The Overtones
The Overtones took the time to answer our questions about 'Gambling Man', touring and their influences.
-Are you excited for the release of 'Gambling Man'?
Absolutely. Gambling Man is one of our own originals on the album and we love that everyone is enjoying it so much.
We did our first national tour recently and it was a great experience hearing fans sing your own lyrics back to you.
-Who are your influences musically?
Between the 5 of us, there is a real hotch potch of musical influences and admirations, including Stevie Wonder, Adele, Michael Buble, Aretha Franklin, Boys II Men, Amy Winehouse.
We love that so many artists are finding success today who have the same admiration for vintage music as we do.
The common thread of musical influence that binds us all is the influence of vocal harmony and doo-wop groups from 1950s/1960s America - The Temptations, The Drifters, The Five Satins, etc.
-The album contains a mix of your own material and covers. Do you have a preference?
It's hard to pick a preference between the classics and our own original work because our originals are directly inspired by the traditions established by the lads (and ladies) who sang in this style a generation ago.
We like to call our style Vintage Pop! As songwriters we're really inspired by the old-school sound, and it's a great joy hearing our original stuff on the radio and the response that it is getting.
-How has it been writing your own material?
We really love the process of writing collectively. Often, an idea is brought to the table by one of us, whether it be a chorus or a lyric or a verse, and then that idea is brainstormed and improvised.
Handily, having 5 people means that there is no lack of material to sort through!
-You've received some great comparisons, including to contemporary acts like Michael Buble. Is he someone you admire?
Certainly! Michael Buble has the knack of making every audience member of a 50,000 seat venue feel that he is singing just for them. Any comparison to him is a real compliment.
-Who would you compare yourselves to?
That's a tricky one really, because there really aren't that many groups out there at the moment doing what we do. I think that could be why we have been received so well by all the people who have heard our sound.
Obviously, we get compared to some of the classic groups such as The Temptations, The Four tops and The Drifters. It has also been suggested that it's like being sung to by 5 Michael Bubles.
The fact that it's a little hard to make comparisons is actually a real honour!
-What makes you stand out amongst other boy bands?
Boy band? Please! MAN band! Hahaha! Our ethos is rooted in the fact that we use the advantage of having 5 lads with different and various vocal ranges to create slick harmonies and a really smooth and beautiful sound.
We really pride ourselves on the fact that we sing live and don't rely on technical gadgetry to sound good. and there's that fashion thing too - we like to go to town and get dressed up. We're having just as much fun as everyone in the crowd when we perform!
-Are you looking forward to the tour in October?
Can't wait! this will be our second headline national tour. The first was a really intimate thing - going round the country to say thanks to all our fans for their support.
This time we're really excited to be hitting the road to a lot more venues on a much larger scale. We now understand the giant difference between supporting someone on tour and doing your own. The feeling of knowing that everyone in the venue is there to see you and no one else is fantastic.
-What can fans expect from that?
We're going to performing at some fantastic venues that are completely drenched in performance history (London Palladium, anyone?) and the show will reflect that.
It's going to be a much bigger budget affair than the last tour and we're going to go to town to make sure that everyone gets out of their seats and dances in the aisles.
-What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
It's all kicking off for us now. We've just gone platinum and there will be a deluxe version of the album coming out later in the year filled with more originals and some classic stuff too, so we're constantly in the studio either writing or recording.
There's quite a bit of international travel coming our way too, as we release in more countries. As long as everyone is enjoying our sound and our music, we'll be doing everything we can to ensure that our fans get what they want!
Female First - Alistair McGeorge