What Promotion Challenge?

After having been promised the world through seven figure signings and big name arrivals under Gordon Strachan, Middlesbrough Football Club is beginning to see the after affects of a ghost promotion campaign.

Steve Gibson entrusted Strachan with his cheque book but unfortunately for him and all those optimistic Teessiders, the squad massively failed to live up to expectations.

But what long term effects have Gibson’s debatable naivety and Boro’s downfall under Gareth Southgate and Strachan had on the club’s long term future?

Thankfully, and many would say rightly, Strachan left without a big pay-off after ripping up the remainder of his contract that was believed to have been worth around £3million in total.

So it seemed only right that one of Boro’s heroes of 1986 would prove the Scot’s natural successor to breathe life back into the club.

But even Mogga was quoted this week as saying that he wrote off around £350,000 of money owed by his former club Celtic to come to back to Teesside.

So thankfully the club’s managerial switch-up didn’t cause anywhere near the financial damage that relegation did although it seems that the effects of the drop felt nearby could have been catastrophic.

Newcastle have reported losses of £17.1million as a result of their relegation from the Premier League alongside Middlesbrough and West Brom in 2009.

Thankfully for them, the Magpies managed to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt and have since seen big name arrivals and departures as well as bringing in Premier League TV money.

European names like Hatem Ben Arfa have arrived at St. James’, while assets like Andy Carroll have been sold for unbelievable prices (although promotion and the Carroll sale aren’t reflected in the figures).

Newcastle’s gamble with their finances paid off, in keeping many top flight players with the aim of achieving immediate promotion back to the Premier League. In contrast Boro’s more conservative gamble backfired.

Seeing such losses at close quarters doesn’t bode well for the Reds, who in comparison delayed that relegation push a season before splashing out on talent that has again knocked back Boro’s ambitions.

Having had the luxury of top flight parachute payments following relegation, Boro’s fortunes have repeatedly failed to improve and now a final reduction in such payments means that finances will become even more stretched if changes aren’t implemented.

It could be argued that the window to a Premier League return has passed as the club relies on ever reducing turnover that isn’t helped by this season’s record low Riverside attendances.

Now it seems that the club will have to cut costs in order to mount any sort of serious Championship campaign next season as the club’s finances continually come under scrutiny.

Some rumours have even gone as far as suggesting that the club may have to go into administration in the near future.

Scott Wilson, chief sports writer for the Northern Echo, said via his Twitter account: “Wage bill is currently about £20m and total turnover next year will be about £14m. Desire is for wages to drop to £6m.”

This quite sobering yet somewhat unsurprising idea that cutting the wage bill is the way to ensure the club’s future certainly casts doubt on whether Boro’s Premier League ambitions are at all realistic.

Despite this TEAMtalk.com estimate that Strachan’s marquee signing, Kris Boyd, for example is earning around £1.5million a year, which makes reductions in costs sound not all that damaging.

Especially when you consider that the likes of Justin Hoyte and Didier Digard, who are also believed to be on big money, could be out of the door as well without causing too much of a loss to Mowbray’s current favoured squad.

Julio Arca is one player with a thickset pay packet that Mowbray has taken a liking to however, but whether pay cuts can appease every wage-related headache before next season is extremely questionable.

It seems that for Boro to mount any sort of challenge for next season’s Championship crown, given that the Reds avoid the drop to League One this season of course, drastic changes will need to be made.

Mowbray himself has pledged his belief in the young players that have made a name for themselves since his arrival, such as Joe Bennett, Jason Steele and Cameron Park, although they continue to be leered at by top flight hawks.

Another evident pattern in Mowbray’s more recent transfer activity is his reliance on foreign and lower league players, which again may yield more Zemmama-style bargains but whether they can replace the Teesside club’s current big earners remains to be seen.

Also published on www.oneboro.co.uk

http://oneboro.co.uk/what-promotion-challenge-30-03-2011-359.html

Bennett's Breakthrough

EVERY year there seems to be a bright new prospect that suddenly emerges from Dave Parnaby’s famed Middlesbrough youth academy that captures the imagination of the fans and is inevitably linked to a big move away.

There’s been Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson, Nathan Porritt and Cameron Park to name but a few. Some have made it, some haven’t but it seems that Parnaby’s Midas touch is continuing to make itself known.

All of this of course is despite the club’s dwindling resources and recent tumble down the league standings yet the time has come for the club’s latest academy breakthrough performer, Joe Bennett, to be linked to a big move away from the Riverside.

