TIM HUGHES finds The Good Lovelies’ contagious cheerfulness simply impossible to resist

WITH their upbeat songs and sunny harmonies, The Good Lovelies are the ultimate feelgood folk band.

So natural do these three Canadian girls sound together, it’s easy to forget they were once pursuing their own careers as independent musicians.

But how the trio, who were all performing as soloists in Toronto, came together is harder to pin down – the story changing with each re-telling.

Newfoundlander Kerri Ough says they met during a bar brawl, while Toronto lass Sue Passmore swears it was at a limbo dancing contest.

“It was actually a chess tournament,” says Caroline Brooks, who also hails from Canada’s biggest city.

“It happened serendipitously,” she adds. “We knew one another as friends first, and got together to sing at a show where we were sharing the bill as soloists. When we heard our vocal blend, we could not believe our luck. And as people we have so much fun together, so the ‘band’ thing wasn’t a stretch.”

That first show together, a Christmas concert at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel in 2006, came as a realisation for all three girls and they stuck together, releasing their debut EP, Oh My, the following year, They followed it up with their Juno Award-winning debut album The Good Lovelies, in 2009, a Christmas-themed EP Under the Mistletoe the same year and, 2011’s Let the Rain Fall.

A favourite at festivals around the world, their music, witty banter, constant instrument-swaps and accompanying rosy outlook, has spread way beyond the borders of their genuinely optimistic homeland, even gladdening hearts in our defiantly cynical island.

“I think the world could always have a bit more joy!” Caroline laughs. “But whether the world needs more loveliness... I don’t know!”

Their inspirations are as diverse as the stories about their origin. “We all grew up listening to many different genres of music,” says Caroline. “From folk to hip-hop, and pop to punk.”

And their style? “Like anyone, we like to look and feel good,” she says. “We wear clothes that are fun, comfortable and easy to bring on tour. Hopefully we coordinate, although with three women with different tastes this can be difficult. Lately we’re starting to break our ‘no-pants policy’, which was quite controversial in the UK; we learned that ‘pants’ mean something different across the pond!”

Their sound and image certainly captures the magic of a different time; a less complicated, friendlier era. Or is that just a Canadian thing?

“Are you saying that Canadians are behind the times!?” she hoots.

“Our early style and sound seemed to lend itself to that ‘40s swing era, which was quite a golden age. The way our voices blended meant that we could sing songs like the Boswell Sisters’ Heebie Jeebies. At the time we were writing tunes that had an ‘old-time’ feel. But that sound has evolved over the last four records, along with our musical abilities and songwriting.

“You can hear a mix of pop, folk, jazz and country on our recordings, and that evolution keeps us energised about the songs and excited about the future. For us, this is our golden era.”

Have they, I wonder, ever considered branching out, into, say electronic dance music, punk or heavy metal?

“That was Sue’s original plan,” says Caroline with a giggle. “In grade eight, she made a cake iced with a Public Enemy logo, and it sold like hotcakes. We have also covered a hip-hop song, Crabbukit by K-OS. Does that count?

“We are just happy we can make music for a living. All awards and accolades pale in comparison.”

Is it hard to keep the smiles coming, especially after a hard day? “We love each other very much, and are beyond lucky to do this for a living,” she says. “So even the hardest days have joy. Especially because we share them.”

I suspect the sweetness must be an act. can they really be as nice as they look?

“Well aren’t you sweet!” she laughs. “You wouldn’t ask that question if you saw us coming off a flight home from Australia!”

So when are they get un-lovely?

“About half way through the flight home from Australia,” she jokes.

“But I think we feel very Canadian. Many of our songs, and much of our banter onstage reflects our experiences as Canadians travelling across the country and abroad. And we love playing the UK. Our audiences there have been so warm and friendly. It feels very much like home.”

With a healthy male, as well as female, fan base, I suggest they must have received their fair share of marriage proposals?

“Oh, we’ve been proposed to a few times,” she admits. “The best proposal we’ve had was from a gentleman who told Sue: ‘You look like my second wife. And I’ve only been married once’!”

  • The Good Lovelies play The Bullingdon, Cowley Road, Oxford on July 4.
  • Support comes from the Ruth Moody Band.
  • Tickets £12 in advance from wegottickets.com