The Fallen Leaves are on a mission to keep the spirit of Richmond’s 1960s music scene alive. Marrying their punk roots with the influence of the beat groups that made the borough famous, they have been receiving rave reviews in the music press and will be playing the Monk Club’s summer garden party next Friday. Just don’t dare call them a band. Will Gore spoke to lead singer, the Rev Rob Green.

Will Gore: The sound of the beat groups that played in the borough in the 60s is vital to the Fallen Leaves – explain the connection.

Rev Rob Green: We want to maintain a presence in Richmond because of the incredible history of beat music in the area with the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks and the Downliners Sect. I’d pretty much describe us as a garage-beat group and we are pretty much all Richmond-based – we also used to run our own club, the Parliament Club, here but we’ve had to move it to Notting Hill. It’s as close to Richmond as we can get it.

WG: You formed the band in 2004 with your old friend Rob Symmons, one of the founder members of the Subway Sect – has the Fallen Leaves been a longtime coming?

RG: Rob and I have been friends for 30 years. We met on the original punk scene. I was living with Vic Goddard, the singer of the Subway Sect. Rob got kicked out of his own group and he and I wrote some songs together but we didn’t pursue it at the time. We came together again five years ago – the time seemed right and we have a shared vision that life is too short for boring music.

WG: What is the Fallen Leaves’ ethos?

RG: Although we are from a punk background we believe that if you haven’t got a tune you’ve got nothing. There are also two lies we want to challenge. One is that you have to be 21 to perform pop music with passion and the other is you have to be technically gifted to perform.

WG: But you must have improved, despite yourselves, over the year?

RG: I think it’s fairly natural that we haven’t got better! It sounds contrary and I guess we are – we refuse to be called a band for example, we insist on being called a group.

WG: Although the band, sorry, group only formed in 2004, you’ve had plenty of line-up changes – was that by accident or design?

RG: I suppose it’s partly through trying to find people who are as committed as Rob and I and that is not easy. It’s a labour of love and there is no money in it. We’ve had several drummers and bass players but I wouldn’t want to imply that the Fallen Leaves are just me and Rob – we are the Jagger and Richards of the outfit.

WG: Your debut album received rave reviews and your next record, That’s Right, is coming hot on its heels – will the Fallen Leaves be keeping up this workrate?

RG: We would like to release an album a year – the big thing is that we do it all ourselves with no label, manager or promoters.

WG: What are you planning for the Monk Club Summer Garden Party?

RG: We plan to do what we always do, which is turn up and play with passion.

Monk Club Summer Garden Party featuring the Fallen Leaves, Disco Fist, the Simon Klein Band and Patrick Wood and Tim Whitehead, Terrace Gardens, Richmond, July 17, 4.30pm, see themonkclub. co.uk for more information