by Amos Wynn

WITH their debut EP getting global radio airplay, local band The Harringtons are reaping the rewards of their hard graft.

Singer/songwriter Jack Shaw says things have started to ‘step up’ for the band, whose EP Change Is Gonna Come was released this summer.

Jack says the airplay, in various countries is surreal, but “it goes to show music makes the world seem like a smaller place - even though someone in Mexico has a different life to me, they still play our music.”

He adds: “It’s nice to know people are behind the band, because the fans make up half of what we are.”

Jack and bandmates Brad Cartwright (bass) and Jud Watkin (drums), are preparing for an upcoming tour which will include some European dates. Before that they will play at Bradford’s Underground venue on September 15 and at Sheffield’s Record Junkee on September 22.

The band’s tour kicks off in Scotland and ends in London. It follows a summer of festival appearances, with VW festival in Leeds and Summer of Love in Doncaster to come. Jack enjoys meeting fans and getting their reaction after gigs.

“It’s great to hear positive feedback as it lets us know we’re doing something right. I think the people who want to complain just sneak out early,” he smiles.

One thing he’s not a fan of is unsigned bands having a rock ‘n’ roll attitude “without having the tracks to back it up”.

“There’s nothing worse than bands acting cocky before they’ve done anything. You could lose half your fans, despite all the hard work you’re putting in.”

At the moment Jack is enjoying the “spontaneous” position of being an unsigned band and having a sense of not knowing what is round the corner.

But while the aim for the band is “to have a good time”, he would say yes please to a record deal in a heartbeat, and he’s confident that it’s not far off.

Before the band turned fulltime, Shaw was a medical science student. He sometimes went to gigs with his lab coat sill in his bag, and jokes that it would “be a head turner walking on stage looking like a CSI.”

As well as being the band’s singer, guitarist and songwriter, Jack is also the manager, and is busy booking gigs, networking with other bands, and even converting their van into a tour bus.

He and drummer Jed started started playing their instruments at primary school. “It just seemed natural for us to end up in a band,” he says.

Right now they’re enjoying the feedback for Change is Gonna Come. “Everyone has been downloading it, even our local pub has put us on their jukebox,” says Jack.