Maltese born and bred, they’re racking up the hits with their debut recording. Michael Bugeja catches up with the new kids on the London block, Freddie Calls.
Freddie CallsThey’re four, young, Maltese musicians based in London, who go by the name of Freddie Calls. They could’ve waited a couple of weeks for the New Year to kick in before releasing their debut recording, but they didn’t. As it turns out, that was a good thing, as The Watcher has, regardless of all the Yuletide distractions hogging the internet, clocked up over 116,000 views on You Tube as well as claiming a good chunk of the local airwaves, all in the space of three weeks.
Recorded in Malta with Boris Cezek at Doyaya Studios, The Watcher is the first official offering from this new band on the block. With the collective effort of vocalist/pianist Tom Vassallo, guitarists Matt and Nicky Manché and drummer Dan Said, the song has all the right ingredients; the same ingredients that have propelled many a household name onwards and upwards in recent years; a pop-rock tune with a walloping melody that immediately sinks in with the first listen.
How did the four of them get together? Geography, it turns out, played a big part in the story. “Dan and I grew up as next-door neighbours,” Vassallo tells me when I caught up with him and Matt Manché on their family visit over Christmas. “Matt and Nicky lived just down the road from us.”
Of course, although they are all in the same band, their musical connection was established when they were still living here, even if each of them discovered his passion for music individually.
“I’ve been playing guitar since I was 11,” says Manché. “I was always interested in guitar, and after taking some lessons I joined my first metal band, but I played with various other metal bands after that.” Metal is, of course, a far cry from the music they play these days but, he continues, “growing up here, the available options were either rock or dance music, and, of course, since I wanted to play guitar rock, or rather metal, was the obvious choice”.
Like Manché, whose great- grandfather was a composer and classical musician, music is also a big part of Vassallo’s family. “My grandfather is the composer Karm Fenech and my mum is a singer, so I suppose I caught the bug very early on,” he laughs.
Apart from singing, Vassallo also plays piano in the band and guitar on the side. “I used to be in a band called Droned,” he adds. “We played at the Bay Music Awards in 2009 because our song Love to Let had got a lot of radio airplay back then.”
Drummer Dan Said and guitarist Nicky Manché (who also happens to be Matt’s brother) used to play together in Maltese metal band Dying Signals as recently as 2011. After signing with UK label Rising Records and releasing one album, that band seemed to fade away, leaving the two musicians free to pursue other options. One of these was to follow in Matt’s footsteps and study at music college in London, a move that would later facilitate the formation that eventually became Freddie Calls.
“We seemed to fit really well together musically and decided to take it from there,” Vassallo recalls. The one big difference this time was that metal was nowhere near where the band was aiming for musically.
“The thing is, the first music we hear was our parents’ record collections,” Manché explains. “They had albums by Queen, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Elton John and other classic rock bands.”
Of course, these bands were later replaced by more contemporary names that the young musicians discovered for themselves. “I suppose each one of us went through different phases. I personally feel like I’ve outgrown metal, as I want to explore more of the musical world.”
Studying at music college gives one the opportunity to get to know various genres, and Manché says he sort of went with what he liked most. This, it transpires, is something they all refer to as stadium rock.
“We all love bands that have a big sound,” he continues. “Bands like Kings of Leon, U2, The Script, The Killers…they’ve all got something we find inspiring.”
We all love bands that have a big sound…Kings of Leon, U2, The Script, The Killers… they’ve all got something that we find inspiring
Vassallo concurs, and says he has always been into bands with a big sound and, in particular, bands whose songs have really touched him.
“I still remember the first time I heard Oasis and Goo Goo Dolls, for example, their music is incredible.”
Judging by the bands they cite among their influences, Freddie Calls’ roots are clearly to be found on either side of the Atlantic.
“Yes, American and British bands are certainly a big influence on what we do,” he confirms.
Britain, and London in particular, certainly plays an important role in the band’s future, being the city they have decided to base themselves in.
“London is the place to be for music,” Manché insists. “Apart from being the music capital, I’m sure it can lead to other opportunities on the continent.”
Of course, it is still early days for the band, even if they already have a number of recorded demos under their collective belt.
“Those songs were written a while back, so they may never even see the light of day,” Manché quickly interjects.
“We’ve been writing for the past two years, and our main focus right now is on honing our live act given that we’ll be playing our debut gig in London in spring.”
Last but not least – it was to be expected that the question would arise – where did the name Freddie Calls come from, and what does it mean? They look at each other and laugh.
“That’s a mystery that no one is going to know, but I can tell you that it refers to somebody, something, some event that might have happened… Perhaps we’ll reveal it one day, but not just yet!”
In the meantime, the video for The Watcher is available on You Tube, with the song also available to buy on iTunes.
“We’ll also be releasing a remix of the song in the New Year and, of course, we’ll definitely be looking into opportunities to come and perform in Malta too.”
www.freddiecalls.com