‘Bees fans are beautiful’

Last updated 11:48, Thursday, 21 August 2008

EVEN in the wettest of summers, some bands come with a guarantee of sunshine.

Buzzing: The Bees play Solfest

You could listen to The Bees with your shoes full of damp mud, and still be filled with a lovely warm glow. In fact, there’s a good chance you will – at Solfest this weekend.

Their heartfelt, 60s-style psychedelia comes all the way from the southern Isle of Wight, where they formed in early 2001. So, how have they stayed so lovely?

Lead singer Paul Butler blames it on the weather. “We’ve got the best climate in the country down there. It’s like a tiny little Cornwall or Devon,” he says.

“I was born there and I’ve lived there all my life. It’s got a lovely social scene, so it can be quite distracting.”

Indeed, The Bees have taken a fairly relaxed approach over the years. Their Mercury Prize-nominated first album, Sunshine Hit Me, was recorded in Paul’s garden shed.

And since ditching their contract with EMI, they’ve been able to take things at their own pace.

He says: “It’s all fairly quiet for the Bees at the moment, gig-wise. We’re setting up our own record label and recording a new album.

“The plan is to get it finished by the end of the year, but you never know with these things. We’re just excited about getting something out there.”

Having signed a five-album deal in 2002, the band quickly became disillusioned with the record industry. Paul describes the problem as “a matter of intent.”

“There are a lot of people doing things for all sorts of different reasons,” he says. “If your intent is to get really famous or do loads of drugs then it’s fine.”

But The Bees were more concerned about maintaining their artistic freedom. The publicity circuit proved especially depressing.

In spite of their reluctance to do TV, the band have maintained a loyal group of fans. Spanning all sorts of age groups and backgrounds, they still have a few things in common.

“Bees fans are beautiful,” says Paul. “They don’t crowd surf – at other gigs I always see girls down the front getting smashed against the railings.

“We get polite people with good manners, who like a good time.”

The group are determined to keep doing things their own way.

He adds: “It might be detrimental to our record sales, but at the end of the day we’ve still got a choice in what we like to do.”

Having often travelled through the Lake District, Paul is looking forward to playing at Solfest. Let’s hope he brings some of that Isle of Wight weather.