Rochdale born Bennett was actually handed his debut way back in 2009 under Gareth Southgate for the last few minutes of Boro’s doomed relegation campaign in the match against West Ham United.

Few appearances followed before Gordon Strachan’s awkward tenure yielded little more playing time for the England youth player other than cup outings, pushing him to request a loan move which the manager declined.

Earlier this season under Strachan, Bennett was even overlooked in that troublesome left-back spot which the manager decimated by loaning out left footed defenders like Jonathan Grounds and Andrew Taylor.

Somehow the Scot decided that playing other players out of position would fill that void better and as a result brought in centre-back Matt Kilgallon on loan and asked him and right-back Justin Hoyte to fill in at left back.

It really wasn’t until Tony Mowbray took the helm that Bennett got his chance as a first team starter mainly due to injuries and the fact that he was the only natural left-back in the squad at that point.

But Bennett proved all of his doubters wrong and stepped up to become a first team regular with some sparkling displays that have since kept both the returning Taylor and Grounds from taking his place.

In January 2011 the promising 20-year-old was rewarded for his fine form by Mowbray with a four-and-a-half-year contract. The forward thinking defender’s performances have also been backed up by his emergence into the England Under 21 setup.

And Bennett’s success has not gone unnoticed elsewhere with the likes of Sunderland, Manchester City and Liverpool all being linked with moves for the youngster but Bennett seems more than keen to continue his footballing education on Teesside.

On his Twitter account Bennett posted a pledge to stay at the club although it has since been taken off his page. It read: “I don't know where the sunderland, city, liverpool talks come from tweeps!.... I aint going nowhere!”

And having signed such a long term deal so recently, Boro fans can at least rest assured that the defender will either stay or go for a good price. But surely as the club looks to next season, keeping the best of its young talent should be at the top of the agenda.

Another player who has also been linked with a big move is 18-year-old Cameron Park, who also was awarded a four-and-a-half-year contract in January this year.

Described by Mowbray as being in the mould of Boro success stories Adam Johnson and Stewart Downing, the left winger was linked with a surprise move to Liverpool despite only making Boro’s match day squad a handful of times.

All fans can hope for from these youngsters however is that they remain grounded, keep working hard for the cause and grow with the club rather than abandoning what has been a sinking ship in recent years.

The likes of the once highly-rated Porritt for instance failed to live up to expectations.

He found himself in the public eye after BBC Panorama secretly filmed him being presented to Chelsea officials without Boro’s consent.

Since then the now 21-year-old’s career has dwindled into obscurity as after the youngster was sent back to Boro following a loan spell at neighbouring Darlington in 2009 his contract was terminated by mutual consent.

He then went on trial at Portuguese club Belenenses and was widely reported to have signed for them although this reportedly turned out to be untrue.

Porritt is believed to now play his football in Belgium’s third tier at R.O.C de Charleroi-Marchienne although rumours have been circulating around the forums that he is back in England without a club at all.

The youngster was continually linked with having a poor attitude while on Teesside and it is this kind of story that Boro fans are desperate not to be repeated by the club’s current crop of hopefuls.

With guidance and commitment players like Bennett and Park could well become the club’s next success stories and hopefully their growth can continue to form part of Boro line-ups for years to come.

Also published on www.oneboro.co.uk

http://oneboro.co.uk/bennett-s-breakthrough-23-03-2011-358.html

A Striking Dilemma

AFTER it emerged that Middlesbrough’s leading goalscorer Leroy Lita had picked up a severe hamstring tear during the side’s goalless draw with Portsmouth, Tony Mowbray has found himself with a dilemma on his hands.

Having already reduced his options up top by letting Old Firm flop Kris Boyd go out on loan to Nottingham Forest as part of the deal to bring goalkeeper Paul Smith in the other direction, the manager has a limited choice of forwards.

Mowbray also limited his options further by letting Strachan signing Lee Miller go out on loan to Scunthorpe earlier in the campaign. The £500,000 signing, who has only made a handful of Boro appearances, has hardly been value for money.

Lita’s most regular strike partner in recent weeks has been Aussie front man Scott McDonald, who’s place in the team is all but assured after some encouraging performances alongside 10 goal man Lita.

By any standards it must be said however that the front line as a whole has failed to live up to expectations this season as aside from Lita, McDonald only has eight goals this term, Boyd pitched in with six and the rest barely have that between them.

Hard working Dutchman Marvin Emnes has looked a more mature player following his return from a successful loan spell at Swansea but his performances have yet to yield the goals that they deserve, although Mowbray seems keen to use him more as an impact substitute recently.

