The Worldonfire
“…Sail The Rough Sea” out on Dead Planet Records
September 21st 2009
Dave Walsh (vocals), Haaris Ali (guitar), Bill Ginn (guitar), George Harris (bass), Joe Lazarus (drums)
Integrity, graft and independence are all vital watchwords for The Worldonfire as they strive to deliver their freewheeling collision of genres to its widest audience yet. Yet ambition is nothing without talent and, as their upcoming album ‘…Sail The Rough Sea’ demonstrates, the Harlow quintet have that in abundance. Their sound flows between the intelligent crafted alt-rock of Biffy Clyro or Yourcodenameis:milo with the aggressive hook-laden edge of post-hardcore greats from Hüsker Dü to the modern day with Taking Back Sunday.
Recorded with the production expertise of Ant Chapman (Klaxons, Mclusky) and Oceansize vocalist / guitarist Mike Vennart, ‘…Sail The Rough Sea’ is the product of a hectic two-year schedule that commenced when The Worldonfire’s current line-up was solidified. Since then, they’ve headlined shows across the country (including 250-800 capacity gigs in the south-east), played with bands including Enter Shikari, Oceansize, Frank Turner, Good Shoes, Miocene and Fighting With Wire and also released their debut EP ‘Garden Cities Of Tomorrow’ and the debut album ‘…Live To Tell The Tale.’ Not bad going for any band, let alone one self-funded by the members’ day jobs.
“The band is our job,” explains guitarist Haaris Ali with the glee of a man who has identified his ‘job’ as his life’s calling. “Everything else is just what we do to feed the machine.”
Although progress has been fast for The Worldonfire, they have an enviable advantage over other bands in the shape of a friendship between Ali and vocalist Dave Walsh that stretches back over two decades. Together they’ve progressed from childhood to taking their first tentative steps playing Oasis and Blur covers and into a band that could shape their future. Their college years uncovered guitarist Bill Ginn and, later, drummer Joe Lazarus, before bassist George Harris completed the band as it is today.
“We’re quite a tight-knit unit. We live our lives together,” affirms Walsh with the confidence and immediate affability that defines some of music’s great frontmen. “Some bands will go weeks without seeing each other, but we see each other literally every day whether it’s for rehearsals or not.”
Initially conceived as an EP, ‘…Sail The Rough Sea’ appeared to have a plan of its own to develop as a full length album. The band’s creativity and hard work yielded a rich vein of their best material to date that just couldn’t be ignored. When Oceansize’s Mike Vennart offered, modestly, to “help out”, it was too compelling an opportunity to pass on.
The Worldonfire’s place is in the music scene is, according to Ali, alongside the likes of Biffy Clyro and Yourcodenameis:milo. “They’re in the same sort of ilk as what we do and it would be nice to be held up on the same sort of plateau as them. They worked hard and wrote intelligent, well thought out music. It’s not a flash in the pan.”
“We’re not in it for the fame or fortune,” concludes Walsh in consideration to their future. “We just want to keep enjoying it and to keep pushing forwards.”
www.myspace.com/theworldonfire
