Very few bands experience such a meteoric rise to the top of the musical food chain than have London-based quintet Alberta Cross.

The band, which has only been together in this current incarnation for a few years, moved from headlining club shows to supporting stadium-filling bands in a matter of months.

These bands, Oasis and the Dave Matthews Band in particular, have been instrumental in raising the Londoners’ profile. So, the first question to ask is how did they make it happen? What was it about Alberta Cross that places them in the acme of rock ‘n’ roll.

Well, this question has many answers. From a business perspective, the band lined up with Red Light Management, those behind the likes of the aforementioned bands and one of the most powerful companies of its kind in America. This led to a record deal with Ark Recordings, bookings at Latitude, Coachella and Bonnaroo, an eventual studio trip to Austin to record a record and now, a dedicated fanbase awaiting said debut, released this week on our fair shores. The album, titled Broken Side of Time, has already been labeled one of the best thus far this year, and is taking Alberta Cross away from feeding off the popularity of others to developing their own rabid, well worn listenership.

“Things have changed since we started supporting stadium sized bands,” agrees bassist Terry Wolfers. “First of all, you learn that you can’t fuck around! Everything in their world is run so professionally, so at first the system you have to learn is crazy, especially if you have never done shows with bands of that level. The first thing I learned happened on the first show with Oasis. We didn’t ask what we should do with our amps and guitars, so after the show we just left them for their road crew to take. Well, let’s just say the stage manager had a few strong words to say with us the next day, because that’s not what you should do in that situation. Lesson learned number one, always make a point of heading straight to the stage manager to find out what we need to do.”

“It truly is amazing,” continues Wolfers. “Everything runs like clockwork and everyone that works on tours like that are at the top of their game, so there is never any hassle because it is all so well planned. Plus, you are playing to some die-hard fans who mostly don’t give a shit about the support, so you have to go out every night and go for it, because they are the hardest crowd to win over.” But the shows proved successful, leading them to Austin, Texas to record their proper debut.

This proved to be another eye-opening experience for the band, one Wolfers believes once again changed their perspective on the nuts and bolts of being in a professional band. “To me, this is not one of those records that is about an ex-girlfriend or having a drug addiction, even though both of which have inspired beautiful records in the past,” explains Wolfers. It is mostly about trying to get by in a tough city in a tough time, and dealing with people who bring out the positives and those who don’t, so to speak. But in a way, especially with us, it’s the tougher times that engender the most creativity, and that definitely influenced the songs we recorded.”

“Still, it was amazing to go down to Austin and make it. It is, hands down, one of the most beautiful and exciting places on earth. We started recording on 29 January after spending a few months speaking with producers and working on new songs that had come up since the new members joined the band, aside from myself and Petter (Ericson-Stakee – guitarist and founding member alongside Wolfers). And, as such, it was a very exciting time for us, as we had been ready to record the second album for about a year, so it was great to see light a the end of the tunnel.” With Broken Side of Time, Alberta Cross offer a rough and tumble guide to classic rock ‘n’ soul, told through torn tales influenced by The Band, Deep Purple, Uncle Tupelo and more modern experimenters like The White Stripes and Wilco.

Despite being influenced by sounds that have come and gone, Alberta Cross keep things fresh and invigorating, showcasing the exact reasons why some of the biggest names in music believed in them before this album was laid down to tape. “We never started off by thinking about another band or style of music,” replies Wolfers.

“Normally, we just start working on a song and it comes out as it does, but after a while you might sit back and think, oh it sound a little like that. I feel that, but to honest it really just came organically. Still, obviously being in Austin was very inspiring. I hadn’t met such wonderful people in quite some time, and every night there is a great band to see or a party to go to. They know how to do it down there. But when you are around the same people day in day out for two months straight, things get a little crazy. I’m sure that plays a part.”

With the album release impending, the band has returned home to play smaller shows, going back to the club atmosphere that fueled their rise to stadium supports. With the album finished, Wolfers is openly relieved to only have to focus on touring, because that’s where Alberta Cross truly shines. “I think that has always been a very important to not just be one of those bands that only sounded great on record,” concludes the bassist. “It’s a great feeling when you go and see a band whose record you love, and come out thinking that it sounds even better live. That’s how I would like for people to feel about us.”

Alberta Cross play the Bush Hall on 17 November