Described as nothing less than "Scotland's most promising new band" (no pressure there then!) by Edinburgh Evening News, we caught up with the boys to see if we really should believe all the hype.
noize: How did you guys meet?

Michael: Andy, Cal and I met while we were still at School, we just began playing together. We recruited Liam at the beginning of the year, as our old drummer left to pursue another career.

Liam: I’ve known the band for a while now and after the previous drummer Ross left to become a gamekeeper, it seemed that I was the logical choice to replace him. I was only convinced to do so after bumping into Michael in Vegas on Hogmanay!

n: How would you describe yourselves?

M: We try to write energetic indie tracks with strong melodic lines and interesting vocal harmonies - so hopefully that's how we come across.

L: Average Heights, Average Builds. GSOH, Brown/Blonde Hair. Own van. Love music.

n: If you could collaborate with anyone whom would it be?

M: Johnny Cash or Brian Wilson and his band.

L: Sugababes

n: Favourite venue to play in?

M: My favourite venue has got to be The Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh. Its got such a great buzz about it and although it's a tiny venue the sound is absolutely amazing. King Tuts in Glasgow is a close second though - the atmosphere in there is always electric.

L: We all love Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh but I personally really like the Liquid Room as well. I’ve been to see some of my favourite artists there and to walk on to that stage having seen the likes of Elbow, Seasick Steve and The Avalanches play there, you can’t beat that feeling.

n: Favourite place you have travelled to while being in the band?

M: We recently toured the Highlands and had an absolute ball on the Isle of Skye. One of the most stunning places we've had the pleasure of playing and the locals certainly know how to throw an after show party!

L: I went to Portobello beach one day after I’d joined without any of them and a great time…We loved Fort William and Skye whilst we were on our Scottish tour. The crowds were off their heads and we got LOADS of free alcoholic beverages, which always goes down well with me.

n: How did you come up with your name?

L: I believe someone took the word “The” and the word “Debuts” and stuck them together. Voila.

M: There is actually not too much more too it than that! We were really stuck for a name and for some reason out of the list of hundreds of names; we had suggested "The Debuts" seemed to have a good ring to it, so we went with it.

n: Who has been the most famous person/ or band you have met so far?

M: We supported Ocean Colour Scene at the beginning of the year, which was a great honour. I don't know if they're the most famous band we've met - but we were all massive OCS fans growing up, so it was really nice to share a stage with them. Fran Healy from Travis and Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics are also proud owners of our new EP...and were recently invited along to a show by The Happy Mondays, which was pretty cool. I think that’s about it...

L: Mani from the Stone Roses. We also supported Hard-Fi earlier this year, which was great.

n: What do you love most about where you live?

M: Not a lot really, but we're close enough to Edinburgh for it not to affect us too much. However even living in Edinburgh can be a bit frustrating for a new band - especially a few years ago when there really wasn't much happening. Things are certainly much better now and there seems to be a lot more of a scene in Edinburgh these days. Mostly down to the hard work of venues such as Cabaret Voltaire and Liquid Room, promoters New Found Sound as well as industry nights such as Born To Be Wide who really help to support and promote new music.

n: What is an average week in the life of the band?

M: It really depends on what’s going on with the band at the time - and can range from a week of solid recording to driving the length and breadth of the country playing shows - but generally we rehearse at least 2/3 times a week and try to spend as much time writing and recording as possible.

L: We practice sporadically. Could be up to 4 nights a week, might be just a couple of afternoons, depending on what we have coming up. If there is a tour or a big gig on the horizon, we tend to do more. If not we’ll have a couple of afternoon writing sessions which quite often end in tears...so, practice and cry a lot I suppose!

n: Do you have any rituals you must do before going on stage?

L: Not really. Have a few beers and hide in a dressing room. We also spend a fair bit of time trying to locate our keyboard player Andy as he has a tendency to disappear moments before we are due on stage. Therefore, that’s becoming more and more like a ritual….

n: What is your favourite thing to eat?

M: Anything served in a Wetherspoons that comes with a free beer. Those deals are our saving grace on the road!

n: Favourite unsigned band at the moment?

M: I'm really into a Glasgow band called “Jocasta Sleeps” at the moment. Only seen them live once - but really liked them.

L: “Thieves In Suits” from Edinburgh. I might be biased as I went to school with their singer Scott and played drums on their first demo when they were known as Tinrokit. I'm also really into Glasgow based singer songwriter Evan Crichton.

n: Favourite band of all time?

L: That’s an impossible question for me…..The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Nirvana, Radiohead, Led Zeppelim. I think each of those bands has played an important role in moulding my musical landscape but I can’t pick just one as my favourite.

M: I'm a really big fan of Radiohead and the way in which they continue to push the boundaries. I'm also a huge fan of The Beatles and Paul Weller.

n: If you could share a house/flat with anyone who would it be – you are allowed 4 other people.

L: Keith Moon, Noel Gallagher, Kurt Cobain and One of Girls Aloud. I’ll take Sarah Harding. Or Cheryl Cole. Or Nadine Coyle. Any really.

M: John Lennon, James Brown, Billy Connelly, Jack Black...either that or Spinal Tap.

n: What are you looking forward to in the future?

M: Hopefully making a living from making music.

L: Hoverboards. Like off Back To The Future.

n: What can we expect from you guys in the future?

M: We're in the middle of booking up a Uni tour which is set to kick off in September. We're also playing the Scotcampus Freshers Festival in George Square at the beginning of October and are playing our biggest headline show to date at Glasgow's ABC2 in November. We are doing another Scottish tour toward the end of the year, and have a couple more high profile support slots in the pipeline - so its a pretty busy time!

L: The inventing of the Hoverboard. Fingers crossed

n: Any weird experiences so far?

M: Having a cardboard cut-out of Lenny Henry on the road with us was definitely one of the weirdest experiences so far. You’d fall asleep and wake up with Lenny lying beside you in his dressing gown...that’s just not right is it?!

L: Listening to people from Dundee speaking is always quite a weird experience for me.

n: Any final words to your fans, new fans and those who haven’t heard of you?

M: For fans both old and new, Thanks for the support! To those who haven’t heard of us - I urge you to look us up and come say hello at a show!

L: Thanks, I hope to see you soon.

By Emma Jackson

www.myspace.com/thedebutsmusic