On the radar: The Seventeenth Century

Published on Tuesday 2 June 2009 13:39

The Seventeenth Century have created a flurry of interest over the last few months. Their towering songs are reminiscent of acts like Arcade Fire and Devotchka; the choir filled choruses and orchestral paragons lifting hearts with intended joy.

Mike Truscott, the Glasgow-based group's impressive cornet player, explains the origins of this youthful ensemble: "We instantly got the feeling that we were on to something and continued writing songs in this vain. The bottom line is that being in a band is what we love doing as it is a great chance to be expressive and creative."

UtR's chosen song, 'Traffic', sets Mark Farmer's yearning vocals against a backdrop of choral camaraderie, while military percussion and the soaring cry of cornet create an inherent magnetism that's simply inspirational.

With age on their side, we asked the group what they hope to achieve: "We put a lot of effort in to this band and seem to be making the right amount of progress," says Mike. "The feedback we have achieved has been largely positive and we still get a lot of enjoyment out of doing the band. If these things continue and we get a bit of luck we're fairly positive that we could go quite far. Our attitude is just to take things one day at a time however as we are still all quite young."

Poised to win over new listeners, The Seventeenth Century are a band that writes illustrious music whilst their admirable naivety shines through.

Like what you hear? Watch The Seventeenth Century live:

26 May @ The Captain's Rest, Glasgow (with How To Swim)

7 June @ King Tut's, Glasgow (with Teitur)

24 July @ The Wickerman Festival

• For more music from Scotland's best up and coming bands, visit the Under the Radar blog