Warwick-raised musicians prepare to rock the Olympics

Longfellow, made up of former Aylesford School pupils James Thomas, Kevin Ray and Owen Lloyd, former Warwick School pupil Richard Norris, Alistair Hetherington from Moreton-in-Marsh and Jonny Morgan from Bedfordshire, have been selected as one of the most promising bands in the music industry to perform three 20-minute sets on stage at the Olympic Village in London on Tuesday August 7.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pass the stage throughout the day and Owen said the band are looking forward to showcasing their music.

He said: “We’re really excited about it, the closer it gets the more of a buzz there is about it.

“We’re on good from and the sets we’re played at festivals recently have been excellent.

“The organisers are predicting that up to 300,000 people will pass us on that stage so to have that potential exposure in terms of our music and product is amazing.”

Lead vocalist Owen, 22, met fellow songwriter Alistair at Westminster University where he is studying music.

The pair formed Longfellow, from whom Owen, James and Kevin are former members of former Leamington-based band The Capulets, and the band have been playing high-profile gigs around the country for the past six months and are currently working on their debut album.

They describe their style as folk indie and their music as “anthemic” with influences including Arcade Fire, Cold Play, and The Killers and tracks audiences can sing back to them during live shows.

Owen said: “If you’re doing something you love there is nothing more rewarding - you can really get pulled into doing degrees and there is an aura around them but having been on the music scene for years this is always something I’ve wanted to do.

“We’ve had our hopes and dreams shattered before but you have to be in a position to take every opportunity.

“It’s great that we’re now a bit older and able to do this full time.”

Owen is encouraging other bands to sign up with Unsigned Band Review - an organisation which supports emerging acts and was responsible for getting Longfellow the Olympic gig.