Gig - Osmosis

We arrange to meet the local indie-rock band Osmosis, who are playing in the Lansdown this Saturday, at 11.30am in the Grange Gardens for a photo-shoot and interview. They arrive, on time, unmistakeably an indie-rock band. Four late-teenage lads, with hair ranging from mid-length to very long, in jeans, trainers and hoodies, one of which is extremely raggy. Three of them have centre-partings.

We’ve decided to do an urban-style shoot in a distinctly semi-rural Lewesian setting, so we line them up by the gargoyle arch near the mulberry tree. Lewes being Lewes, there’s another shoot going on in the same place. I ask them to look mean, and they try hard, but they aren’t very, so they can’t. They’re nice kids, having a laugh.

Afterwards, after another shoot by the double-headed statue round the corner, we sit on the bench outside the Grange building, and I fire questions at them. They are a foursome. Singer Sam and lead-guitarist Dave do most of the talking. Drummer Dave and bassist Chris take more of a back seat role. First up, why Osmosis?

“We’ve been going about six years now, and we’ve always had that name. We thought it sounded cool, and would stick in people’s heads.” “And we wanted to be next to Oasis on the record shop racks, so people might accidentally take our record instead.” And what sort of music do they play? “It’s less Britpop, and more rock. There’s a bit of a weird edge to our stuff. That’s our thing.” They have a range of influences, including folk and jazz as well as rock and indie, and play a range of instruments, including banjo and harmonica.