The former sprinter has however been a willing runner and has contributed a number of assists although many of them came alongside Lita but then again Emnes still has to convince many that he has that killer instinct in front of goal.

Another possible strike partner for McDonald, should Mowbray continue to employ a 4-4-2 formation, is Moroccan international attacker Merouane Zemmama who can play in midfield or up top.

Again Zemmama has been described by Mowbray as an ‘impact substitute’, which in fairness has worked more recently as the diminutive attacker earned Boro a vital last gasp winner against fellow strugglers Derby County two games ago.

Other than that few other names have been mentioned as in the running to partner McDonald although one man who has found himself out in the cold could have an outside chance of making the line up.

Estonian winger Tarmo Kink, who won fans over earlier this season with two fantastic late strikes to sink Burnley at the Riverside, is yet another to be tagged with that ‘impact substitute’ label even though the 25-year-old hasn’t featured at all in recent weeks.

After being dubbed ‘the Tallinn Torpedo’ following his Burnley crackers, Kink has only been a bit part player for the Reds despite Mowbray conceding that he has undoubted talent that is not always directed in the right way.

He told the club’s official website: “He (Kink) has a very obvious talent but he has to learn and understand the mentality that's needed to be a success in the Championship.

“To be fair, he wants to prove he can be a success here and I'm happy to give him that opportunity.”

Saturday’s game against Watford at the Riverside will be a real test for Mowbray’s men particularly as that leaky defence will have to face off against Championship top scorer and former Boro player, Danny Graham.

The promotion contenders have defied their small budget all season through their league exploits and Mowbray’s attacking decisions against them could well be a sign of things to come if Lita fails to return before the end of the campaign.

At this vital point in the season Boro certainly need someone to step up and fulfil Lita’s goal getting attitude and hopefully whoever comes in from the cold to get that chance will snap it up and grab a goal or two.

Also published on www.oneboro.co.uk

http://oneboro.co.uk/a-striking-dilemma-18-03-2011-357.html

Red China Turns Green Giant

ICONIC: CCTV Tower in Beijing is a real spectacle.

AS Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt, crossed the Olympic finish line in 9.69 seconds at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the iconic Bird’s Nest Stadium the world stopped to take a second look.

So the Chinese had succeeded, as splashing out on the most expensive Olympic games of all time and building some of the most spectacular buildings ever seen, made the world sit up and take note.

No longer do Stalinist structures dominate the communist landscape of the world’s most populated nation with such prevalence.

Instead they now form the historic backdrop to what China has become, an economic show pony with grand ambitions.

The 80,000 seat, skeletal, Swiss-designed Beijing National Stadium, also known as Bird’s Nest Stadium, is a small part of a huge cultural change, casting polished steel shadows over historic Chinese landmarks.

Even 17^th Century Tiananmen Square is now overlooked by an other-worldly futuristic blob, known colloquially as the Alien Egg.

Officially called the Grand National Theatre, the French-designed Alien Egg follows the pattern of western architects being commissioned to shape Chinese cityscapes, suggesting a departure from traditional oriental design.

As a result China and Beijing in particular are now synonymous with cutting edge design and this $300million three-theatre structure, is every bit the grand spectacle.

Another imaginatively named example of extreme development, the Twisted Donut, is a structurally radical, 44 floor loop that acts as the Chinese Central Television Headquarters.

Yet this facade of aesthetic transformation, sparked in part by Olympic ambitions, is seemingly covering the cracks of a painful, forced economic growth.

After communism took hold of China following the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, a longing to become the dominant world super-power, despite their drained economic status, led to ecological and social strife.

Over cultivation, over grazing and deforestation have turned around a quarter of China’s land into desert, while an estimated 300,000 people die prematurely every year from polluted air in the country.

And for decades questions have been murmured tentatively from world leaders as to how and why controversially communist China’s immense environmental shortfalls have not been corrected.

At one point it was even believed that on average China opened one new coal-fired power station every week, increasing its emissions more than any other industrialised country put together since 2001.

Typically however, the Chinese were never going to solve this simply.

Instead they, among other things, pledged to build from scratch a showpiece ‘eco-city’ that would support itself through renewable energy created on the island, minus gas guzzling cars and troublesome landfills.

However this more than ambitious plan, proposed to be on Chongming Island, across the water from Shanghai, has been beset with problems and delays since it was announced in 2005.

Recognised as one of the world’s most exciting ecological projects, Dongtan still may become the world’s first zero carbon, completely self sufficient city despite a lack of construction years after it was scheduled to start.

