Wigan’s BLUE VINYL capture all of the urgency of life on the edge and lose none of its subtleties along the way.
They are very, very good at what they do.
Formed in 2002 in the Heart of Soul, they were quick to attract the attention of several independent labels thanks to their sussed approach and hook-laden sound, together with the breathtaking quality of their live shows. Though the road to rock n’ roll success is littered with bands that did not fulfil their early potential, the stop/start nature of their four year existence has done nothing to dampen either the spirit or self-belief of this guitar driven four-piece. With new songs ready to record, they’re geared up and ready to stake their rightful claim for a permanent place in our hearts and minds.
W&H caught up with singer Luke Critchley and guitarist Ian McCluskey in a quiet first floor corner of a pub in the centre of Wigan. Taking time out from rehearsals to reflect on the story so far, they were upbeat and philosophical about the nature of success, and why they remain one of the north west music scene’s best-kept secrets.
Where did the initial interest come from?
Ian: “Gut records were the first”.
“It was him from 1234 records, who used to manage The Verve, and The Beta Band” Luke explains. Ian nods at the reference to Dave Halliwell, who has already been moved by the Blue Vinyl’s massive sound.
“Our manager was Brian Cannon” continues Ian (Cannon is best known for his Oasis/The Verve sleeve designs).
“He gave us a few pointers, and encouraged us to start recording stuff – He said ‘I don’t think you should play for a while’, y’know – get more of a set together’. So we did that, and then our drummer (Jon Davenport) broke his ankle”.
Further enquiries from me prompt laughter, and both turn to indicate the pub window we can see across the narrow alleyway. It is a good deal higher up than the one we’re looking out of. “He jumped out of there” laughs Luke.
His arse must have been on fire.
“Everything was on fire” laughs Ian
“It was one of them nights” Luke explains with a grin that prompts more laughter
Ian continues: “So that was six months, a year where we couldn’t play. So we just wrote stuff didn’t we? Then Brian said, ‘Oh I know this guy, Dave Halliwell, who used to manage The Verve, and I’ll get him to come down and listen to you’ - so he came down to our room and was blown away”
“Yeah” nods Luke, “So he said ‘Come down to London, play for us, play for a few people, see how it goes’”.
“All that went good, and then I think it got to the point where Brian couldn’t do it any more – it wasn’t his job sort of thing – he was a sleeve designer. He pushed us, and sorted a lot of things out, and we did everything right…”
“Since then, we haven’t had contact”: adds Ian, referring to the part-strategic, part catastrophic combination that has kept the band off the live circuit for so long. The emphasis now has to be to get back in the public eye not least because performing live is their undoubted strength. Blue Vinyl blow the roof off venues, every time.
Ian continues “A lot of people don’t know who we are, cos, y’know, Brian was saying ‘Don’t play yet’ – which was a good idea, but then because things with Brian didn’t work out.”
“We didn’t even have a website then” he adds, prompting Luke to comment wryly “Everyone’s on Myspace”.
Ian: “We’ve gone off and done demos, but we still don’t think they sound like we do”
Is that because you haven’t got that live sound?
Luke: “Yeah, there is that thing, when it’s live – we need to capture the energy”
Ian: “When we’re in the band room, that’s what we sound like” adds Ian
“…Yeah, when it goes off in that room” adds Luke with some enthusiasm, and words escape them both for a few moments. That they are in possession of that certain something is an undeniable fact
Where does the energy come from?
The artistic nature of the question is hard to answer – soul searching, Luke shrugs after a moment: “You can’t really say, I don’t think”
Ian’s response is instantly technical: “I reckon Johnny blasting the drums, really going for it, and the bass. Luke agrees “The bass is unbelievably loud”.
Ian: “Yeah, fucking live - getting the frustration out” and there is more laughter.
Both are fully behind the notion that the songs are works in progress.
Ian states: “When we play live, our songs become new songs”
Luke “if we go in again (the studio), we need a big warehouse, and someone who knows what they’re doing”
Ian “Playing the songs isn’t a problem, we can play them inside out, but it’s just getting that sound – if we can get that sound…right”.
“We know nothing about recording” is one candid observation.
“To be fair to people who’ve done it, we’re shit at explaining”
“Yeah, we say ‘We want the ‘room sound’” laughs Luke:
“…and we know what we’re on about, but it’s hard to get that across to an engineer or producer. He’d have to get in the room with us not just once, for a bit – and understand”.
