The Leisure Society - The Sleeper (2009)

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As winter reaches its peak, the Leisure Society have providedan early, yet evocative reminder of the forthcoming springwith their debut single, the haunting ‘The Last of the MeltingSnow’.

The group is centred around songwriter and guitarist NickHemming, and singer and multi-instrumentalist Christian Hardy.Hemming is a former guitarist with Creation label band theTelescopes, and has also written music for the Shane Meadows’films, ‘A Room for Romeo Brass’and Dead Man’s Shoes’. Hardy,who like Hemming is originally from Burton Upon Trent but nowLondon-based, fronts as well his own project, Christian Silva.
The Leisure Society’s debut album, ‘The Sleeper’, is out inMarch, and ‘The Last of the Melting Snow’, which was recentlymade 'Record of the Week’ on Mark Radcliffe and StuartMaconie’s Radio 2 show, is a first taster from it.

The Leisure Society ooze charm. Anyone that happened uponNorthampton Square in Islington last Sunday for oursister-site Bandstand Busking’s latest recording will havebeen utterly won over by this very English answer toDepartment of Eagles: a clean, nostalgic folk soundunderpinned by unmistakably Ray Davies-like wry and whimsicalsongwriting. Numbering eight, their roots lie inBurton-Upon-Trent from where songwriter Nick Hemming decampedto work with fellow Burtonite Christian Hardy (ChristianSilva) in London and one-by-one the pair coaxed members ofBrighton’s Wilkommen Collective (Sons Of Noel and Adrian,Shoreline etc) until The Leisure Society was born.

Hemming’s musical roots go back further into the West Midlandshowever, beginning with early 90’s indie band She Talks ToAngels and Unisex, an extension of late eighties space rockersThe Telescopes. The former are certainly better known for whatthey did next with actor Paddy Considine anddirector/screenwriter Shane Meadows making up Hemming’s firstbandmates. Indeed he has written and performed music for twoof Meadow’s films - A Room for Romeo Brass and Dead Man’sShoes. Over a decade on The Leisure Society is naturally a farmore mature project but also a far more serious prospect.

‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’ - the band’s debut singlereleased just before Christmas - made sure of that. A gentle,glistening and beautiful song, it is in fact quite perfectsongwriting. Think otherwise and there might just be somethingmissing left of centre beneath your chest. It sets March’sfull release The Sleeper up nicely for a band who just screamquiet, word of mouth success over the coming months andhopefully years.

The second track, ‘A Short Weekend Begins with Longing’, ismore upbeat in sound, merging Hemming’s choppy acoustic folkguitar with swirls of violin. It too implies the ending of arelationship (’Fine for a while/we were happy until it died’),yet also looks out beyond darkness with cautious optimismtowards the future. (’Winding my way through the plans I nevermade/ don’t step aside/I was hoping that you might helpme/Save me again from this dreadful feeling.’)

File next to: Department of Eagles, Sons Of Noel and Adrian, Divine Comedy.