Interview / Review: Friends Of Mine Festival 2011 with The Charlatans, Buzzcocks & more!


May 20th-22nd saw the first Friends Of Mine Festival take place at the idyllic Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire, showcasing a great line up of established acts such as Bad Lieutenant, the Buzzcocks and The Cribs alongside newly signed bands including Factory Floor and Where’s Strutter?.

The  typical British weather, which even included a stage blowing down, couldn’t dampen spirits as three days of great music was ended on the Sunday’s main stage by curator Tim Burgess‘ performance with The Charlatans.

Live4ever was in attendance and was lucky enough to catch a few of the artists who helped to make this brand new event an undoubted success over the course of the weekend…

54679 friends of mine 2011

A familiar face around his home city’s music scene, Manchester-native Terry Christian, was busy interviewing bands for a new F.O.M documentary, as well as introducing some of the festival’s performances.

How did you get involved in the Friends of Mine Festival?

Well, I just got asked really. Originally I just thought it was to host the bands on stage but they’re also doing a little documentary, behind the scenes type of thing. So I’ve had a bit of involvement in that because we’ve got all these youngsters doing it, so I’m helping out and giving them a point in the right direction; when they’re not too sure, give them a bit of support. That and interviewing the bands.

Would you agree we’re lacking for music festivals in the North West and Manchester region like F.O.M?

In a way, but we get a lot of gigs in Manchester – statistics show that Manchester sells tickets more and faster than anywhere in the country. A guy I know who runs the MEN Arena told me gigs are like the new pictures, where parents take their kids out to watch a Beyonce show. With festivals it can rely on the weather a lot but F.O.M’s turning out great with some good bands on the bill.



Are you a regular festival-goer then Terry?

I sort of dipped my toe in the water but never did the whole staying in tents and all that, I was too lazy and a creature of comfort even as a youngster, but I used to get free tickets for Castle Donnington, which wasn’t my music but I loved the excess of it all; like watching Whitesnake arrive on stage by helicopter and lowered down on ropes with explosions going off, fantastic!

Co-headlining the first night were The Lightning Seeds, who stormed through a set packed with all their hit singles. Live4ever had a chat with the band’s frontman and leader Ian Broudie. Check out the full interview with Ian on Live4ever tomorrow.

21 years of Lightning Seeds, though you didn’t start playing live with the band until ’94. Was the band originally put together solely as a studio band?

Well by that time I’d been in a couple of bands playing at Eric’s and Big in Japan, stuff like that. But I came to realise after producing Echo and the Bunnymen, the first production I did, that there was a lot of sitting around being in a band, but in the studio you’re working with music everyday, so I turned my hand to producing.

But again, after a while I thought ‘I’m a songwriter and always writing songs and I want them to come out’. It was a chap from a band called Pale Fountain who I was producing a track for and he said if I ever wanted to do something with the songs I had put together he would be interested in getting them out there. He didn’t have a record label or anything and I did mostly at home and when I’d finished I didn’t think that many people would be interested if I’m going to be honest, I suppose I didn’t have the confidence really and I wasn’t in a band but I did want to put my music out and get it heard.

Lightning Seeds have made some great singles over the years, but ‘Three Lions’ was massive, how does it feel 15 years on from it all?

Yeah – probably the song the band are best known for, and I wouldn’t swap it for the world, though there’s always been this thing to write the latest football song. They rarely go on to do anything, but the New Order tune showed that you could do a football song and it be OK, but I never sat down to write an anthem, and there was really no pressure on me to do so.

At the time I’d been watching Fantasy Football and felt those two fellas (David Baddiel and Frank Skinner) very much connected with the game around that time, so I asked someone if they would get in touch and ask them if they would get involved. Though it’s our biggest song I don’t play it as part our set, except if it’s an occasion that fits the song. I see it as like singing Christmas carols when it’s not Christmas, but if there’s a World Cup on or something I’ll always play it.

One of the weekend’s best performances came from the Buzzcocks, showing no signs of slowing down with an electrically-charged set of punk classics. Their guitarist Steve Diggle talks about playing live, a certain TV show and Man Utd.

It’s been about 34 years of the Buzzcocks now, what gets easier and what gets harder as time goes by?

35 years actually, and some things do change over time, like when we started punk was built on intensity and we played it like that, but now I embrace the crowd a lot more and relate to them. That’s come from playing over the years, playing the same thing but presenting it that bit different, the interaction of it all.

Your songs still stand up today and are just as relevant to the kids now wouldn’t you say?

Yeah it was from the heart when we sat down and wrote them tunes, things you and other people believe in. They’re genuine and if you feel the same you can relate to them, which I’d say is one of the reasons why we’ve lasted so long.

You’ve just completed a solo album haven’t you?

Yeah, it’s called ‘Air Conditioning’ with my band The Revolution of Sound, and it’s about the political inhalation that we’re all breathing in at the moment. We  just did a gig a few days back at the 100 Club which went down real well and I enjoyed playing there, the 100 Club is real important to us, and many bands, and hopefully its fight to stay open will be successful.

What’s the story behind the show Never Mind the Buzzcocks and the use of the band’s name? Didn’t you only agree to a one-off special?

Me and Pete were fine with them using the name for a one-off show, but when it went into a series we weren’t exactly impressed. The name sort of started to be associated with the programme which interferes with what we do.

I don’t mind sitting down with a pizza and watching it now and again, but if you look at it it’s for comedians on their way up and stuff like Right Said Fred, which doesn’t do much for me. I know Mark Lamarr is a fan of the band and wanted it in as the title, and I’ve been asked a few times to go on but I never saw Joe Strummer or Bob Dylan on it and I’m not off on it to be famous and all that, people believe in what we do so no, not for me.

