Where's Strutter? The band from Manchester

With an average age of nineteen, it's fair to say Where's Strutter?
have been living the dream for the past year or so.
Last summer they supported Pete Doherty across the country.
Now whenever they play in Manchester they sell out.
So now's a good chance as any to catch them,
as they come out of adolescence into what looks like a bright future.
I had a chat with them to discuss the Manchester music scene, why they
want to play at Mossley football ground (again) and much, much more.
Where's Strutter? are made up of Paddy (singer), Danny (guitarist),
Max (bassist) and Lee (drummer).



How do you write the songs?
We jam together and then Paddy goes and writes the lyrics. then we come back in and re jam with the lyrics and change things a bit to make em work.

When's the best time to write a song?
We're writing all the time at the moment, so no real best time, whenever really.

Do you write from personal experiences?
Yeah, all the songs are from things that happened to us, the song mud in the morning was written the morning after we had a gig in some pub and the woman booked the show with external promoter - we did our set, packed up and she refused to pay, saying we hadn't played what she asked for ??? - and starting shouting "your name will be in mud in the morning."

What do you think to the music scene in Manchester?
it's so diverse, so many people are in a band or have ties with a band. I don't think any other city is like that. The fact of the strong lineage of Manchester's musical history (prob the strongest in the world other than detroit) makes it hard for bands at first, not easier, because bands get type casted really quickly. At the moment there is alot of good things happening in Manchester: Danny Mahon, The Tapestry, Brown Brogues, Advent 3, Dirty North are all bands we like at the moment. We've been around for about just over 2 years now and seen so many bands come and go its untrue, but we think we are only getting started now. Alot of bands get alot of hype at the start then few good gigs then die away. Oh yeah, Janice Graham Band, fucking love them boys.

Which gig have you enjoyed most so far?
Had a few, some you don't get the relevance of till after like Ocean Colour Scene or Buzzcocks support. Some You look forward to for weeks like the tours with Doherty. But headlining your own shows are the best.

Is this summer gonna be a busy one?
We're not going overboard on the festivals. We wil be happy with five or six good ones, to get the name out there a bit more ahead of some tunes coming your way in the winter.

Where would you most like to play?
We've not got a personal favourite place or desired place to play - obviously people you expect
to say Glastonbury, Manchester Cricket Ground - we're happy playing wherever people will open their minds and listen to us whether that be at Wembley Stadium or whether than be Mossley Football Club, it doesn't matter to us.

With regards to releasing singles, what's your plans?
Should be a free download out in May for everyone. Give 'em a taster of what we are about.

So how are the new songs different to the older stuff?
At the strongest they're really powerful bluesy rock n roll, and can drop down to some really anthemic tunes. The old ones were our curving learn in how to write a song. Now we know the songs have better structure, are lyrically better and have dynamics the way they should be used. Nirvana were brilliant at dynamics. Our ethos is to just play what we love, and for everyone to feel that connection.

Was there a time when it dawned on you that this was
something you were going to take seriously?
Yeah, when we started getting the bigger gigs, then management, then touring. It happened quite fast and as we said earlier we haven't even got started yet. But going and playing to people hundreds of miles from your house and some of them hearing about you before you get there is a great feeling. Had a gig in a pub in Howden a year ago and we were walking round and people were staring, was well weird then at the gig were singing back to us.

What do you love most about music?
The feelings it can give people on so many levels.

Where's Strutter would not exist if not for?
Friendship. We are at the end of the day a gang of mates and thats it.


The Facts
Were joined onstage by Peter Doherty.
Lee once had a row with Lady Gaga.
First band in history to headline
Manchester Academy 2, 3
and club in under 12 months.

Find them on myspace and facebook


Liam

Four Dead In Ohio

I went to see Four Dead In Ohio at the Relentless Garage Bar on 21/01/11. They were loud, brash, dark and moody. They played in virtual darkness with only psychedelic visuals to light the stage. They were amazing.

Afterwards, I caught up with the bass player, Owen.

Here's my bullshit interview.


Great gig! Did you have fun?

Yeah, it couldn't have gone better. I felt a million dollars. It's always got to be fun.

How did Four Dead In Ohio come about?

Jakob and Rick have been friends for years after much moaning and continued disappointment with the music scene and a shared passion for hypnotic, psychedelic sound they decided to form a band in 2007. Doug and Stu (original bass player) completed the line up. Stu moved abroad and I have stepped into take command of the post. They like to call me the bulldog.

Gotta’ say, I love your latest E.P. (In Our Time Of Flying) Peasant’s Prayer is my favorite track from it. How would you say your sound has developed from your earlier stuff?

Peasant's Prayer is a lot of people's favorite track. Our latest release like all the best E.P.'s is a slow burner. It is quite dark and moody and is something you will want to come back to and listen to again and again.

How would you describe the music that you make?

Hypnotic, delirious, witty, and very loud. All our recordings are played together, live. So what you see is what you get.


To me, your sound resembles some of my favorite bands, in particular The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Are they an influence on you?

No, not directly. But Four Dead in Ohio do have a definite attachment to Americana. A lot of West Coast music from the 60's... The Doors,The Byrds, C,S,N & Y. I listen to a lot of The Beach Boys, The Stooges and Motown.


What do you feel’s going well for the band at the moment?

The response from fans after shows gives us a buzz. Our live show is a real experience, with the visuals and backdrop. The E.P. is getting good feedback and the new songs show a different side to the band.


You’ve been doing pretty well across Europe haven’t you?

Yeah, show's in Hamburg and Paris (where we supported The Charlatans) stand out. Met some interesting characters and made some new friends. We hope to visit europe again in 2011.

Anything frustrating you as a band at the moment?

The music industry should wake up. Too many hangers on and yes men. Have you seen the charts recently? Far to many people on the pay roll but not enough artist development.


Four Dead In Ohio would not exist were it not for?
Sexual Innuendo, alcohol and the hope another great song is just around the corner.


What’s next? I would love to see an album.

The new tracks we are demoing are a lot more immediate.
Plenty of harmonies and melodies. We hope to release an album in the near future. When the time is right.




You can buy their latest E.P right here


Liam

Top 10 Music Videos of The 90s

The 1990s were arguably the best years for the music video.
Many were auteur-driven, and MTV reflected this by crediting the director alongside the artist and song title. I think it's a crying shame that the channel damaged its rep by becoming better known for its shitty reality tv. Seeing as we're only in 2011, it may seem odd to hark on about the good old days of the "MTV Generation", but one thing's for sure, the 90s saw a host of brilliant music videos. Thank God for Youtube, eh?

Here's the rundown of my top ten from that decade.

10. The Prodigy - Breathe (Walter Stern)


9. Aphex Twin - Come to Daddy (Chris Cunningham)


8. The Pharcyde - Drop (Spike Jonze)


7. Eels - Novocaine For The Soul (Mark Romanek)


6. Bjork - It's Oh So Quiet (Spike Jonze)


5. David Bowie - I'm Afraid of Americans (Dom and Nic)


4. Garbage - Queer (Stephane Sednaoui)


3. Fatboy Slim - Praise You (Spike Jonze)


2. Daft Punk - Around The World (Michel Gondry)


1. Bjork - All is Full Of Love (Chris Cunningham)




From the best to the worst, and it's Nick Cave with Kylie Minogue.
Credit goes to Rocky Shenck.


Liam