Envy & Other Sins

After weeks of battling it out with fellow musicians, wooing a selection of moody judges and performing passionately for the viewing public, a new musical talent pulled off a shock reality TV result last December. No, we're not talking about Leon Jackson nudging past wacky Rhydian Roberts on The X Factor! We mean Envy & Other Sins defying the odds to scoop a record contract on MobileAct Unsigned, of course! After being booted off by the judges, the public voted them back onto the show, eventually crowning them victors. But how are the quirky indie-rockers dealing with their sudden rise to fame? We caught up with Jarvey Moss, the band's keyboard player, to find out.

How are you feeling now? Has it all sunk in yet?
"Just about! Our feet haven't touched the ground this week. We're in a whirlwind of activity at the moment."

What have you been up to since the final?
"Well, straight after winning the show on December 23, we came back to Birmingham for a few beers! Then it was Christmas, so we went off to see our families for what will probably be the last time in a very long while. Since then we've done the video shoot and recorded b-sides for the single. We also had to start work on our album. Everything's happening at once really. It's quite busy!"

With the single and album scheduled for release so soon after the final, are you really feeling the pressure?
"I think we're under a bit of pressure with the time involved. Singles tend to go to radio a couple of months before they're released, but we only started recording the lead vocals for 'Highness' a month before it was due to come out! It's all happening very quickly, and it'll be the same with the album. We'll probably be recording it right up to the wire. But it's really exciting - we're getting to do what we always wanted to do."

Do you feel you've lost control of the band's output since being signed?
"I guess. There's a lot more people involved now. In the past, we've done it all ourselves. We're still going to be involved in everything, but we've got other people to help us now. Hopefully that will make it easier considering all the extra stuff we have to do."

Perhaps Simon Gavin can fetch you a cup of tea when you're busy in the studio?
"Haha! Yup, that's right. We can just swan around, saying 'Change it!'"

How were Revenue after the final? They'd been hot favourites seemed gutted to have lost.
"Well, I didn't see all of them. Obviously they must have been gutted, because they were favourites right from the start. I didn't see Adam, their singer, because he went off quite quickly, but we saw Pato, their bass player, at the aftershow party. He'd had a few beers and was very friendly. We all understood what it was we'd been in. It was the public vote at the end of the day, so you can't hold it against the other band. We wouldn't have done if it was the other way around."

Are you worried about the backlash you'll receive for being signed on a TV show?
"It's inevitable. It's probably quite a good thing that we've got our single coming out so quickly, because it puts the ball in our court. If we can make an album that's as good as we hope it to be, and people like it, it doesn't matter how we got our break. None us expected it to pan out the way it has done. We were planning D.I.Y releases and all the things you do if you're in an unsigned band. If we'd gone by that route, questions about our integrity wouldn't be asked, but, at the same time, we wouldn't have reached so many people. Hopefully there'll be no stigma, but it's down to us to make good music."

How much actual contact did you get with the judges and who was your favourite?
"It was fairly limited. I think we saw the most of Alex James and he was quite funny about everything. He was very entertaining and was the most approachable and friendly. But obviously we're working with Simon Gavin at the label, so I imagine we'll be seeing a lot more of him."

Was he as grumpy as he often looked on the show?
"He's actually a really nice man as far as I can see - he's really friendly. I think his reputation is on the line to a certain extent. He's really associated with the programme and if we don't succeed, it's going to be difficult for him. He has the cop-out that it was the public vote, but he was instrumental in making sure we reached the final."

What would have happened if viewers hadn't voted you back into the show? Would you have called it a day?
"We'd definitely be carrying on. We'd have been doing our own releases this year. We never thought we were going to win and then obviously we thought at one point we were out of the competition. We'd have been touring and doing the usual things you do to get people to hear your music. Being on the show wasn't the be-all and end-all for us. It's turned out completely different to how we expected."

For people who didn't watch the show, how would you described Envy & Other Sins' music in one sentence?
"We make erudite, eccentric, English pop music."

Envy & Other Sins release new single 'Highness' on March 3.