Proposed to home around half a million people in an area about the size of Manhattan, the island still has its supporters and many environmentalists refuse to accept that Dongtan is dead.

And with funds practically spewing from a country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, such immense environmental undertakings are by no means out of the question.

In fact China has also embarked on an aggressive mission to cut fossil fuels, spending more than $34billion in 2009, more than any other country in the world.

TOWERING: Pudong skyline with soon to be completed Shanghai Tower.

The Chinese now has more hydroelectric generators than any other, is increasing its use of bio-fuels, tops the world in terms of solar power generation and is frenetically increasing its use of wind power.

The Three Gorges Dam, in Hubei province, is all that is modern China.

Considered the largest hydroelectric dam and largest generator of electricity in the world since 2006, this dominating dam measures 1.5miles in width and is the country’s largest construction project since the Great Wall.

This humungous structure, which along with its underground power station is set to be fully operational by 2012, is the tip of the iceberg in terms of Chinese environmental ambition.

Immense projects such as this and the increased push for renewable energy has made red China a green giant.

Projects like these provide a constant reminder of Chinese ambition and innovation in the face of crisis, the centre piece of which however lies to the east, in Shanghai.

In 1992 the then Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping, described the city as “the head of the dragon” pulling the country into the future.

Shanghai has since experienced massive investment aimed to redress over half a century of neglect.

Yet again, foreign architects were commissioned to transform what was a rundown industrial city into the personification of modernity and more importantly of the new China.

Shanghai’s recent development again is linked in to European design and competitive communism, with an unprecedented skyline that has sprung up from virtually nowhere.

The 88 storey Jin Mao Tower and immense 101 storey Shanghai World Financial Center, in the Pudong district, lie on what was an area of rice paddies and small factories just over twenty years ago.

Home to economic heavyweights like General Motors, IBM and Credit Lyonnais, these buildings are a bold statement of Chinese world ambition, but again it is argued that a ruthless cultural sacrifice has been made.

Similarly Shanghai International Circuit, a spectacular $450million venture, was transformed from swampland within 18 months to become a world renowned Formula 1 race venue from 2004 onwards.

And the construction steam train is by no means coming to a halt as the biggest Shanghai mega structure yet begins to materialise. The Shanghai Tower will be the third tallest building in the world by 2014.

The multibillion dollar glass tower, which will engulf its Pudong neighbours and feature the world’s highest observation platform, is another glowing example of architecture that marks out China as forward thinking.

After decades of decay and environmental neglect, China is now ruthlessly transforming itself from an over industrialised workhorse into a rounded, environmentally viable economic powerhouse.

As the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but China’s relentless charge towards to the top seat in world economics is seemingly inevitable.

Album Review: Home Video - 'The Automatic Process'

RETURN: Home Video's second album comes after four year wait.

ELECTRONICA, synth and classical training aren’t exactly what you’d call a natural collection of musical terms but a pair of American high school chums fused those influences to create Home Video in 1997.

Classically inclined David Gross and New Orleans schoolmate Collin Ruffino have again teamed up to create their 11 track second album ‘The Automatic Process’ in a self released, produced and penned effort.

Coming after a four year wait, this album is aimed at more of the critical acclaim that its predecessor ‘No Certain Night or Morning’ got in being compared to Radiohead’s legendary ‘Kid A’ album.

This collection is somewhat difficult to categorise however, as it continues on the same electro influenced theme as their debut and again carries no real get up and dance element.

Instead it’s an atmospheric and quite arty outlook on the genre that is more to be listened to in admiration than to be raved to in a converted warehouse.

‘Smoke’ is a perfect example of this and how the duo use cloudy synth, wailing strings and echoed vocals to create mesmeric imagery around a steady bass line and a high pitched sparkling background piano.

Ruffino is then backed by harmonic synth when he sings: “The smoke billowing.”

The album opener ‘Accomplished But Dead’ also shares this textured almost visual aspect with wailing chords, eerie layered vocals and a recurring deep guitar strum that adds further drama to the track.

One standout and to a degree standalone track is ‘Beatrice’. This reflective love song has an acoustic guitar core backed by heavenly synth and floating percussion before an ‘In The Air Tonight’-style drum section introduces more dreamy instrumentation and a soft bass line.

Ruffino is irresistibly comparable to Thom Yorke’s yearning falsetto particularly in this heartfelt track when he sings: “I see her in my dreams.”

