Coming across like a mixture of Kodaline and The Script, Jupe are a band on the trail of something big. Being Irish these days seems to be about more than just eating raw potatoes and rearing cattle. Pop-balladeers who trade in high-hitting, soaring tracks which encapsulate such emotions as heartbreak, summer love and good old fashioned fun are all the rage, both back home and abroad.
Remember fun? Fun was good. A hard-working pack of heroes, Jupe seem to capture that old maxim about work being the eternal soother, the thing to escape at the end of the day. Nothing describes their music better than this; they’re as concentrated on the forgotten art of escapism as Harry Houdini.
Talking with singer in the band, Tim Night, you get the sense that he is a very grounded, well-adjusted character. He’s also very thoughtful and can talk about the band’s history, in light of where they are headed, while also giving his thoughts on previous touring buddies Mumford & Sons’ new album, which, sufficed to say, he enjoyed.
After a brief stint in L.A. during which they were tipped to be the next big thing, Jupe underwent a bit of a transitional period. Their time in California coincided with them working with legendary producer Bob Cutarella in Grouse Lodge Studios. They ascribe a huge amount of emphasis to this period.
“We learned a lot from that time. We came away with a big idea of how to improve and how to move forward because I think we weren’t fully sure of what the band was at that time. Since then we’ve honed our style, figured out what to do with production, so I would say that was a huge learning point for us as a band.”
Post-production, beyond the alterations made to tone and style, the band also underwent a slight alteration in line-up, adding guitarist Kevin Rowe to the rota, something which Tim says not only helped add another layer of instrumentals, but also gave him the impetus to focus more on his vocals.
“The thing with Kevin is that he’s a really great guitar player. He adds so much to what we want to sound like, so it’s been great since he’s come on board. I don’t play the guitar in the band anymore because there wasn’t much point with Kevin there. I’ve been able to focus on the vocals more and that’s been good for us too.”
The aspiration, at the end of the day, though, is to get their music out to as many listeners as is humanely possible. On the other end of both barrels, world fame is crying out to them, and it seems they are ready. They’ve played with big acts, they’ve worked with some main players and there’s no intimidation about them in the slightest.
“We’re very busy at the minute, with a load of things going on, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We were all raised with the idea that no matter what you do, you want to try to be a success, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
They play Whelan’s on the 30th of October. On the one hand this is a big step for the band, one which they relish and which they are looking forward to, on the other hand it provides a perfect space to infiltrate the ears of a range of new listeners. Their live sound, and their sound in general, is such that the concert will probably be heard all the way up and down Wexford Street.
“We can’t wait for the gig now. We’re delighted to be playing in Whelan’s because it’s such a hallowed venue, everyone knows Whelan’s! “
And beyond this concert, more awaits. Rocket is set for release on the same day as their concert in Whelan’s, October 30th and will be followed up by another, as yet unnamed track, which will then be followed by their album; recorded, packaged and just waiting to be fired out into the Technosphere.
Although summer is slowly fading away, Jupe have hopes of keeping the spirit going throughout the winter. A task, something to remember them by, beyond that memorable auld hat that Tim wears.
“That’s just our sound. I don’t know, we could always do a few ballads, haha, but seriously that’s the way we want to sound and we’ll keep doing it our way. “