Wire Daisies

The Wire Daisies are the latest band to break out of the Cornish music scene and start attracting national attention. Magnus Cromarty chatted with them to find out how it feels to be tipped for the top.

The Wire Daisies are on a high. In the space of a couple of years the band has gone from jamming ideas on a farm in Cornwall to playing international music festivals and signing a major deal with EMI. They’ve just finished recording their first album for the Transistor Projects label with legendary producer John Cornfield (Muse, Catatonia, Supergrass to name but a few) and are in the middle of a tour of the UK.
Is life getting too hectic for the band? Quite the opposite, says the bands lead singer Treana Morris. “Everything becomes quite a bit easier (after signing to a major label) so you can focus on practising and rehearsing more rather than phoning round for gigs and things like that. There are really no downsides, we're all really happy to be busier and we seem to be moving forward.”
Moving forward they certainly are. The Daisies recently played at the WOMAD festival in Reading, alongside such world-renowned acts as Nigel Kennedy and Soul II Soul. I asked Treana how the band found playing to such a large audience. “WOMAD was really cool. We went for the duration of the festival and played early so we could go and watch other people. There weren't too many people there to start with but by the end (of our set) there were loads watching us and there was a really nice atmosphere.”
The band got their name after Alden, the guitarist, commented that his used guitar strings looked like wire daisies. “Working with John Cornfield was brilliant,” enthuses Treana, “he’s a really lovely guy. It was a pleasure to record that album with him. He's such a laid back guy and he just sort of sits there and lets it happen.”
I asked her if the Daisies had been in any way nervous about working with such a high profile producer: “Some producers are a little bit arrogant about who they've worked with, but John wasn't like that at all. He doesn’t say a great deal but when he does its important. We went initially to do 2 songs and he really liked it. He really wanted to do more.”
More, in this case, is the debut album, “Just Another Day”, an excellently, if a little obviously, produced collection of songs that explore the same sort of musical themes that The Cranberries, The Corrs, Dido and others of that ilk have been churning out for years. Whilst this may not appeal to all tastes, it should be noted that what the Wire Daisies do, they do damn well. Very radio friendly, “Just Another Day” is interesting enough to encourage repeat listening, but unoriginal enough to be palatable to a wide audience of pop fans. The first single from the album, “Butterfly” was released at the beginning of last September and the Daisies toured the country playing a series of live shows to promote it. “Just Another Day” was released later in September of last year.
For tour dates and other information about the Wire Daisies, go to www.wiredaisies.com.

Magnus Cromarty

© Substance Magazine 2005