Marseille: Heirs to the Throne or a New Royalty?

“We were sent down by the music gods to sort out the shit that’s going on at the minute.”

It’s a bold claim from frontman Will Brown, but Marseille carry it with the kind of swagger not seen since the glory days of Britpop. This Derby quintet is a meticulously organised entity on a strategic trajectory, blending celestial tunes with a startlingly sharp business mind.

The band’s origin story itself is a tangled, compelling myth. The public-facing narrative is one of provincial destiny. Brown and lead guitarist Joe Labram, initially at odds, bonding on the walk home from school over a shared love for Kasabian and The Stone Roses. Drummer Tom Spray was recruited after university, Lennon Hall was introduced at an open mic night, and bassist Felix Moxey was a neighbour living just two minutes away.

Today, the lineup is a settled and formidable force: Will Brown on vocals and rhythm guitar, Joe Labram on lead guitar, Tom Spray on drums, Lennon Hall on rhythm guitar, and the most recent addition, Will Sabey, on bass. Each member brings a distinct flavour to the pot. Brown is the frontman and chief lyricist, penning emotionally vulnerable lines with a maturity beyond his years. Labram’s fretwork earns comparisons to icons like John Squire and Nick McCabe, underpinned by a love for the classic rock heft of Led Zeppelin and The Who. Spray’s drumming, honed since the age of eight, provides a driving and flamboyant engine. Hall injects a ’60s sensibility, while Sabey brings energy reminiscent of The Verve’s more hedonistic jams.

Their sound is a rich, evolving tapestry. At fifteen, Brown’s ambition was to sound like Oasis meets The Stone Roses. Early singles like Forget It All were drenched in this ’90s reverence, with critics citing the influence of The La’s and Cast. But mere revivalism was never the endgame. Their style has since blossomed into a complex fusion, blending the swagger of Madchester and shoegaze with the vibrant colour of ’60s psychedelia and Merseybeat. It’s a creative reinterpretation, a sound that is both indebted to its heroes and thrillingly modern.

This artistic confidence is backed by tangible momentum. The band has toured extensively, selling out venues across the country, and stormed the stages of major festivals like the Isle of Wight and Y-Not. The industry buzz is real. In a telling anecdote, Brown was introduced to Andy Bell of Ride, only to find that the shoegaze legend had already heard of Marseille – a testament to their burgeoning reputation.

What truly sets Marseille apart, however, is their business acumen. Their journey through the industry reveals a calculated rise towards self-sufficiency. After initial releases on Birmingham’s ADR Records, they partnered with Bubblebrain Records. This move, coupled with the strategic muscle of PR firm The Songbird HQ, led to a significant climb in radio play and critical visibility.

The band’s tenure with Bubblebrain Records marks the point where their trajectory shifted from a gentle incline to a stratospheric ascent. This pivotal era was defined by a torrent of releases that solidified their sound and ambition. The campaign was heralded by a string of singles in 2023, including the anthemic Only Just Begun and the introspective Thinker, which laid the groundwork for their breakthrough EP, This Dream of Mine. The title track, a slice of pure, uplifting indie classicism, was packaged with a music video that perfectly captured the song’s sun-drenched nostalgia and the band’s youthful gang mentality.

If This Dream of Mine was the confident statement of arrival, the 2024 follow-up, the Godiva EP, was the sound of the band kicking the door off its hinges. Hailed by critics as a dysfunctional psychedelic juggernaut, the EP saw Marseille crank up the amps and the attitude. The single, Monkey in the Middle, in particular, is a swaggering, riff-heavy beast. The accompanying video this time swapping the hazy nostalgia for gritty, black-and-white performance footage. The choice was telling; it was a raw, unfiltered document.

But the masterstroke was yet to come. The band became associated with Echo Bass Records and Will Brown himself was appointed as a director of the company. This level of self-management and direct control over their commercial operations gave them an unparalleled advantage and the power to shape their own destiny.

Marseille is a band that sounds like a glorious echo of the past while operating with a business model that is fiercely of the future. They possess the anthems, the self-belief, and the strategic intelligence to see their ambitions through. They weren’t just sent by the music gods; they came with a business plan.