Born Ruffians: watching me watching you
What is it about Canadians? Where does the laid back optimism come from? How come they can go out and leave their front doors unlocked? And what is it about these fresh-faced Canadian trio Born Ruffians that makes them so genetically advanced? SUPERSWEET’s Puttho Suksriwan investigates.
Hype is the dirtiest of words and since the new rise in popularity of guitar bands over the past few years, since the whole Strokes/Libertines explosion took off (please debate) there has been such an overload of inbred sounding over-hyped bands that a lot just merge into one. Or the hype just kills. Like what the hell happened to Andrew WK?! So especially when you’re making indie pop, it’s quite a fine task to make yourselves seen in your own light instead of being tossed on a pile and disregarded another one of those ‘scenester’ bands. It’s hard not to be prejudiced from the outlook, but Born Ruffians seem to pull it off without being contrived or too retro, and they are in their own off-beat pop league right now for the simple fact that they aren’t chasing airs.
Aside from the quote by X-men founder Professor Charles Xavier on their MySpace page, it’s quite hard to believe that these guys are barely out of high school. Their carefully crafted minimal indie pop punk is sophisticated and charming beyond their years.
With an already much hyped debut full-length album Red Yellow and Blue due out in May and an appearance on Skins in the pipeline, let’s face it, they’ve already signed and sealed their places on the NME Cool List, have they not? Well the boys are bare back in the UK again, if to prove anything at all, that Canadians ‘do it better’.
And they’re diplomatic, too. SS asks them about the label move from XL to dance-orientated Warp last year, Steve Hamelin (drums) sharply replies, “Well, it’s the relationship really, since [Warp] are filming I have to say this," he mischievously smiles, "They were there since the beginning, they were basically the first label to talk to us and support us all the way."
But rest assured the 'genetically advanced three-piece' (the title they have placed upon themselves) aren’t strangers from adventures. Their latest blog entry from their website reads "Born Ruffians Avoid International Incarceration." Now that’s a headline if we ever did hear one. Written by Mitch, it’s a witty account of the boys' kerfuffle crossing the border on tour that shows their awareness of how to entice their demographic audience, “I feel like it'd be like a Facebook status message: “Mitch Derosier is smuggling balloons of heroin into America.” -- 2 minutes ago.”
But they’re not headline grabbers although they could be; they’ve got the material to back it up so do we really care if they’re a little bit cocky? Nah, and much like the Professor X’s quote, “Mutation: it is the key to our evolution… this process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward.” Born Ruffians have evolved pretty damn fast. It has been 5 and a half years, which is not that long, since they joined forces in their high school music class where they played trombones together. Was it a jazz big band kinda thing?
Steve chuckles, “Nahhh, just three-trombone band. We had a choice, but then I asked to play drums, but the music teacher said, ‘You will be a bore. Play trombone.’ So I did and then I learnt to play the drums later.” Since then, they’ve developed leaps and bounds as he continues, “The big difference is basically that we are more focused on being our own band rather than playing other people’s stuff.”
And what with their growing popularity in Europe, which they say is owed to the power of the internet, “We were in Germany 2 days ago we were in Berlin, we walked into the venue, there was two super fans there who were like calling our names when we walked in, and that’s weird cause we never been to Germany before, but it just kinda show you the power of the internet I think, without it we might not be able to get through to so many people at this point.”
From bitingly catchy tracks like ‘Hummingbird’ and the sweet jerky yelps on ‘Foxes Mate For Life’, Born Ruffians prove that although they’re far from dangerous, and although they may be young, and are more likely to be lovers than fighters: Born Ruffians float like a hummingbird, and sting like a bee. -- 1 minute ago. Their music will be the soundtrack of Spring/Summer ’08!
…Oh and don’t forget to watch them on Skins!
Words: Puttho Suksriwan
Photography: Burak Cingi