A number one album and numerous top ten singles have made The Feeling one of the most talked-about acts to come out of Britain in the past few years. Tracks like “Fill My Little World”, “Sewn”, “Never Be Lonely” and “Love it When You Call” saw their debut album Twelve Stops and Home rocket up the charts in 2006. Sixteen months of solid touring ended in May 2007 during which they had played more than 200 shows and sold over a million copies of their critically acclaimed debut album, Twelve Stops and Home. The Feeling are not one of those bands who respond to success by getting grumpy and telling you how hard their lives are now. This, after all, is a band who had previously spent several ski seasons as a covers band in the Alps, playing two sets a night in two different bars (and carting their own gear between them ). "That was bloody hard work, for bugger all money" says frontman Dan Gillespie Sells. "But we did it because we loved it. And we still do."
A fortnight after returning from the tour ending, The Feeling found themselves starting work on album two. Within two highly productive weeks, The Feeling had finished recording four songs, despite taking a day off to collect their well-deserved Ivor Novello Award for Songwriters of the Year. Progress continued throughout the summer, with the band spending their weeks recording in Bradley House and weekends playing gigs. When it was released in Feburary this year, Join With Us debuted in the UK charts at number one. It was preceded by the hit single from the album, "I Thought It Was Over". Deeper and more ambitious than its predecessor, Join With Us is an album where jaunty boogie woogie pianos give way to rollicking metal guitar solos; where harmony-soaked MOR choruses swerve into duels between harpsichords and string quartets; and where there's absolutely no shame in unleashing a monster prog finale. "We put a lot of love into making this album,” says Gillespie Sells, “and it sounded great from the very beginning. We're ridiculously pleased with the way it's turned out." The Feeling’s live highlights included their own sold-out Forest tour, a triumphant Isle of Wight festival set and a show-stealing performance at the Diana memorial concert at Wembley Stadium.
The Feeling will play the Royal Theatre Castlebar on Saturday November 29. Tickets cost €35 and are available from ticketmaster outlets nationwide.
