A new band with a “strong love of the raw and passionate 70s grooves” have been popping up at venues all over London since the start of 2018, and this is set to continue.

The Tottenham group, West on Sunset, was formed in 2017 by seven friends. Singing is Samuel Ajitena and Sam Saad, with Mark Arevalo and Diego Sampieri playing guitar, Marcos Edo on bass, Noemi La Barbera on drums and Ray Lakhan playing percussion.

Their influences include Sly & The Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Prince, Steely Dan, James Brown and Marvin Gaye.

Their songs tell stories of “life’s highs and lows. About love, consternation and urban sleaze.”

I spoke to them to find out more…

Times Series:

How did you all meet?

Half the band were musicians playing in the Tottenham scene and the rest of us met at college (The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London) and started a band there. After rehearsals we used to pile into the Lemon Café in West Green Road, N15, and got chatting with the chef, who turned out to be an amazing percussionist veteran of the Notting Hill Carnival floats, needless to say, he was in the band from then on.

What school did you go to?

Most of us went to Earlsmead Primary School in Broad Lane, N15.

Growing up, how did you find the music scene in Tottenham and the surrounding areas?

Tottenham has a good mix of music venues and we spread out to surrounding; Stoke Newington, Holloway and Highbury, finding new music and opportunities to play with other musicians. Our ‘spiritual’ home was always The Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, a great, welcoming venue.

Describe your sound

We are a retro mix of funk, soul and pop. This means the influences to those genres are taken from the 70s/80s and mashed up into the West on Sunset sound.

Do you have a process for creating your work?

We write together. One of the guys brings in a snippet of an idea, a riff, some chords or a melody and we jam on it, developing more strands and grooves. We record all our rehearsals and jams and everyone revisits the sessions throughout the week, so that when we re-convene at the studio, we have developed the songs further.

Find out more at westonsunset.net

HotVox Presents West on Sunset, Zigfrid von Underbelly of Hoxton, London, March 21, 7.30pm.

West on Sunset at The Islington, 1 Tolpuddle Street, London, May 5, 9pm.