Busy year for Manchester football, what are you, Red or Blue?

I’m a Utd fan, though my Dad was a City fan and we used to live near Maine Rd but moved to Bradford in Manchester when I was 7 and around then George Best had just started playing, all the kids would go to Old Trafford to watch him, and we’d take banners and flags and it was a great atmosphere. I went to every home game from about ’63 to ’68. With Utd winning the League and City winning the Cup I think it’s a good deal and a great time for football in Manchester and there’s still the Euro Final to be played.

twistedwheel

Another great set came from Manchester band Twisted Wheel, who are currently busy putting their next album together, but they did have time to talk football and praise their city contemporaries Where’s Strutter?.

Great set! You lads like playing the festivals?

Yeah, we like playing anywhere really, festivals, clubs whatever. We’ve been playing at weekends mostly, and in the week working in the studio putting the next album together. The next tour will be all the big cities and that but we’ll always play where other bands won’t play and where people want us to play.

How’s the album going? What’s it going to sound like?

I love that sound on some of them 50s and 60s rock ‘n’ roll tunes like Chuck Berry and old Sun records, the vocal on them, so going for something like that, but i’ts the same with the punk records from ’77-’79 and the sound they had. It’s just us mixing those things we really like, I just want it to sound mint, you know what I mean, we’ll be looking to release it September time hopefully.

Anyone on the bill you’ll be checking at today?

Where’s Strutter? – they’re mates from Mosley and live near us. I met Lee at footie and Paddy at school, they’re a great band and have really put the work in playing gigs and building up a name, getting their sound right and that, I love ’em and think they’re ace.

I’ve been asking some of the Manchester bands today about the football, who supports who in Twisted Wheel?

Eoghan Clifford: Me and him (Stephen Evans) are worst for it; he’s a City Fan and I’m Utd. When City beat us in the F.A cup semi-final straight after the game my phone starts ringing and it’s him – any other City fan would have been dancing round the house, but the first thing he does is ring me up, that was his way of celebrating the derby – by giving my loads.

Playing the Big Top Stage on the Sunday were Our Fold; one time Stone Rose Aziz Ibrahim‘s guitar ringing out over the sound of Damian Riley‘s vocals definitely made Our Fold one to catch over the weekend. The two guys stopped to answer some questions for Live4ever.

Just watched the set and it sounded great. How long has Our Fold been together and can you describe your sound?

Damian: Obviously we’ve got our indie influences, but we also try and bring a grunge type of thing to it as well, you know, a blend of things really. We’ve been together for about a year as Our Fold but known and played together for about 4-5 years.

Where did the band name come from?

Me and my ex bought a house – she was a photographer and I had my music, and with friends coming round a lot of it turned into the place for all of us to hang out and get slaughtered, good times ya know. Then one day our mate Tony wanted some er, supplies, and I said I’d ring this guy but Tony said, “No way, I don’t want one who’s not in our fold,” so that was the scene, and that house week after week became ‘our fold’.

How did Aziz join the band then?

We sacked our guitarist, but not because Az said he would do it, it was just something that we did, and played as a three-piece for a bit. We played the Ritz one night and Az was further up the bill doing his own stuff, and he liked what he heard so our manager asked him if he fancied coming down and watched us reherse.

How’s it working out for you then Aziz, playing in Our Fold, you seemed to be enjoying it up there?

Aziz: Yeah, it’s great. I get to rock out a bit with the band and love what we do, though I still get to express myself through my own solo project. That’s an acoustic show with my mate Tav, our little ‘White Stripes from Bombay’ project, so it’s all good because I get to play with the band and keep on doing my own stuff.

Tell me about the trade-mark green guitar you play that lights up, The one you played with on the Ian Brown shows?

Aziz: It’s a cheapy, about £250. I just gutted it and had everything replaced on it, it just ended up being my main guitar all the way through the Ian Brown shows and that. I’d amuse myself by getting LED lights and lasers fitted to it, and after a while I’d get people asking if I’d brought it to the gig and will I be playing it – weighs a tonne but it became an icon in a way.

Tim Burgess picked the bands for Sunday’s main stage, and topped it off by playing a classic set with The Charlatans. Tim spoke to Live4ever just before going on stage to end the festival for 2011.

It’s the first F.O.M festival this weekend, how’s it going?

I think it’s shown it has loads of potential, and there’s been some great moments like, (laughing) when the tent fell down on one of the stages – which is classic isn’t it! Leaving three bands that needed a place to play and we got them on at the house party, they had 20 minutes each and loved it so we turned it around, I think the North West has a really good festival in F.O.M.

You picked the bands for the main stage on Sunday, so how did you go about deciding who to have?

Well, when I first got asked to curate the stage for the Sunday I was DJing with Stephen Morris one night and because New Order are one of my all time favourite bands I asked him to DJ and he said yeah, and it went from there. Then I asked some younger bands like Factory Floor who are my favourite current band, plus the bands from London I know – they all wanted to play. Then I thought of A Certain Ratio and The Fall; again, I’m big fan of The Fall so I went round Mark’s house, took him to the pub, bought him a Bells and he was in.

What plans for the band this year?

Mainly playing, doing festivals really. Quite a few abroad, and the Electric Picnic in Ireland. We’ve just got back from Turkey actually playing out there, this year is really about playing festivals and shows.

What about plans for a new Charlatans album?

I’d say it’s going to be next year some time.

(Carl Stanley)


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