Take The Floor

The pop punk genre is one often crowded out with clichés, average sounds and rehashed riffs, with each act always striving for the age old American goal, to “make it”. There is forever the temptation to take the formulaic route to success, involving boy-meets-girl lyrics, power ballads and the inevitable sell out into soulless, unadulterated pop. This has been travelled by even the most respected and authentic of pop punk favourites, the most recent and high profile being the now horrifically cringe-worthy Simple Plan. It certainly is a shame how quickly a talented act can transform into nothing more than a glorified cash cow. And this is what makes Welsh band Take The Floor all the more impressive. Despite a background in classic pop punk, their fresh approach and infectious music provide a different take on the much maligned genre, certainly proving that you don't have to follow suit to find success.

Formed predominantly at Newport University in January 2009, Take The Floor is very much in it's infancy. Yet with members full of musical experience their progress has already been astounding. Debut track “Road To Nowhere” has far surpassed 10,000 plays on MySpace and the band have already played a succession of gigs. Made up of drummer Nathan Towel, bass player Sam McManus, guitarists/vocalists Chris Russell and Gareth Jones and lead vocalist Ross Pope each member brings with them musical knowledge, past band experience and most importantly, ambition. It was actually the disbanding of a former band that proved the catalyst for the birth of Take The Floor, as guitarist Chris Russell explains. “We got together after our guitarist's (Jones) and drummer's (Towel) band broke up. Ross and I went to Uni with Gareth and we started writing new material, and that's how it all started. A few months later we got our bassist Sam.” From a seemingly straightforward start the band have continued to make astronomical progress despite the stiff competition for attention. South Wales has always possessed a fierce musical pedigree, from classic performers such as Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones to modern acts The Stereophonics, Skindred and Kids In Glass Houses, the region has always produced quality in every area of music. Despite this fearsome reputation and constant competition, the boys remain optimistic. “It's pretty good that a lot of bands come out of South Wales as it means there's more opportunity to play shows and more interest around bands in the area.” explains Pope, “But also seeing as there are so many bands it can be difficult to get noticed as much, but we've only been going about 6 months, so can't expect too much too soon.” There is certainly a sense of quiet confidence combined with a realistic ambition, undoubtedly the best combination for a group of talented young lads.

And with such rapid progress and unbridled talent it is easy to forget their comparatively young age.  Comprised mainly of University students, it is a love of classic pop punk that brought them together and provides the foundation for their music. “We all listen to pop punk type stuff.” says Russell, “People like All Time Low, You Me At Six, The Audition, so that was the main influence.” These influences are undoubtedly noticeable in the band's music without intruding on their unique sound. Filled with irresistible melodies and intricate licks, there is a powerful punch behind the instrumentation that anchors it far beyond most throwaway acts. Combine that technically solid drumming and Pope's flawless voice and you have a pop punk band with power to more than hold their own. What is most striking is the attention to detail afforded to every aspect of their songs. The levels are perfect, the instruments are expertly layered and the backing vocals provided by Russell and Jones are nothing short of superb. It is these seemingly minor things that pull together to create such an infectious and polished sound, and will no doubt be an extremely valuable asset for them in the future.

And what of the future? With only a few tracks available at the current time plans are already in motion to add to them. “We have plans to record 2 or 3 new tracks in a couple of weeks and maybe an acoustic one. As soon as they're finished we'll put them up on our MySpace.” The acoustic track in question is the astounding “White Lies”, already available and again displaying astonishing instrumentation and effortless vocals to a wonderful result. What is most encouraging is that they are soon to take their unique sound to a wider audience, playing gigs with bigger and better bands. “We have a couple of local ones coming up with Set In Motion,” comments Pope “and also one in September with The Years Gone By and a bunch of local pop punk bands which should be really good.” Despite the evident modesty Take The Floor will in fact be rubbing shoulders already on UK tours come the tale end of May, with Set In Motion – comprised of former My Favourite Pornstar members - and The Story So Far being just some of the names sure to raise the profile of any gig. In fact just a few MySpace clicks from Take The Floor will land you on the homepage of none other than Kids In Glass Houses, the aforementioned Welsh pop punk heroes. The circles are tightening for sure, and Take The Floor are very much set to make a name for themselves.

So where would you like to see yourselves two years from now? “Massive. About 8 feet tall!” With the obvious comedy included, such a simple answer gives away a lot about the ambition and the mentality of Take The Floor. Possessing enough talent and drive to take them wherever they want to be, it certainly seems they are focused on their task. Yet the element of humour is a reminder that, whilst ambition is key, they are determined to enjoy themselves in the process. Creating such infectious music and playing across South Wales certainly seems an enjoyable thing to do, and with such an impressive sound they look set to achieve both ambitions in the very near future.

Words: Dan Grose

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