[From L-R: Myles Dempsey, Beau Elliot, Carter Lee Alafouzos, Zander Lyons and Declan Harding (seated)]

Forget the colourful shirts, boyish good looks and pinchable cheeks: Public Warning are not your typical, cookie cutter boyband. While the camaraderie that comes along with being a fresh faced group of boys is still pretty much intact, the musical styling of the band verges slightly more on the darker, urban and alternative side of things. A lot of their counterparts are the sonic equivalent of your favourite sugary soda: a sweet rush of pop fun. This lot, on the other hand, are more suited to the palates of those who prefer black coffee. The second brainchild of Lyrica Ocha - who birthed the almighty Weekend in 2011 - Public Warning have sat down with me to discuss their upcoming debut album, gradual rise to fame and plans for the future.

The group is composed of lead singer Beau Elliot (18), secondary leads Carter Lee Alafouzos (18) and Myles Dempsey (16) and backing vocalists Zander Lyons (21) and Declan Harding (20). I was invited to their humble abode in London for not only a chat but to be the one conducting their very first interview as a group. The home in question is a small studio apartment with a living room that doubles as a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and nothing much else. With five boys and a pet cat all sharing this minuscule space there really is no privacy whatsoever. While some may turn their noses up and scoff at such surroundings, this London studio home is steeped in history. Their manager Lyrica owns the place and this is where she put Weekend up during their first months of formation. The Public Warning boys are honoured to be following in the footsteps of Bilal, Dustyn, Oscar, Riley and Scott but they are insistent that they are not Weekend 2.0 and that they are a fantastic fivesome in their own right.

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Public Warning...that name just spoke to me and had many different images conjuring up in my head before I even laid eyes on you. It's a terrific name. What was the reasoning behind that choice? How did it all come about?
Beau: "I came up with the name a few weeks, maybe even a month into the project. It took us quite a while to get a name that was just right."
Zander: "Yeah and Public Warning was the first name that we all collectively agreed on and genuinely liked right off the bat."
Beau: "Basically we wanted a name that sums us and our music up, not just a generic pop group name. We're quite...rowdy when we're together, I don't think I'm wrong in saying that. So you best be warned before we step on the scene. It's a bit tongue and cheek."
Myles: "Also our music as well, it's not a sound that the public would expect from us just on first glance so it kinda doubles as a "warning" about...expecting the unexpected...if that even makes any sense?"

I'm noticing an array of different accents and beautiful names here in my notes. Where are you all from?
Declan: "I'm from Ipswich. Yeah, very exciting. I have some Polish roots if that helps spice things up?"
Beau: "I'm from Glasgow, Scotland and I'm also quarter French from my dad's side of the family."
Zander: "I come from Manchester, the best city in the world."
Myles: "I'm from Cork in Ireland."
Carter: "I think I'm the most complex here! I moved down from Manchester but I was born and mostly raised in Essex...and my dad is a Greek immigrant."

Was it hard to leave home and come all the way to London to live with, essentially, a bunch of strangers?
Beau: "Not really, no. This was a much needed new chapter for me."
Myles: "It was really hard for me having to leave Ireland behind. It's quite a big change and it was scary, yeah but I knew that I couldn't let an opportunity like this pass me by."
Declan: "It was intimidating going on blind faith. I wasn't so worried about the whole "music industry" thing. I knew what I was letting myself in for. What I was worried about was how these guys were going to be! I didn't want to be put in a band with people I wouldn't get along with. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don't gel as a unit, that's it. Luckily these guys are lovely...for the most part."

Why take such a big leap of faith, especially at such tender ages?
Carter: "You don't know unless you try, mate. It was scary like the boys said but it's also something that we all wanted. If my heart wasn't invested in being in a band I wouldn't have bothered to audition. I knew that if I was successful at the audition, I'd be in the band and moving to London. I knew all the risks and I had my fears but you just gotta take a chance if you really want it."
Zander: "Yeah like Carter said, we all knew the risks but it's something we all wanted. You could just sit and watch life pass by, hoping that a great opportunity just happens to fall into your lap or you can take matters into your own hands and seize the day."

