Band embarks on tour

Patience is a virtue, an idea that British band Little Barrie is clearly aware of.

Five years after the 2007 release of its last album, Stand Your Ground, Little Barrie is back with a vengeance. The band released King of the Waves in February and is due to embark on a tour this summer.

Though five years off between albums is considered epic in the music industry, lead singer Barrie Cadogan admits that it’s sometimes necessary.

“We didn’t take five years off by choice. It was a consequence of our circumstances,” Cadogan says. “Writing an album is a longer process when a record label won’t support you anymore and you don’t have the money to rehearse or record whenever you want.”

Unlike artists such as Rihanna who can afford to release an album every year, underground bands like Little Barrie are forced to work with their current conditions.

“It’s obvious Rihanna works extremely hard, but it’s easier to put out an album every year with enough cash behind you that it allows you to not have to do other work to pay your rent,” Cadogan says. “A production schedule doesn’t necessarily hinder talent either. You have to do what you can when you can.”

This pause in production has only helped Little Barrie take more time to cultivate its sound.

Little Barrie’s Wikipedia page refers to its sound as “R&B/Soul/Funk/Blues/Garage rock jamband,” which, is not far off, according to Cadogan.

“I honestly don’t know how to classify our sound,” Cadogan says. “We like the energy of raw blues and rock ‘n’ roll as a live performance, but mixing it with all the music we love: We change what we want to do as we go on, so it’s hard to categorize.”

This refreshing amalgamation of sounds comes to life with help from some of Little Barrie’s trusted co-workers. The band had previously worked with producer Edwyn Collins and engineer Sebastian Lewsley and decided to call on them once again.

“Repetition is not the main aim,” Cadogan says. “We just love working with Edwyn Collins and Seb Lewsley at West Heath Yard. They had the right equipment to capture the sound we wanted.”

The band’s friendly relationship with the two stems from their disillusionment with many current studios.

“We don’t trust a lot of studios and producers,” Cadogan says. “So much record production sounds terrible and boring now. We asked [Collins and Lewsley] to help us and luckily for us they came to our rescue once again.”

As part of a group that flaunts a uniquely British sound, Cadogan admits that it’s sometimes difficult for British bands to break it big in the U.S.

“Definitely one hard fact is for many British bands, starting out touring the States is too expensive,” Cadogan says.

Fortunately, the band has built up their fanbase and are due to continue on a summer tour, stopping in Seattle, Portland, Fort Worth and other cities after playing at The Bootleg in Los Angeles tomorrow.

“We love playing all over the world. We’ve played to some really cool audiences all over. Traveling has been a great part of being in the band,” Cadogan says.

Soon the band will start work on its next batch of songs in hopes of continuing its growing success.

And though some bands wish for the glitz and glamour of being a rock ‘n’ roll band, Little Barrie’s goal is clear.

“We admire people who have stuck to their guns and followed a creative path,” Cadogan said. “We want to keep going, play well and create.”

Little Barrie performs at The Bootleg Thursday.