O.R.B-1mb(1)In the 3 years that have passed since that video ORB (formerly Original Rude Boys) have slowly crept up the musical echelons and come full circle. Admittedly these ‘3 inner city boys from the heart of town’ never fathomed it could take them to such heights. “Walking into Maureen’s bar in the Olympia and seeing everyone she’s met, then she has a photo taken with us is madness. Even walking up town and people stopping you for a photo, I still find that very weird and can’t get my head around it “says Sean Walsh.

The lads had been sitting tight on their sophomore album for some time. “We’ve had demos and the likes for some time but it’s been done since January”. Naturally it was dealt with fastidious care, with a definitive label and promotion behind it, yet surprisingly it allowed the boys to “take more risks on this one musically, but in terms of promotion and stuff it was more planned out”.

The DIY facet of Irish music is one of such propulsion, that when bands practice it from the beginning it nests within their ethos when things start to grow. Debut album ‘This Life’ “was very spur of the moment”’ and the tenets that made it happen remain the same. “Even on this one, there is a lot of sounds that we came up with in my bedroom or Walshys, took them and put them on in the full studio. There wasn’t really much of a difference in the way we wrote and the way we created the songs, but just going into the studio we had more ideas about how we wanted them to sound and the direction we wanted them to go” mention Walshy and Arkins.

Recorded between two London studios and paired with producer Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Paloma Faith) there was persistent pressure to deliver in the two weeks they had to record. “It was two weeks and you needed to be coming out with at least some sort of a song a day”. It was a particular sweet point for Sean ‘Neddy’ Arkins to procure the talents of a now renowned and illustrious producer. “It was just before Ed Sheeran dropped his first album, and I came across his Youtube videos and it was the production element that I liked. So when we got the actual producer it was huge for us” says Arkins. “After what happened with Ed Sheeran and all the big artists he’s been working with, he still had time for us which was a blessing” adds Walsh.

From the origination of ORB, a degree of ambivalence has always run parallel. The disparate niche of their sound meant everyone was not always so receptive, but currents of criticism have and will forever exist in music. Whatever ominous words there may have been they failed to strew or emit any lasting influence. ‘All We Are’ was # 1 on iTunes Ireland, and is HMV’s biggest selling new release of the year so far. It enjoyed the best week 1 sales of any album by an Irish band in 2014, charting at # 2 and only bettered by Imelda May. It typifies such voracious loyalty by the myriads of fans to a band that genuinely care about and consistently engage with them.

While radio play has come more naturally this time round frustrations still exist, the staunch stipulation of stations and ‘safe’ playlists is something nearly every band can pledge a grievance to. “Every single we’ve put out has got more and more radio play but there is still that constant need to push. It’s never a case of us handing a station a new single and they say ok and it’s playlisted. There’s always that element of you scratch our backs and we’ll scratch yours. What can be really frustrating is some of the big stations that say they pride themselves and how they totally support Irish music, you look behind the playlist and it’s one song” says Arkins. Both Arkins and Walsh are quick to advocate the proper marvels doing their bit for Irish music (a particular nod to John Barkers (Totally Irish 98fm) and not the charlatans that are mentioned with a degree of satire “that have supported the boys from day one”.

ORB have always had the ability to take particular topics and issues that are pertinent and make them identifiable to their audience and relatable. For musicians who saw their sound consistently shut down from the beginning from those with the ability to make a band, they have amassed dizzying success which looks set to continue.

ORB’s album ‘All We Are’ is out now and play the Olympia in September.