What were you initial opinions of one another during the first meeting?
Beau: "I actually knew of Zander prior to getting in the band. He was in another band that was a bit of a flop..."
Zander "Ouch!"
Beau: "You know I still love you. Anyway, I was doing some gigs just trying to get my name out there. I would do a lot of covers and stuff and uh, Zander's group actually had me open for them at a little show up in Scotland once. I think it's so cool how our paths crossed before. I knew he was a cool guy. As for the others: I thought Declan would be a bit...emo and you are a bit, to be fair."
Declan: "I'll take that remark and wear it proudly."
Beau: "Myles and Carter were the quieter ones. Carter has really changed. Like he went from meek to freak. Z and I were the loudest ones to begin with but Mr Carter is like the ultimate party animal now. He's...spunky."
Carter: "Thanks, babes!"
Myles: "I was scared of Beau at first because he has this really intimidating accent and when I first walked into the meeting, he was sad there with his hoodie up looking all moody. I legit felt like he was planning to mug me or something...but he's a real cuddly teddybear once you get to know him!"
Beau: "Yeah, when I want to be..."

So would you say the friendships are 100% legitimate at this point? A lot of groups try to fake it to make it.
Declan: "Definitely. Like I said earlier, it just wouldn't work if we didn't get on."
Zander: "It's like a family. A brotherly bond. We've known each other for over a year now and Lyrica put us in such close quarters as a way of making us bond. We've been growing together and brewing for a while now. It's not all slapdash and then thrown onto a stage."
Beau: "With any family, there are going to be ups and downs. You know, there are times when we get on each other's nerves but that's only natural. We're five different people with different opinions. It's not always rosy but we know that the squabbles are nothing serious and that there's love there. I think the little bickers and the ability to work things out definitely makes us stronger and more genuine rather than just pretending we're besties 24/7."
Carter: "We all bonded so naturally. The first few minutes of meeting was a bit awkward as you'd expect but after that, we got on like a house on fire. I distinctly remember our second meeting. We barely knew each other but we were hanging out in our PJs, eating pizza, playing video games, telling our lives stories and secrets. Questions like "So who's a virgin?" were cropping up in conversation. Pretty much no holds barred and it helped break the ice quickly."

Many people are under the impression that manufactured bands have less artistic integrity than more authentic, homegrown ones. How do you respond to that?
Beau: "Well that's just a load of s***, isn't it? I get that a lot of bands that have been put together are extremely manufactured in every sense of the word but it doesn't apply to all. Same way that it doesn't mean all indie garage bands are cool. That's just bull. You need the talent, the drive, the artistic integrity, the creative visions in order to truly succeed. You can strike it lucky with a band full of random applicants. It has for us. You could be a homegrown band filled with friends who have known each other for years, siblings even but totally lack all the skills. Does it make them better just because they weren't formed through auditions? No."
Myles: "Yeah I think Lyrica got the perfect mix when creating the lineup. We're all on the same page, working towards the same goal...I believe we have what it takes regardless of how we were put together."



So, now we actually come to the music. I heard a five track sampler which was given to me courtesy of your wonderful management team. I must say I was blown away. The sound is so mature and fresh. A definite deviation from what's clogging up Top 40 radio right now. A very pleasant surprise.
Beau: "Oh thank you! Really appreciate that."
Zander: "Yeah, it's great to hear positive feedback. Not many people have heard the music outside our camp so that was like our first ever mini review. That's wonderful."

In one word, how would you describe your music to those who are still waiting to hear it?
Beau: "Cool"
Zander: "British"
Declan: "Throwback"
Myles: "Soulful"
Carter: "Edgy"

Declan said that it is "throwback" and, while still original, I do detect hints of 90s and early 00s sounds in there. Was that a conscious decision to tap into that era?
Zander: "Yeah, I guess you could say that. We wanted to go with a sound that was not only different to other boybands out there but to current musicians in general. Our music can also fit in alongside the low-key, minimalist vibe that's popular but it's not quite that. It's a little...meatier."
Carter: "But the whole throwback sound is definitely one that is natural to us. It's not like we're forcing it to shift records. We're all young guys of a similar age so we grew up hearing a lot of the 90s and early 00s stuff in circulation. We want to emulate the sounds of our youths. There are a lot of different sounds from that era that we want to pay homage to and bring back to the charts."

So I'm guessing there will be more genres experimented with than the ones I've already heard on the sampler?
Beau: "I mean, the album is eclectic, yeah but it's consistent too. There's a main thread of light R&B/pop throughout and the core of our music is our melodies and harmonies so no matter what genre we touch on, it sounds cohesive within the mix. It's not patchy like a random playlist of songs. We made sure that we put our own stamp on everything to make it flow well."
Myles: "Yeah there's: R&B, more pop oriented stuff, garage, soul, vibey offbeat tracks, kinda left field stuff. We were inspired by a lot of classic William Orbit cuts."

