Long and winding road to success for sibling duo Hudson Taylor

The band of brothers otherwise known as Hudson Taylor are relishing the discovery of a stripped-back style, writes Ed Power

ALFIE Hudson-Taylor wished he’d done it sooner. “On our current tour, it’s mostly just my brother and I up on stage. What we’re doing is really stripped back. We’ve discovered that it’s a lot of fun. Maybe that’s how we should record our next album. It think it would work really well.”

If only he’d appreciated the benefits of ‘less is more’ when he and elder sibling Harry were writing their debut album, Singing For Strangers. Three years in the planning, and featuring a rotating cast of co-writers and producers, the project did not come together in the smoothest circumstances. When it finally limped into daylight last January, it was deemed overcooked and underwhelming.

Too many voices in the room had conspired to turn what should have been a lark into an endurance test. By the end, Harry and Alfie were worn out and, it is tempting to conclude, a little disillusioned. They’re proud of Singing For Strangers and especially of the bonus disk of songs they wrote and produced on their own.

Would they make another record in similar circumstances? Probably not.

“It was like being at university,” says Alfie. “We wrote [early hit] ‘Chasing Rubies’ when I was 17. I’m 21 now. Along the way we’ve learned that we like to do things fast and stripped-down — the two of us playing away. Perhaps we should play to our strengths. Definitely it is something we are going to keep in mind.”

Alfie and Harry, signed to Universal Music in 2011, having been discovered busking in Temple Bar Square (“The best education possible,” says Alfie). For the world’s biggest record label, they seemed a safe bet, with their leading men looks, agreeable personalities and feel-good songs. Everything about them screamed success.

Alas, the road to stardom has had more twists than anticipated and Hudson Taylor aren’t quite there yet. They relocated to London early in the process and played every gig available. However, for all their enthusiasm, creating an impression was a struggle. In Britain, Hudson Taylor were just one upcoming act among many and, though they have a loyal audience now, it took time.

Still, with Christmas on the way, they’re keen to focus on the positives. Such as the fact that they’ll be back in Ireland for almost all of December. There will be a short tour, including a date at St Luke’s in Cork, plus performances with Alfie’s girlfriend Gabrielle Aplin (they were in her band when she played 3Arena as support to Kodaline at the weekend).

“It’s worked out really nicely for us. We haven’t been able to spend such a long period here in quite a while. It’s just me and Harry jamming for the most part. I wonder why we didn’t think to tour this way previously. It’s fun and it’s cheaper for us — it feel like a blank page.”

The brothers grew up in the leafy Monkstown suburb of Dublin. Their parents are British but moved to Ireland to bring up their children (they have since divorced and returned to the UK). Harry is the prodigy in the family, receiving as scholarship to study at St Finian’s Music College in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. There are two years between them, though the real contrast is in their writing styles says Alfie (the younger).

“Harry has studied music whereas I’m self taught. I’ll accidentally do something and Harry will say, ‘hey that sounds cool’ and we’ll take it from there. It’s great making music with your brother. There are all these references we both get.”

Hudson Taylor play St Luke’s Live, Cork, on Wednesday