When it comes to support, Secret Rivals know who to rely on, as the band’s Reece Chapman tells TIM HUGHES

SECRET RIVALS are a band who make things happen. So when they decided to record their debut album, they didn’t let a little thing like money stand in the way. Without the backing of a label, the Oxford four-piece turned to the people they knew they could rely on: their fans.

And it worked. In return for signed CDs, dedicated tracks and private gigs, their supporters pledged the cash needed to release the record – Just Fall – which will be out early next year.

The success says a lot about the relationship guitarist and singer Jay Corcoran, synth-player Claudia ‘Clouds’ Saez, drummer Reece Chapman and bassist Andy Beill have with their supporters.

It is, says Reece, respect built through dedication.

“We work hard and people like that,” he says.

“We get decent crowds and good people turning up at our gigs. However, I never thought we’d raise that amount of money. The fact that people want us to succeed is brilliant.”

Next Friday the band jointly headlines the Live & Unlocked show celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Oxford Mail’s sister paper The Oxford Times . The night at Oxford Castle also features sets by Little Fish, Tamara Parsons-Baker, Dubwiser, Swindlestock, Nairobi, Duchess and DJ sets by Smilex, the Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band and Yoof! promoter and photographer Marc West.

For Reece, 21, from Thame, the atmospheric venue on the prison’s former D-Wing holds special resonance; his father worked there.

“My dad, Joe, used to be a prison officer, which makes it extra special for me,” he says. “It should be interesting.”

Other performances will take place in the castle’s 11th-century crypt and at the top of the tower.

“We can’t wait to play,” he adds. “It’s a big occasion and we’ve never played anywhere like it before. The strangest place we’ve performed until now has been Modern Art Oxford, which I thought would be weird but was actually really good.”

Reece describes the band’s music as “indie-pop”, but that is understating the sheer energy of their performances – something that has earned them their loyal following.

The band – named after a 1970s kung fu film – have appeared at Bestival, Wychwood, and Riverside festivals, have had their songs played on national radio and television and their EP Make Do And Mend used on Sky Sports to accompany boxing, rugby and Premier League football. “I was made up to have our music used on Sky Sports,” Reece says.

“I used to watch it when I was younger, and so to hear our music there was amazing.”

High-profile fans include radio presenters Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson, who have compared their 80s-influenced synth-punk-pop to hit bands Los Campesinos, the Cure and The Cribs.

“I don’t know where the ‘Los Camp’ comparison comes from,” says Reece. “Perhaps it’s the boy-girl thing. I think there’s more Idlewild in it, and a bit of Bloc Party too – which is no bad thing.

“But we don’t try to sound like anyone. It’s just what comes out.”

And it’s lively. “We are definitely rock & roll,” he says. “There’s no such thing as a quiet night out with Secret Rivals.”

The Castle gig will give fans a chance to hear old favourites and songs from the new album, which have been written over the past year.

Reece, a former supermarket security guard, previously spent his days chasing shoplifters. “It was always razors and meat,” he laughs. “I once caught someone with £1,000 of chewing gum, although why anyone would want to steal that is a mystery”.

He hopes the show and forthcoming album will act as springboards to the bigger things for which they are tipped. “It’s going to be a good gig in an interesting venue,” he says. “People should come down, listen to some great music and have a dance. After all, when else are you going to get the chance to go to a gig and have a beer in a prison cell?”

  • Secret Rivals, Little Fish, Swindlestock, Dubwiser, Tamara Parsons-Baker, Duchess and Nairobi play Live & Unlocked at Oxford Castle on Friday, September 14.
  • Tickets are £8 in advance from oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk and wegottickets.co.uk