Sprung from a request by rhythm guitarist Jamie Davis to play a Beatles' covers gig, The Jaded Hearts Club have grown from a one-off party band into a fully-fledged supergroup.
Now, after sharing a stage with Paul McCartney himself, the formidable ensemble release their debut studio album, 'You've Always Been Here'.Featuring the likes of Miles Kane (The Last Shadow Puppets) and Matt Bellamy (Muse), The Jaded Hearts Club are in no short supply of arena-accustomed comrades.
The six-piece rock brigade come across with the energy of a modern-day Eric Burdon project, with Jet's Nick Cester's shredded vocals and Blur's Graham Coxon's fuzzed-up guitars throwing around '60s hits like whiskey-soaked chew toys.
The record makes no bones about sounding like exactly what it is – a gang of good pals celebrating the rock and soul classics they grew up loving.
Nic Cester checks in to answer a few questions; thank you sir.
Had you all already been mates prior to being assembled like the leather jacket Justice League?
I've known Matt for a long time now as we lived about 15 minutes away from each other while he was still living in Italy.
We were quite often on the same festivals too during the Jet years. Graham and Miles were the only two I didn't really know beforehand.
Who picks the songs? Is it generally the singer of a given tune, or more of a group call?
The song choice is all Jamie and Matt, but mostly Jamie I'd say.
How was the album recorded? You're all on the road and out and about. I can't imagine it being easy to get you all in one place very often?
The recordings all happened in LA in about two weeks; quite quick really.
Miles and I are the only two not living there. Miles had shows unfortunately and did his bits remotely, but other than that we were all kinda hanging out.
Who produced the record, and how did that choice come about?
Matt produced it himself; was interesting watching him work in that way up close. A little odd actually after being friends for so long but I loved it. He's an incredibly talented guy.
Any more guest appearances on the record? If not, is there anyone you'd particularly like to get involved on a future track?
No guests planned, but I'm absolutely sure that when it comes to the live shows there will be many. All our friends are musicians. I'd love to see Gary Clark Jr. get up one night.
The group was originally a Beatles covers band, but there are no Beatles covers on the album. What was the reasoning behind that decision?
Well, the group began as a bit of a laugh really and then developed into something much more serious. We can cover a lot of ground with the accumulative experiences, backgrounds and talents of all of us.
Is there any original material in the works from The Jaded Hearts Club?
Original material was discussed very early on, but quickly dismissed 'cos it would have dramatically changed the atmosphere.
All of us already have bands and various other projects going on, but I'd still be very curious to see what would happen if we were to try. Would be tricky but incredibly interesting.
Would you ever find it feasible to tour internationally as The Jaded Hearts Club? Maybe as a joint bill with one of your many other groups?
Touring will absolutely happen as soon as it's possible. We'd actually had a tour planned earlier in the year, but was cancelled for the obvious reason. The shows will be amazing and none of us can wait.
If you had to pick one album to cover, start to finish, which would you all agree on?
I don't think any of us would ever agree on a single one. That's why we all happily leave that stiff to Jamie. Keeps the egos in check too, I think that way. He's the only one of us not from a band, so it's kinda perfect.
Favourite track on the album? Which was the most fun to record?
Probably 'I Put A Spell On You' for me. It was a lot of fun to sing and I didn't feel as much pressure with that as some of the others being that there were already quite a few different versions floating around.
How has COVID-19 impacted the album release, and your approach to getting it launched and heard?
Hey man, I'm just the singer! Actually not even; I'm one of the singers. That's Jamie's problem.
What's next for The Jaded Hearts Club? Is everyone back to working on their own individual projects now?
We're about to start work on the second one actually; should be ready for next spring.