How involved are you guys with the creative process of these songs?
Zander: "As much as we can be. We write all of our stuff, form our melodies and harmonies and even have an input on the production. We aren't producers. We leave that to the experts and hold a lot of respect for them but we make sure that everything is to our liking, that we give our suggestions and have open discussions about our tracks. We have faith in all the producers we work with but we couldn't just accept the first version of the song we receive unless it's totally perfect. There's a lot of back and forth, discussions and even entire reworkings of songs. If it's going on our album, it has to sound like us."

You guys are talented writers from what I've heard so far. How do you go about writing a song that suits five very different band members?
Declan: "Thank you. I guess we just know each other really well and even if the certain topic of the song is something one or a few of the boys haven't experienced, they can certainly connect and relate in another way as we just write about life. Things that are all around us. It's very much reflective of our ages and our lives. We couldn't do a faceless party tune, it has to be more personal than that. Our songs are composed of topics that we speak on almost daily."
Myles: "Yeah, like Declan said, we try to cover as many topics as we can that are relatable. It's not all a bunch of songs about being heartbroken which I think a lot of people expect from a group of young lads. There are songs we have that talk about the struggles of breaking into adulthood and leaving home. There's even a song about mourning a death and wishing for the good old days back. Sadly...my father passed away last year and I wrote a song for him. The original was a bit too heavy for us so we changed it up and on the surface, it sounds like it's about a lost love but it's actually about my dad."

Have you worked with any well known artists and producers during the creation of the album?
Carter: "There are loads of great producers on there but I think the one that stood out most to all of us was Deneil. We actually got to work with him and it wasn't that long ago either. He produced a track for us. We said right at the start it'd be a dream to have him do something on our album because we tap into some British urban styles and he is like the King of the UK Underground. Was amazing having him produce a track for us. I doubt I'll ever be over that."

Now, I hope you boys don't mind me bringing this up but it is clear that there is a direct root of the band and that is Beau.
From what I hear, his voice dominates the majority of the tracks. How did this arrangement come about?
Beau: "Umm...well, the original producers that we were sent to work with had a certain method to recording. We'd all go into the booth and record the song separately. We'd leave them with five different solo recordings and then they'd cherry pick who they thought was best suited to each part. It just so happened that I was the one they went for. These were like really early demos though. Ones we didn't even write. It was just a form of artist development but we all agreed that it worked. With me as the root it allowed the others to cut in at times to show off their particular skills too. We took from the demos and applied that to the creation of our own tracks."

And does the emphasis on one member not bother the rest of you guys?
Zander: "I mean, at first it was a little...hard to swallow...but it really has helped form our sound and Beau is an amazing vocalist. Not to blow smoke up his backside but he genuinely has one of my favourite voices ever. It's like honey for the ears. He is very dominant on the tracks and has a versatile range but like Beau said, it allows the others to play to their strengths too. When they come in, it provides a nice contrast to Beau. Carter has this huskier tone and Myles has a very sweet voice with his homely Irish twang. I do the highest harmony of the group while Declan does the low bass."
Carter: "We definitely all play our own roles for sure. It's not a case of just randomly singing when there's a spare verse up for grabs. It's more calculated than that. We know how our voice work and how to play off of one another."

You guys are currently unsigned, correct?
Declan: "We're actually close to closing a deal right now but for the entire process of forming the group and creating the album, there's been no label attached."
Carter: "We had many offers right from the start. People wanted to sign us because we were Lyrica's project and that comes with Weekend association but we waited until we were ready. We formed a solid unit first and created the majority of our record and then went label shopping with something to actually offer."
Zander: "Yeah if you're pretty much a blank canvas, a lot of the bigwigs see you as easily to mould and manipulate. It's less about you and your art whereas if you go to them with your own thing already going on, they also get to see the art and if they're interested then it means they do actually see something in your work and not just your look or whatever."



