One listen to their excellent "Better Days" will convince rock pundits that Watford's TASTE are a band destined for big things. Tony Cummings reports.

Taste

One of the best new songs in the guitar-rock field is the title 'track from the 'Better Days' EP by Watford's Taste. The band have already appeared on television, supported Delirious? at the Coliseum in front of 1,800 people and are shortly to appear on a compilation album which will be available from HMV, Virgin and a number of specialist independent record stores.

The band have been through some changes since recording 'Better Days' and now consist of lead singer and songwriter Dan Welbury and drummer lain Armstrong. Losing half your number could have been a devastating blow to many bands but Dan is adamant that in time it will come to be seen as a blessing in disguise. "We were very sorry to see our guitarist Rich and our bassman Nathan leave but I think, looking for replacements as we are now, has thrown us back on the Lord. It's been an amazing roller coaster ride since the band were formed - our first ever gig was on television! - So after the highs we were bound to hit a low sooner or later. But we've already got enough material for a full album and bringing in the new musicians, when we find them, will give us a chance to develop a sound which is really fresh. This is just the beginning."

As Dan recounts, things started with a bang for Taste. Formed as a houseband for the youth event Regeneration, their first ever gig at The Alley Cat was filmed and broadcast by Channel 5's famed Alpha Zone series. By '98 the band were busy gigging all over London - secular gigs. "To be honest, it wasn't our intention to simply do the clubs, it's just when we sent a tape out places like the Mean Fiddler and the Orange Grove were interested but the churches didn't seem to be. The same thing happened when we recorded the EP. We were hoping STL/Wesley Owen would pick it up for distribution. Instead it was picked up by Virgin."

One of the highlights of Taste's brief history was their gig with Delirious?. "I've led worship at the Abbey Grounds of St Albans so I've had a little experience of playing before thousands but the gig with Delirious? was still very special," says Dan. "When people compare us to Delirious? I find that incredibly flattering. Martin Smith has been a major influence on me."

The 'Better Days' EP continues to find unexpected exposure. It was picked up by Sky Sports as the background music to a programme of rugby clips! And now a mainstream company Streamline are to take the haunting acoustic ballad on 'Better Days' called "Love Song" and feature it on an album representing the best unsigned bands in the UK.

I concluded my chat with Dan by asking him about the lyrics of "Better Days". "It's actually about me! I felt that I'd really let God down, I'd drifted away from him. Then I heard him say, 'Son, let's have a drink together - and when you drink from the water of life then things get sorted.'"