Little Barrie

Lewis Wharton of the criminally underrated and always brilliant Little Barrie talks all things Pompey.

Mick Quinn, retro shirts, terraces by the sea and Dirty Diego all make Little Barrie's Football Firsts

Given Little Barrie fans have been waiting for nigh on four years for the band's follow up to Stand Your Ground, it's a good job new album King of the Waves doesn't disappoint. Co-produced by the legendary Edwyn Collins, the band's third album is a glorious slab of stripped back rock 'n' roll which sees the sonic trio demonstrate a musical palate that offers a unique nod in the direction of soul, punk, mod and the blues, while remaining true to the spirit that has established them as musicians' musicians. The quality of their playing is largely unrivalled in modern music, with the likes of Morrissey, Primal Scream, Johnny Marr, Amorphous Androgynous, Bryan Ferry and Paul Weller all having enlisted their services over the years in one guise or another. In Japan the band have a following that's not dissimilar to Beatlemania and with King of the Waves having been critically lauded on its release on July 4, an upturn in their popularity on British shores should be forthcoming. Little Barrie's sound is one that deserves to be heard, with guitarist and vocalist Barrie Cadogan one of the best in the business and perfectly complemented by bassist/vocals Lewis Wharton and Virgil Howe who joined in 2008 on drums. Taking time out from a busy touring schedule to promote their new album, Pompey fan Lewis was happy to regale us with tales of a youth spent on the Fratton Park terraces.

Portsmouth

Coming from Pompey I'm not really going to support anyone else. It's a very football orientated city. I mean some of the kids at school supported bigger clubs that you actually got to see on the telly every week and would wear their kits in games lessons, but come Saturday most of them would be down Fratton Park. I think as we got older most of them stopped supporting the glory teams. My Uncle Pete used to take me to as many games as he could in the mid-eighties with my cousin Jon and we'd make our way right to the front by the halfway line in the North Stand so we could see as much as possible. This was before all seater-stadiums so everyone was standing. I remember on big games we couldn't always get to the front and then you'd be at the mercy of the sea of swaying people, with big pushes one way or another. I went under a few times...a bit scary when you're ten. But mostly it was the highlight of my week.