We've heard enough love songs about relationships in our time. It's all 'baby', 'kiss my this' and 'touch my that'... 'ooh I'm so happy', 'now you're a twat'. Bloody hell... I'm even at it now. But what about all of those other people in our lives that might be worth a mention in song? Gecko are a band that generally like to steer clear of sounding like anyone else. Influenced by sunshine, afro-beat and guanabana juice- it's good to hear them celebrating that other important person in their world- that 'best friend' character we all love and cherish.
Given that it's Gecko singing about going out to play with their pals, it's no surprise that this is a particularly chirpy little track. With their signature upbeat instrumentation and witty flitting lyricism, it creates a little bubble of warmth right at the heart of 'Emerging Icons In The Park'; our newly released album containing a selection of artists who performed on the Emerging Icons stage within the Olympic Park for London 2012. We've got very fond memories of their performances at London 2012 this summer, so it's most appropriate that they should have their place on the album.
Olympian Louis Smith also fell for their tropical charms when he visited the stage- have a look at what he has to say about the track:
It may seem rather obvious what the song is about, but frontman Will Sanderson-Thwaite was there to explain a little more fully:
What was the inspiration behind the track and what is the song about?
'Best friend', slightly unsurprisingly, is about friendship of the best kind. It's about the other band members who are undeniably my best friends. I find it easier writing love songs about my mates.
Where and when did you write this song?
I had the first verse and chorus for ages. I wrote most of the second verse on a train and the last bit the morning we recorded it in the studio. We arranged it that morning too. I think the rush spurred us on in a creative way, not in a worried way. Maybe we worried but we did it well creatively.
Who recorded the track for you- if a producer who else have they worked with?
Main man Adam Crowe at the incredible Snap Studios in North London. He's engineered for countless names and even put together one of Take That's home studios for them. He's a don and we can't thank him enough.
How do fans react to the track when you play it live?
They go bananas. Sometimes, I think they like it. I like them. I like it when they sing along. Thanks.
What comes to mind when you hear the song played back?
When we played in a town in Holland called Uden we went out after and some of the people from the show got the club to play 'Best friend'. I think of that. And I also think of my friends. The best ones anyway.
What does your song bring to the Emerging Icons album?
Maybe it will make people appreciate their best friends a bit more and ring them up for an emotional outburst and invite them round for dinner and a movie or something. Something nice like that.
Go grab your copy of 'Emerging Icons In The Park: As heard in London 2012' by following this link to iTunes now. Maybe listening to Gecko will make you want to get one for your best friend too ;) PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD!...
For more on Gecko please check out our 'Headliner' section of www.emergingicons.com where you can watch vids of their performances, see an interview within the Olympic Park following their performance and more more more... CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON GECKO!
So what is an Emerging Icons Headliner? This is what...