‘Every Love That Ever Was’ starts with a chilled out synth backing with tinkling piano excerpts before joining forces with a Meat Loaf-style piano rock chorus that is completely out of character for this album but it works. But that can’t be said for everything on this album.

Tracks like ‘No Relief’ and ‘I Can Make You Feel’, although different, do fall into the trap of becoming relentless and somewhat tiresome over five minutes, the former for its brash electro soundtrack and the latter for its uninspiring repetitive vocal.

But there’s such a wide range of influences on this album that other than being full of layers and texture, these tracks have no real consistency.

The piano laden ‘Business Transaction’, creepy interlude ‘Description of a Struggle’ and mix and match ‘You Will Know What To Do’, although having individual merits could all be from entirely different records.

In all this is a good follow up to ‘No Certain Night or Morning’ and continues in the same vein although some more forgettable tracks dampen its parade somewhat, there’s still plenty worth sitting back and taking in here.

7/10

Also published on www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/the-automatic-process-out-on-home-video/

Bye Bye Boyd

A MAN who scored more goals in the Scottish Premier League than anyone else in history, beating off names like the great Henrik Larsson and Boro’s very own Scott McDonald, Kris Boyd has sneaked out of the Riverside after just six months.

The beefy striker, who managed 164 goals in nine years that were split between Glasgow Rangers and Kilmarnock, has opted for a loan move to reignite his faltering move to England.

Having scored only six goals in 29 league and cup appearances, Boyd’s loan move to Nottingham Forest hasn’t exactly been frowned upon by fans despite the big man’s fantastic SPL record.

But in all truth Boyd’s poor work rate and less than endearing style made him unpopular at Boro from day one.

The fact that one of the major factors in Boyd’s move was money and his reported £25,000-a-week wages did nothing to turn what eventually became frustrated jeers into supportive cheers either.

Although still under contract with Middlesbrough until the summer of 2012, his latest move and blatant failure to persuade Tony Mowbray of his usefulness to the team makes a summer departure for the 27-year-old forward look ever more likely.

But Mowbray himself has praised Boyd’s effort in training, while at one point Gordon Strachan claimed that Boyd was trying too hard, quoted by BBC Sport as saying: “I can’t ask anymore from his training.”

He added: “He was actually trying too hard and I said, 'Listen, you don't need to do that', because sometimes when players try too hard, they can get frustrated.”

Scott McDonald in truth hasn’t lived up to his goal scoring billing either but his all round effort, quality on the ball and commitment to the cause won the Boro faithful over practically after his first game. Goals aren’t always everything.

But in Boyd’s case his clumsy touch, lack of involvement in interplay and general demeanour meant that his contribution to any side would seemingly only be goals but then again he hasn’t been helped.

Boro haven’t been as free scoring as the fans would have liked this season, having only scored 44 goals in 35 league games this term and until recently the midfield’s lack of creativity has often left the club’s forwards dropping back to get the ball or becoming isolated up top.

Known primarily as a poacher, Boyd never really ventured much further than the six yard box in Scotland and considering the dominance that the Old Firm clubs have in the SPL, chances were always in the offing.

The forward has shown glimpses of his finishing ability though, his goal against Sheffield United in August, which saw a rare win under Strachan, was a predatory run and shot that raised hopes early on for instance.

In the right side, with the right formation where he is not required to get too involved in interplay Boyd might hit it off, but for the cost to Boro to be both financially and strategically worthwhile he’d have to score much more regularly than he has.

The club’s quite perilous present position in the league and monetary constraints however mean that Boyd’s status as a bit part player was simply not viable considering his wages.

Mowbray has managed to bring in experienced Forest goalkeeper Paul Smith in as competition and cover for Jason Steele and Danny Coyne, while he has also hinted at bringing in a midfielder on loan as a result of Boyd’s departure.

Given that Mowbray has hinted that the deal for the Scot is beneficial to Boro financially because of a ‘discrepancy’ between Boyd and Smith’s wages certainly makes it sound like each club is paying most if not all of their respective signing’s wages which can only be a positive.

Opening the door to yet more reinforcements during Boro’s hugely important run towards the end of the season is a massive plus point and something that might help to add more of that attacking creativity that Mowbray appears to crave.

And at this point in the season when it seems like safety is the main objective as results have not yet mirrored the change in style that Mowbray has brought with him, Boyd’s departure could well be the master stroke that saves the club from a relegation dog fight.

A few goals at Forest combined with a rise in his value and an improvement in Boro’s league form could mean either the return of Boyd to a rejuvenated team or a big earner off the wage books and some money for Mowbray to spend come June.