Which brings us around to talking about the demo. Though it doesn’t get even close to what they want in terms of capturing the energy, the music is strong, and does reflect the raw power of their sound. All the more impressive for a demo that is half D.I.Y. The other half was recorded with John Kettle (ex-Tansads).
“Yeh, he was good, John” reflects Ian:
“Knows his beans and that” agrees Luke.
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Is the power in the songs emotional?
“I like that kind of sad thing with the words, and the music’s just part of that. I don’t wanna be like them bands who are saying: ‘Our life, break out’. I don’t like that. We don’t write words like that do we” (turns to Ian)
“We wrote that song about Brian didn’t we?” returns Ian.
“Yeah” grins Luke “Life of Brian”, and there’s more laughter: “He’s not heard that!”
“Sometimes they’ll be about things, or people, or events” states Ian
“Things you see” adds Luke
What does the immediate future hold for Blue Vinyl?
“Scarborough” they both laugh instantly
“Record” states Ian “Play to as many people as we can. We’ve got three or four gigs next month, then we’ll try to get gigs where people will put us on ‘cos they like us”
“Scarborough” laughs Luke again.
“Anywhere” they both laugh
“We’ll go anywhere, play anywhere” states Ian.
The demo features five tracks, and if you catch them live, and appreciate what you’ve heard, they’ll let you have a copy, no questions asked. Their whole sound is based on a thumping rhythm section, pounding drums and an ear-splitting bass that provide the perfect basis for McCluskey’s sparkling guitar work. Critchley’s vocals are brimming with passion and delivered with a desperate intensity that hits you straight in the heart.
Several factors run concurrent throughout their sussed and deceptively straightforward indie sound. An ever-present pounding rhythm provides a rock-solid basis from which impressive and often beautiful melodies pour forth. Their lyrical concerns encompass the familiar notions of fate and destiny with a subtle freshness you’d hardly expect from an outfit so in sync. with our preconceived notions of what four-lads-with-guitars is all about
The result is an urgent and powerful set of songs that suggest a strong desire to capture the dynamic of their live performances.
The tense acid guitar and the driving beats in ‘Common Wealth’ replicate a siren sound commotion at street level, before the melody and two-part harmonies reveal a musical and metaphorical urge to grab hold of the unattainable. Underscored by Seddon’s mental, sonic bass boom and Davenport’s faultless and immense drumming power, it’s not difficult to see why Ian Camfield singled out the tune for airplay on his XFM radio show.
‘Thinking of you’ is stunning. “Its about uncertainty, and being hard to please” There is an air of expectation that burns a hole in your head, ideal for pouring in the infectious, brain-filling melody. The dissatisfaction and confusion are momentarily disorientating, before the full force of the track hits you - hard.
The gentle arpeggio gives way to the two-part harmonies and a chorus that sends shivers up the spine, pulling the floor from underneath you, spiralling out of control. This song is all chorus. It’s brilliant. It just hooks and hooks you, pulling you in and demanding your attention, full of life and love, fate and destiny.
On a slower groove, they take the burning truth and let it smoulder. ‘Man in the Street’ glows with the wisdom of the broken-hearted. “It was written about a recovering alcoholic we knew” remembers Ian. The melancholy reverberates gently along a kind of sonic corridor, and gathers momentum only slightly. Stunning lead guitar takes you by the hand and lets you think your thoughts alone. This is talent at work and the chemistry is ‘right’.
The paranoid and pungent ‘Army’ is a resistant and relentless stand against the rat-race. No way are these lads meant for the Reginald Perrin lifestyle, or the dole queue.
‘The BIG ISSUE’ is all anger, frustration and tension. Off-beat drum patterns are the precedent to a venomous cacophony but subtle shifts in tempo move the tune effortlessly into a current that provides a vast and impressive soundtrack where wandering minds are free to roam.
BLUE VINYL are:
Luke Critchley - Vocals
Ian McCluskey - guitars
Andrew Seddon - Bass
Jon Davenport - Drums
They play at Bar Fever, Wigan on August the 22nd, plus a couple of festivals in the north west
on August 26th and 27th
Check out their Myspace for details:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=37807364
http://www.bluevinyl.net/
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