Mould Shoulder

Not enough cash for Splendour this year? Don't worry, you're not the only one. Actually, you're never the only one, which is why a teenage Louis Whelan did something about the situation in 2010, creating the aptly-titled Too Poor For Splendour festival. Now in its third year, the big day at Davies Park has attracted its largest line-up yet, with a load of quality local produce itching to avoid the bitching associated with not getting down to Belongil Fields. Not that Whelan really minds anymore.

“There's been a bit of a turn against these large scale festivals I think with lots of people,” he levels, regarding the increasing swell of smaller, grassroots festivals in the South East. “Towards the end of high school, like I graduated in 2009, and big festivals were all people wanted to do and they would just save up and go to about four events a year. But as a different mentality now I prefer to go to one gig a week rather than hoard all my money and go to one event a year, just to see some bands that you can see on the Internet anyway.

“When we did [Too Poor For Splendour] the first time we actually really wanted to go to Splendour, so we decided we should have some sort of party to not be down [about it], and then it turned into a festival and we ended up getting more and more bands, and then when we needed a larger venue it became something bigger.”

Indeed it is, with 15 bands taking part in the ten hours of power this year including Running Gun Sound, Cannon, Tiny Migrants and of course Whelan's The Mouldy Lovers. The event is now held at the lush and always inviting Davies Park, home turf for his gypsy-folk cohorts, the band a former staple of the Saturday West End Markets.

“We're very loud as an eight-piece, but most of the store holders around us really liked our music,” Whelan recalls. “There was an old friendly Asian lady and she used to give us mandarins every week, and an old guy who sold different types of nuts so we'd get those too. Someone else would give us burgers and coffees – we were pretty loved by most of the markets.”

Whelan admits with a chuckle that he wields his organisational position to give The Mouldy Lovers the coveted 7.30 pm slot on the bill – not that anyone attending will be complaining mind you. The band are genuine party starters, their eclectic mixture of instrumentation and styles forcing feet to move from the first notes. However, it wasn't ever a sound that was consciously found, more so stumbled upon.

“I remember early on we still had our old [traditional] folk songs and probably about four gypsy songs that were really upbeat,” he tells, remember back to the band's infancy. “And we'd play and start with our gypsy music, but then if we'd change over to our folk music half the room would leave!”

But excitingly, it's a sound that's still evolving for this wild and wonderful musical kraken. And with the band currently writing for a debut album, the best way to get a taste of what's to come is to get along on Saturday.

“We've changed our style quite a lot, even now because we've got a bass guitar, that's one of the last instruments that we got, and that's really influenced the direction that we're going – it's a lot more drum'n'bass now. It's really funky, it's got a bit of reggae – we're combining a lot of genres these days.”