Formerly known as New Education, the Stoke on Trent (aka The Potteries, a city in Staffordshire, England) band consists of Dooley brothers Ryan (lead singer/guitarist) and Jack (bassist), and Will Heaney (drummer) and David Cartwright (guitarist). This past year, All The Young also supported well-known acts Brother and Pete Doherty.
There’s a strident sense of defiance and flair to all the new ATY material, the kind of fist-pumping fodder that festival crowds were custom-built for, and it’s hard to imagine “You And I” impacting a field of muddy punters without getting butterflies. Their debut single “The First Time” is a driving onslaught of churning bourbon-soaked chords and cloud-bursting hopeful melodies. The lush monochrome promo video defines the slick new swagger, all dizzy abandon, pea-coats, smouldering stares and Brylcreem coiffed bonces. A few select anthems kept their place from the New Education days, namely the soaring heights of ‘Another Miracle’ and the seismic slabs of power-rock that is “Today.” Both tracks lay bare the band’s core manifesto where the reckless, woozy tones of Hüsker Dü melt with a visceral hit of canonised Brit-rock fronting pairings, from Daltrey and Townshend to the inevitable Mancunian G-bomb. But with Britain waking up to guitars again, it feels like it might just be time for another iconic sibling pairing to find their place in the history books.
Our writer Jordan Small got a chance to talk with Jack Dooley of All The Young, and touch base on topics such as their upcoming SXSW appearance, the future of the band, and smoking enthusiastically.
MMN: How did you guys first meet, and what made you decide to begin playing music together?
Jack: “Well me and Ryan are brothers, so we have been stuck with each other for some time now! We used to play in covers bands at school, playing Oasis and Beatles songs.
Then Ryan started writing his own stuff so we formed a proper band. Will and Dave were doing a similar thing but with different people, then a couple of years ago we all came together to form All the Young.”
MMN: Do you do anything outside of All The Young? Or is the band your career?
Jack: “I can officially say that we are now all full time aspiring rock stars.”
MMN: For each of you, is music something you wanted to do your whole life?
Jack: “Massively, although we only formed 2 years ago, we’ve all played music since we can remember, we’ve even done gigs in different bands on the same bill, we’ve all been walking down our own path which lead to All the Young.”
MMN: What do you enjoy doing together besides play music?
Jack: “Listening to music, we go to a lot of gigs, we’re also big football fans, and Dave’s an enthusiastic smoker.”
MMN: I read somewhere that you guys would be attending the SXSW this year. (Besides playing music) What do you plan to do while you are there?
Jack: “We’ve heard amazing things about SXSW, so we’re massively buzzed that we’ve been invited. Legend has it that it’s the best party on earth, so we’ll be sampling plenty of that.”
MMN: What inspires you to play the music you create?
Jack: “We’re from a small town in England called Stoke on Trent. It might sound a bit clichéd but there isn’t many options about, you can either work at a warehouse, try and get an education, or follow your passion. Our passion was always being in a band, so we’ve just never stopped. Belief and giving yourself no option but to succeed is what inspires us.”
MMN: Who are some of your biggest influences in music and why?
Jack: “We’re all different really. Ryan grew up listening to lots of house music and going to the raves, Will’s into a lot of electronic stuff. Communally though, we love all the greats really. The Smiths, Oasis, Stone Roses, Dylan, The Beatles, The Cure, The Clash, Joy Division/New Order. Real music created by real people with something to say.”
MMN: What are your plans for the future of ATY?
Jack: “Keep writings songs, and see the world.”
MMN: Are you planning on touring around the U.S.? And if so, when?
Jack: “We’d love to, and there’s already talking of it happening this year!”
MMN: Can your listeners expect a follow up album after “Welcome Home”?
Jack: “They can expect a few.”
MMN: Do any of you have ongoing projects outside of ATY?
Jack: “No, this is our only passion and focus.”
Interview by Jordan Small
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