It started at 9am. Several teenage girls had turned up outside the Olympia Theatre, donning their Original Rudeboys tee-shirts and began to make themselves comfortable in the cold December air. The girls were a full twelve hours early for the show, due to take place later that night. They busied themselves by writing legibly on their enormous tricolour and fixing their makeup, as crowds shuffled past on their way to work. By noon they were joined by many more fans and the queue now began to snake around the building.
It is 5pm when I arrive and having made my way past the throngs of giddy teenagers to the stage door, I meet the guys onstage prior to soundcheck. They welcome me with friendly handshakes and instantly I’m put on the spot. “Is it came in eighteen-to-one, or came in ten-to one?“, asks Sean ‘Neddy’ Arkins, the charming, rapping frontman of the group. “You know, Fairytale of New York, which one does he say?” After confirming it was the former, Neddy turns to suave guitarist Robert Burch and gloats. “Told you.” Burch is clearly not having it. The pair joke around, clearly in great spirits as ukulele player Sean Walsh smiles sheepishly to himself; teetering on the edge of the stage tuning his guitar. They sound great and are clearly ready for the night ahead of them.
While the band take a few moments to themselves to discuss lighting, I decide to meet with the fans downstairs. “I wouldn’t go out there if I were you” jokes one of the security men as I head towards the backdoor to the building, “You’ll be mobbed“. He shows me the security camera where there is a collection of girls waiting to pounce on the door. Not wanting to have ‘beaten to death for not being Neddy’ on my headstone, I find the warmer, plusher surrounds of the Olympia’s waiting room more to my tastes. There, I find five teenagers, literally vibrating with excitement. One girl, Claire, can’t decide whether to stand or sit, she tells me on several occasions that she’s finding it hard to breathe and complains about the heat in the room. She’s visibly sweating. Her friends are unquestionably as excited, but less forthcoming about the fact. They are all competition winners, and judging by the texts they read aloud, the envy of their friends. “Your mate asked me to get something signed for her, and I was all like, eh no.”
When the guys arrive, you could hear a pin drop. Their fans have gone into shock – all of them, but with a bit of cajoling, they open up and it’s clear it’s going to be less easy to get them to stop. The guys greet more competition winners after and are just about to leave for some drinks when there’s a commotion at the door. A young guy, Leo makes his way into meet the guys with a family member pushing his wheelchair. “Ah, here’s our biggest fan!” exclaims Walsh and Leo’s eyes light up. “And he’s got his ukelele with him, clearly a man of good taste“. Leo has met the band once before, but it was at least well over a year ago. He brings with him lots of gifts and more handmade wristbands because, as his accomplice explains on his behalf “we thought the ones we gave you the last time are probably broken by now“. Two of the guys lift their sleeves to show that they still wear the originals every day, while Walsh explains how his met it’s demise in recent weeks. You can’t help but feel when the Original Rudeboys say they remember you, they’re not playing the popstar card – they really do.
As I watch from the side of the stage, I can see some of the faces that had been photographed for the Olympia’s Facebook page twelve hours previously. They look far from exhausted. They leap, clap and photograph with the rest of the crowd and scream after each song. While I had only a brief encounter with the Original Rudeboys, it’s good to know that they are gentlemen worthy of teenage girls’ time.
Exclusive Behind The Scenes: The Original Rudeboys at The Olympia Theatre
