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Cuthbert And The Night Walkers
 "trying to co-ordinate the band can be a little bit of a chore sometimes, since there are so many of us. Five or six of us are normally living with each other at one time, so we're around each other a lot, but it can be hard at times. Normally it's just a matter of making a few phone calls and trying to be organised. It may seem a bit odd to have a band with ten different members, but we think that the choir really adds something special to our music. I love the line up that we've got at the moment."
While Cuthbert And The Night Walkers may not be a household name, especially around Adelaide, the band has been receiving considerable praise for their debut album 'Love Needs Us'. Having been nominated for this year's inaugural Unearthed J Award, the band is thrilled with the way in which their music has been received around the country. I spoke with lead vocalist and guitarist Richie Cuthbert concerning the recent success of the band, their musical aspirations, and what the band has recently been up to.
"We're really blown away with being nominated for the Unearthed J Award. We've been put in a group with some really great and successful bands, and it's just a real honour to even be nominated. Bands like Institut Polaire and Young And Restless; we're really happy to be put in the same category as them. I don't think any of us expected the album to be received this well. It's been a really nice surprise and it's great to hear positive things about your music."
Since the album's release in late October, tracks Red Frogs and Newtown have been receiving considerable radio airplay. Cuthbert explains how the album came about, and what it has been doing for the band.
"The recording of this album was really enjoyable. It was over a long period of time; we started in January and it's only just been released about a month ago. The record label came in near the end of the recording process, so we were pretty independent for most of the recording, and we're really happy with the end result. As far as promoting this album is concerned, hopefully we can expect to do some sort of touring by the start of next year, around February. We're just busy launching and promoting the album around Sydney at the moment, so you will probably see us in Adelaide at some point over the next few months."
Because of their large size and incorporation of a choir, Cuthbert And The Night Walkers are often compared with Texas group The Polyphonic Spree. While bands will always be compared with one another and placed into certain genres of music, Cuthbert isn't so sure of the resemblance between the two groups.
"Yeah it's definitely a great compliment to be compared with The Polyphonic Spree. I think that there's some merit to the comparisons, but I don't think that we really musically sound like them. To tell you the truth, I don't listen to The Polyphonic Spree very much at all. I really liked their first album when it came out but I can't say that they're a big musical influence on the band. But yeah, it's a huge compliment to be compared with them."
And where does Cuthbert see the band heading in years to come?
"We really just love playing festivals and live shows in general, and I think that if we could still be doing that as a band in the future, that'd be great. I think that as a band, you're not really the be all and end all of the festival experience. There are so many other bands playing, and you're really just a part of the entertainment, which is what I really love about playing festival shows. With a live show that you're headlining, you're kind of responsible to make sure that everyone has a good time," Cuthbert laughs. "So it's not quite as laid back and relaxed as the whole festival experience. But yeah, it'd be great if we're still playing shows and writing songs in a year or two. It would be great to still have the band together and enjoying ourselves, which is what we're doing now, and we couldn't be more pleased."
Ashley Prigent
'Love Needs Us' is out now through ABC/Warner
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