He is a middle-aged telecoms tycoon maybe looking to recapture his youth. They are a group of musicians with plenty of youth only not much money.
Today sees the launch unmatchable of the more unusual partnerships in British business when Peter Jones, the Dragons' Den entrepreneur, invests �75,000 of his own money into marketing an aspirant pop band.
Until recently Hamfatter, a Cambridge quintet, whose music has been compared to Belle and Sebastian and The Divine Comedy, were a struggling indie band drudging away on the "john circuit". They had standard a couple of offers from record labels but were put off by the draconian terms and conditions they would induce to sign.
So instead they decided on a rather unconventional pitch for investiture on the BBC2 show Dragons' Den where budding entrepreneurs attempt to sway five financial backers to fund their ideas and innovations.
Tonight, viewers of the show will see Mr Jones captivated by the band's performance and agree to invest in the isthmus in return for 30 per penny of any profits. Both sides say they take in come up with an entirely new business model for the music industry.
Rather than sign away the ownership of their songs to a label that would then pocket the vast majority of royalties in exchange for financial backing, the band decided to create Hamfatter Ltd, a registered company in which the set members act as directors, retaining all the rights and complete creative control.
Jamie Turner, the band's manager, said the idea to pitch their band to Dragons' Den came after they received offers from a mates of major record labels but decided the footing were merely not good enough. He said that even with Mr Jones taking a 30 per cent cut, the band will still make 10 times as much money in royalties because in that location is no record label pocketing the them. "The bands on the big labels volition be lucky to make perhaps 30p on an album if they're lucky," he aforementioned. "The record label takes the rest. We'll make about �3.50. It's the deal of the century."
Hamfatter's frontman, Eoin O'Mahony, said: "A major percentage of our pitch was to prove the Dragons how wasteful record companies are. We told them that last year, with a budget of �5,000, we released an album, recorded a video for simply �750 and got ourselves on to the radio receiver and into the charts. Can you imagine someone like EMI spending simply �750 on a video?"
The band is working on an record album for release next class, and a new single, "The Girl I Love", is knocked out this workweek.
Mr Turner added: "If it is successful, then we would hope to be able to truly push the concept fore and get other bands on a similar deal. If it's not and so I suppose Peter Jones has bought himself the most expensive CD in existence."
Self-aware liquid body substance redeems Hamfatter
By Elisa Bray
It takes some guts to call your band Hamfatter. While unpleasantly conjuring up cured kernel, it's likewise a term in theatrical slang substance a third-rate performer. It suggests this Cambridge-educated trio have a good signified of humor.
Apply this sentiment to their songs � lightsome numbers that are more pop than the indie genre they define on their MySpace page � and Hamfatter serve up a refreshing burst of guitar drink down.
The single "The Girl I Love" is a buoyant vocal so catchy it could have been made for national radiocommunication play lists. They skirt dangerously come together to the obvious radio-friendly guitar pop up and broad lyrics of Scouting For Girls, but their horns and strings-fuelled orchestration that echoes Belle and Sebastian, and their self-aware humor, just close to redeem them.
The combination of building string section, tinkling gaudy piano with over-blown vocals from isaac Bashevis Singer Eoin O'Mahony in "How Sweet It Is" is verging on show tune backed by big band.
Aside from the touch ballads there's little depth to be found, but the melodies a-plenty all saunter along gleefully and enjoyably enough.
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