Onto more personal topics now. I want to hear your candid opinions and stories. We'll start off with the obvious one - the Weekend comparisons. When you were first revealed to the public via Culture Uncut last year, an influx of "Weekend 2.0" comments came your way. How do you feel about that?
Beau: "Weekend are legends so comparisons are sick. We do have our own thing going on though so while it's great to even be mentioned in the same breath as those lads, we'd like to be seen as our own entity."
Zander: "I understand the comparisons. We were formed in the same way by the same person, living in the exact same flat, we're five guys...I get it. It's just frustrating seeing many people write us off before we have even released a song. Some people hate Weekend and think we're a carbon copy so avoid us and others love them to death and want to kill off any other boy band just in case they become a threat to them. It's a tricky place to be in but I'm sure our music will speak for itself."
Myles: "I get comments about how I look like Dustyn Blue all the time. I sort of see it. I'm not like his twin or anything but we have similar features. Being Irish doesn't help either, haha! I love Dustyn though so it's a huge compliment."

Have the Weekend guys reached out to support you?
Declan: "All five of them plus the band account follow all of us on Twitter which is pretty cool. They're global superstars so they're real busy and didn't need to take the time out to acknowledge us but they did. I genuinely appreciate that."
Carter: "Dustyn and Riley have also sent us messages of encouragement. They wished us luck and said that it's great another band is being formed in the same flat that they lived in. To have their blessing is just...ugh. It's everything."

Even though you boys haven't released a single yet, your online presence is growing with your Twitter and Instagram accounts. You already have quite a few fans just from word of mouth and anticipation. Do you get noticed and if so, how do you handle the lack of anonymity?
Myles: "It's actually pretty fun for now. We have a decent online following but we're nowhere near the stage of being ambushed. Maybe the odd person will recognise us and there's a small group of fans who live near us. They come to do meet ups with us from time to time. It's nice having that chilled, one-on-one with the fans. They're showing support for us right off the bat and they have no idea just how much it means to us."

Beau, you are dating popstar Lexi Marie Taylor, correct?
Beau: "Yeah, that's my girl."

You've arguably gotten the most attention out of the band already due to your relationship. How have you found your first brushes with the press?
Beau: "Uh...not the best to be honest. The attention isn't really on me as much as it is on Lexi and her ex. I'm sort of wavering in the middle of it. The paparazzi and the bloggers are relentless. I like my privacy and space so when it's invaded, I don't take too kindly. It's something that I'm trying to get used to."

If I've been informed correctly, some of you are members of the LGBTQ+ community. Do you feel like you'll have an extra responsibility as role models during such a tense, tumultuous time in the world?
Carter: "Yeah I'm gay, Beau is bisexual and Myles identifies as asexual. We're all different colours of the rainbow. Declan and Zander are our straight bookends, haha!
Declan: "I think that whether you are part of the community or not, you should still be showing your support. I'm a huge supporter and I think that now more than ever, we need to use our voices for good. Once our platform is bigger, I know that we'll definitely put it to good use. There are a lot of things like this close to our hearts and now is the time to speak up in regards to all the injustice. We may not be the most articulate or totally squeaky clean boys but we are decent human beings and hope to set an example for whoever may follow."

How have your lives changed since joining the band? Any rags to riches stories?
Declan: "I've definitely grown in confidence. I was teased a lot throughout childhood and teenage years. Most of it was to do with my desire to be a musician. I felt silly for even expression any love towards such a career. I kind of recoiled and shut it out so to finally be in a band surrounded by music...it's heaven. Definitely not afraid to express myself any more."
Zander: "Definitely a confidence booster too. I was on the verge of quitting music but meeting these guys changed all of that. I can't wait for the next part of this journey."
Carter: "I've really become my own person since joining. It stripped away my family, my security, my boring safe place and threw me into action. I really came into my own, started thinking more like an adult with his own life rather than like a teen and I even came out to everyone because of this surge of confidence and independence. I'm a legit new man."
Myles: "I'm literally learning a new way of life. Coming from Ireland to London is a HUGE leap. I'm still adjusting but the boys are my rock and helping me along the way."
Beau: "I've gained four brothers and best friends. I'm an only child and my family and living situations up in Scotland...well...they weren't the best. I went from feeling unwanted and like a burden to part of a brotherhood. I love these boys."

Is there a backup plan if this project doesn't take off?
Carter: "Well...there's always shelf stacking, babes."

Lastly, do you have anything to say to our readers and potential future fans
Zander: "Thank you for taking time out of your day to read about five very annoying and smelly boys. Greatly appreciated!"
Beau: "Yeah, likewise, just a massive thanks for checking us out. We hope we've convinced you enough to hang around to check out our music when it drops this year too. 2018 holds a lot in store for us. Many firsts, many changes, many new opportunities and you could help amplify that. The support is much appreciated. Mad love."