Is this the youngest band of the fest? (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Is this the youngest band of the fest?

5:05pm Thursday 11th June 2009 in Leisure By Melanie Dakin

Singer/songwriter Billy Sullivan formed his first band aged just 12. After many line-ups, The Spitfires, featuring the now 14-year-old Rickmansworth School pupil and two of his classmates, has been together since January. They practice weekly at Watford’s Sanctuary Studios.

Billy says his songs are influenced by the Mod bands such as The Jam, The Small Faces, The Kinks and The Who, plus punk bands like Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Buzzcocks. The band also do covers of Mod classics, as well as Motown and Northern Soul.

The Spitfires played the Rickmansworth Canal Festival earlier this month and have recently recorded an EP of 5 original tracks. So much, so young – so has age counted against them?

Billy says: Age has stood against us in the way that we can’t play most pubs and clubs local to where we live. Music’s all we’ve ever wanted to do. From an early age we all knew that’s what we wanted.”

The Spitfires play Watford Live! on Tuesday, June 16 from 6.15pm to 7pm, St Mary’s Square