Don’t call it a comeback… girl

Having first seen Republic of Loose in concert about three years ago, when they toured Ireland to promote their 2006 album, Aaagh! I remember being completely taken aback by the energy that the band exuded on stage. Their movement had all the force of a full-on rock band, but their music couldn’t be categorised so easily. Indeed, a reviewer of one of the gigs from that tour said of the band, “They are unsure whether they want to be gangbangers or cowboys or gospel singers.” Whatever they are aiming to be, a live Republic of Loose show is equal measures exhausting and thrilling.

I was expecting Mick Pyro, lead singer of the band, to be equally energetic offstage. That’s why I was surprised when he answered the phone at 4pm on a Wednesday afternoon sounding like he had just woken up. He had, in fact, just woken up. “I’ve had weird sleeping patterns lately, I’m like a vampire. I was up ‘til eight or nine this morning.” The interview continues, but I get the distinct feeling that Pyro is still horizontal, and will probably pass this phone call off as a dream when he wakes up again later.

The band’s third album, Vol. IV: Johnny Pyro and the Dance of Evil was released last year, but the band have been fairly quiet on the promotion front. “We’ve been gigging around over the last year. We did Oxegen and played with U2 in Croke Park. But we’ve been taking it easy enough. It’s been a really difficult year for the music industry. We can do some work in Ireland, but we don’t have the money to go touring around the UK.”

Personal finance is a huge factor in everything the band does, from recording to promotion to distribution. They have never had a record company, and finance all their efforts out of their own pocket.” We’ve been trying to keep our profile up in Ireland, to keep things afloat, but it’s difficult. We still do it though, because we love it.”

There has been some interest from record companies, both Irish and international, but Pyro says the band just aren’t appealing to most labels. “Marketing us is hard. We’re not polished enough for that. You couldn’t produce our music in the same way you produce your average R’n'B record.” Pyro says he would never change the band’s style just to appeal to a record company. “I would never want us to be called an ‘indie rock’ band. I hate that shit. If a record company offered me something like surgery to fix my teeth, or to get rid of my bald patch, I’d consider their offer then.”

The band had a lot of radio play in the US, especially with Comeback Girl (from Aaagh!), but Pyro says nothing ever came of it, mainly because he is too off-putting as a lead singer. “Our music is weird, we’re a weird band and I’m a weird frontman. We’ve had a few record companies sniffing around, especially in America. But one look at me on YouTube and I bet they all ran a mile.”

Although finances certainly came into it, Pyro admits there is another reason why the band’s success has been limited, and doesn’t hesitate to tell me about it. “I’ve fucked up a lot. I’m an alcoholic, and I used to be off my face a lot. I was completely overdoing it, and that affected our success in Ireland.”

The usual album promotion gimmicks- signings, television appearances and interviews - were almost impossible for Pyro this time a year and half ago. “When we were recording the last album and promoting it, I was extremely ill. I was drinking brandy every morning. I could hardly go on television to promote the album when I was 14 stone with a bloated face. I could barely function.”

Just over a year ago, Pyro decided that enough was enough. “I’ve stopped drinking before, but for shorter lengths of time. This is the longest I’ve been off drink.” He sounds hopeful that he will conquer his alcoholism, but says he is always reminded of the damage it caused not only himself, but his band. “I can’t listen to the last album, because I just end up thinking about how it would have been a completely different album if I’d been different myself.”

Pyro isn’t sure what direction the band will go in from here, but has been working on some solo work of his own. “It’s stuff that might be released. I’ve wanted to do some solo stuff where I play all the instruments.” He still has faith in Republic of Loose though, even after the hard slog of the last two years. “We’re good musicians, we’re better than a lot of people out there.”

Pyro lists some unusual names among the bands musical influences, none of them Irish. “Ireland has no indigenous R’n'B culture. Irish people have a bizarre phobia of latching on to other cultures, and that’s why most Irish bands are crap. I’ve always been partial to American music, like Sly and the Family Stone and R Kelly.” The band’s hybrid of R’n'B and rock is a direct consequence of these influences, says Pyro. “I didn’t want this band to be an indie rock group. I know my music, and once you understand how music from a certain group is constructed, once you understand that mode, it’s difficult to go back to stodgy rock.” He shudders at the thought of Irish bands influenced by “whoever is playing in Whelan’s”, and stands by his own musical tastes. “Listening to R Kelly, most people would laugh if they heard me say that. But I know good music when I hear it.”

Republic of Loose play The Academy on December 22. Pyro says the band don’t have much new material. “We’ve no big plans for a new album. We’ve two new songs that we might release in March, and we’ve been in and out of studio.” Even so, the show will be well worth seeing, as all 13 members will be on stage. “There’s six of us in the core band, but backing singers and percussion bring us up to 13 members.”

It will be interesting to see how Pyro’s performance style has changed now that he is running purely on adrenaline, and nothing stronger. Even if they’ve suffered a dip in energy levels though, the intensity of the band’s live performance will still blow any audience member away.

Republic of Loose play the Academy on December 22