Jesuits: New religion

Jesuits are feeling different. After sounding much like their associates of the indie scene for a few years now, they’ve recently been embracing a new direction. “We used to be an indie, shoe-gazing sort of thing,” says Arthur Jayness, vocalist and frontman of the trio. “And that’s fine, but I think we’ve all been there and done that.

“Late last year, I was listening to a lot of other music, and there was so much happening. I was a bit fed up with the indie scene – even though there is so much good stuff out there – and we were all really excited when we tried it ourselves.

“At a practice we listened to some modern pop stuff, some club, some rap, some trap – and we thought, why don’t we just try and do that rhythmically? And then add in some of what we do with vocal pedals and guitars?

“It worked straight away: we came out with two or three songs we want to release as singles. When we played it for the first time live, the reactions were so good we thought, ‘we must be onto something’.”

Jesuits was born out of the ashes of a series of Bristol-based music projects that Arthur, drummer Miles Hastings and bassist Lily Cook were involved in. Lily says they were “itching for something to do” and that something ended up being the ‘old’ sound of Jesuits. “At the beginning, I think we were trying too hard to pick up where our old projects had left off,” explains Arthur, “but it doesn’t really work like that. It takes a long time for bands to gel, but I think we’ve reached that point now.”

Virtue is the Jesuits-curated event that will be packing out Bedminster’s Fiddlers this month – and, in the band’s own words, the line-up consists of “friends that have inspired us.” Miles is looking forward to seeing EP/64, an improvised, groove-based trio that features a charismatic singer with a signature dance style. “Sometimes you think you know everything that’s happening in Bristol, and then you see something like that – I had no idea something so exciting was happening under my nose,” says Arthur.

Elsewhere in the line-up, Harry from Giant Swan’s new noise will be one to watch, as will a DJ set from Silver Waves, the producer of Jesuits’ new album, out next year. So why call the night Virtue? “There’s enough nihilistic and dark imagery already – I wanted to use a word that had a bigger meaning,” says Arthur.“We live in a really progressive time, and even though it’s chaotic, there’s actually so much hope. The world is moving forward, even though there’s a lot holding it back. Life isn’t all good and it isn’t all bad – it’s light and dark, it’s balance.”

Lily agrees. “People should have fun with music – it’s not about standing at the back, chin-scratching and feeling sorry for yourself. Just get involved, and don’t be so miserable,” she laughs. “This line-up is darkness you can have fun to.”

Jesuits and Gravy Train presents Virtue at Fiddlers on Friday, November 10. Check out www.facebook.com/Jesuitsband for more information