Blondes, honing their craft and attaining a reputation for stage invasions that saw the band happily play on through the chaos, often whilst on the shoulders of overly-enthusiastic audience members.

Seeking to capitalize on the momentum the label soon whisked the band away to a recording studio in Sweden, where they were paired with Cardigans producer, Per Sunding.

As the year drew to a close they released another EP, Photos On My Wall, which once again scored highly in media circles and saw the band installed by many critics as a sure thing to break through in 2007. Except events haven't quite transpired that way. Yet.

In March, the band issued their statement of intent with the release of Think Before You Speak, which was described by NME as "Gloriously giddy art-pop magnificence, Good Shoes debut is a hooky pop marvel."

Critics were quick to draw comparisons with Gang Of Four and the Buzzcocks in addition to myriad of Britpop influences, hailing the 40-minute opus for its youthful enthusiasm, clever lyrics and punchy pop sensibilities.

Still, the breakthrough failed to materialize, despite a couple of commended turns on the stages of the summer festivals.

The failure to hit the headlines immediately can partly be blamed on a lack of major label money in their promotion leading to a situation where much of the publicity has been carried out by fans spreading the word on the internet, whose work has ensured that the album will not pass gently into obscurity.

Now others are taking note, with their track, All In My Head, currently doing the rounds as part of a major European advertising campaign.

Now as critics shape up to make their end of year lists, Good Shoes are one of those bands that are deservedly receiving a second look.

Amid this growing clamor, the band has decided to re-release their original single, Small Town Girl. It might just be the ticket that takes this band to the big game.