West Bromwich unsigned band The Pagans S.O.H dare music fans to have some fun

So says Marcus Lesycsyznski-Hall, the 22-year-old frontman of one of the funkiest rackets to come out of West Bromwich for some time - The Pagans: Shepherds of Humanity.

Marcus is the voice of The Pagans, a quick-thinking lyricist who is having a lot of fun writing catchy songs for the masses.

He is joined by fellow West Brom-ite Daragh Guest, 21, on guitar, and 24-year-old drummer Connor Hodgkiss from Cannock.

The trio are The Pagans, but if you think you're in for a heavy dose of gothic horror or sludge metal - think again.

"Yeah, we come from a pretty diverse background and take our influences from wherever," adds Daragh. "We grew up listening to a lot of ska, punk and reggae. A lot of people have said we sound like early Chilis [Red Hot Chili Peppers] and Rage Against The Machine.

"And then we play Come Down To Reality and people are like, 'what?' It’s a three-minute mad, up tempo, country-thrash track that gets the blood pumping."

And trying to put your finger on exactly where The Pagans belong is so tough, they recommend you don't even bother.

"Reading reviews is always interesting, as I truly believe that we don’t fit it any specific genre," says Connor. "That’s good for us though, as it means we can slot into any line-up and not be out of place.

"We’ve played gigs with thrash and doom bands as well as with electro funk bands and it just works.

"Some reviewers have compared us to The Chilis, The Dust Junkies, through to Funkadelic and even Prince, which is mad. It’s all good though, just to be mentioned in the same breath as those greats is mind-blowing."

So with sounds as varied as a Game of Thrones death catalogue, how did they settle on that unique name?

"We chose The Pagans as it was being used on the grime scene as a cuss: 'He’s a pagan, man'," says Marcus. "We’ve just appropriated it, plus we are pagans in that we are nature-loving people and respect the world we inhabit.

"We added the S.O.H – Shepherds of Humanity – to show what we’re about, which is about looking out for every living being."

That element of fun openly emblazoned across all three Pagans is endearing. Music doesn't have to always carry a Mercury Prize-heavy dose of seriousness. What happened to people just being able to dance and let off some steam? Where have all the CSS and The Go! Teams gone from the world?

West Bromwich, apparently.

"People are loving it and they are getting involved by coming to the gigs, streaming our tunes, wearing our t-shirts on holiday," Marcus adds. "We’re just being ourselves, we can’t help it. We are happy with who we are as human beings, so why pretend to be something we’re not?"

And Daragh chimes in: "We’re happy people and we have a lot to be thankful for. Like we say in [forthcoming second single] Pagan Pilgrimage: 'I express my true self in my lyrics, don’t take it seriously, life is just a gimmick'."

Their style clearly works, as found out by fan-turned-manager Kirk Whitehouse. Kirk, from Birmingham, is well-known in these parts as the artist behind the Smashed Hits creations where he uses vinyl records hammered apart to craft likenesses of the artists who recorded them.

He stumbled across The Pagans live on stage last year and it was love at first sight.

"I went to see my mate’s band Paper Buoys support my other mate’s band The Blinders at the Sunflower Lounge," Kirk says. "All of a sudden, these two tracksuited lads jumped on stage and performed with the Buoys. Me and my pal looked at each other and I said, 'that was a bit special, wasn’t it?'

"Then I went to see The Pagans play at The Victoria. I was hooked. Instantly. I had no say in the matter. I just knew that I had to work with this band."

That second single Pagan Pilgrimage is due in July, and follows on from the hotly-received debut BANANANAH, which dropped as an early Christmas present to fans on December 24 last year. Recorded with Gavin Monaghan at Magic Garden Studios, it was an instant favourite of theirs.

"When we recorded it, we knew straight away that it had to be our first single," beams Daragh. "It’s a big tune. I think it shows one aspect of The Pagans' sound, but by no means does it show all."

Marcus was pleased with its performance, adding: "We got played on the radio in the States and in Brazil and stuff. It’s mad to think that the song we wrote has travelled all over the world."

"I think people heard BANANANAH and bought into our sound straight away," said Connor. "We don’t take ourselves too seriously and people can definitely feel that vibe and just enjoy the track. We also had some really good reviews off the back of it from Louder Than War and even the legendary Mike Joyce (The Smiths, XS Manchester) is a fan of it and played it on his show."

And newcomers can join The Pagans' cult as they have a big headline slot in Birmingham tomorrow night at The Actress & Bishop.

"We're buzzin' for this," says Daragh. "It’s our first proper headline on home turf. We’ve got The Moods, who we love, coming down from Manchester as well so that’s an honour to share the stage with them. They proper bring the party and get the crowd hyped.

"We also have Kick the Clown from Worcester joining us. They are a high energy punk outfit."

"And Seikou!" adds Marcus. "He’s a master kora player. He’s opening for us. Man, he’s amazing and makes the most beautiful sounds."

And Connor adds: "People can expect to be entertained. It’s loud at our gigs with a live energy that you can actually feel. Well, we can haha."

To feel it too, get on down to the show.

The Pagans S.O.H can be found on Facebook @thepagansband and Twitter @the_pagans. Their debut single BANANANAH can be found on their Spotify page, while tickets to their headline gig tomorrow, priced at £6.60, can be found on See Tickets by searching for their name.