Either way if Boyd bangs in the goals at Forest and Boro stay up no one will be complaining.

Also published on www.oneboro.co.uk

http://oneboro.co.uk/bye-bye-boyd-10-03-2011-355.html

Album Review: Clare Maguire - 'Light After Dark'

DEBUT: Hype queen Clare Maguire is out to impress

AFTER coming fifth in the BBC Sound of 2011 list, Clare Maguire has been backed by TV appearances, celebrity meetings and supporting roles on tour with Hurts and Plan B.

So her debut album ‘Light After Dark’ has a lot of hype riding on it despite the fact that her first single to come off the album, ‘Aint Nobody’, only managed number 78 in the UK singles chart after its October release.

The album kicks off with a 58 second introduction called ‘Are You Ready’, which ultimately consists of her adlibbing sounds without actually saying any words in something more like a cry for attention than a teasing sign of things to come.

Despite this the music kicks in with the catchy ‘The Shield And The Sword’, which immediately reminds you of The Eurythmics and Annie Lennox with that earthy yet soothing vocal and some bright orchestral chords.

A lovely violin backing adds drama to a heartfelt piano and Maguire’s deep vocal that builds and builds to a crescendo as Maguire sings: “You have the shield, I have the sword, I no longer love you, no longer love you.”

‘Last Dance’ then follows, which is her recently released second single, and immediately brings in those Sharleen Spiteri-esque adlibs before her superb vocal range takes the song onwards and upwards.

Inspired and written the day after her hero Michael Jackson’s death and the public reaction that followed, this track has a synth undertone and powerful drumbeat to mark it out as a worthy second release.

After track three however this album begins to waiver in an attempted 80s throwback that has as much synth as it does violins.

Maguire’s website bio speaks of the fact that a lot of the tracks on this album were wrote in a day and the lyricism as a result here leaves a lot to be desired at times.

Take ‘Bullet’ as an example as she sings: “I was told a dead man was heavier than a broken heart, am I dead now, my heart sure feels heavy.” Maguire’s vocal is comparable to many an old powerhouse, Jennifer Rush comes to mind during this track, but the songs just don’t stack up.

In parts ‘Sweet Lie’ again is lovingly reminiscent of that Spiteri emotion as a soft drum beat, stripped back piano and harmonies follow her gently restrained voice before another limp, ordinary chorus, as she sings: “Out of sight out of mind, what a sweet lie.”

A sincere lack of imagination and that fight and rawness that pours from her press interviews is distinctly lacking on tracks like ‘You’re Electric’.

Although it has shiny synth, thickset drums and a pretty harp it is just full of cliché, it’s crying out for direction in places rather than, “You’re electric, I know lightning won’t strike twice in the same place, so lets run away.”

Tracks like ‘Break These Chains’ and title track ‘Light After Dark’ again have that rangy potential but lack a cutting edge chorus or anything to set them apart from the ordinary.

‘Aint Nobody’ is a moody synth-clad bluesy affair that is more Mortal Kombat theme music than catchy synth-pop as the droaning chorus repeats, packing no real punch.

The album is rounded off by a strange sort of plea in the form of ‘This Is Not The End’, which has a deep orchestral backing, prayer-like sound and although sung pleasantly has no other function than to make you question why it is on the album at all.

At the end of the day Maguire has a magnificent voice and range but a lack of imagination and catchy hooks on ‘Light After Dark’ makes her debut somewhat hollow as it seems something to be bought more to marvel at her vocal than at her music itself.

3/10

Also published www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/clare-maguire-light-after-dark

Album Review: The Shoes - 'Crack My Bones'

KICK OFF: The Shoes release their debut album

PARIS is the city of love but it’s not very often that the UK looks to the French for modern musical inspiration.

Parisian duo The Shoes are trying to buck that trend and ship their electronic Euro-beats over to British ears when their debut album ‘Crack My Bones’ is released on March 7^th 2011.

Their first single ‘Stay The Same’ is a dancy, cowbell-laden pop track with that Calvin Harris feel, particularly through the straight up vocal and high-pitched harmonies. It’s a great chirpy little dance-pop track that’s woody drum sections and catchy chorus are a great start to the album.

In the same vein ‘Cover Your Eyes’ delivers a dancy bass line and some nice touches, particularly the piano excerpts that brighten up the verses. A constantly pitched harmonised male vocal maintains that disco-pop theme, with some tinkly electronics added in that sound like they’re straight out of Streetfighter 2.

‘Hmmm’, your thinking, ‘sounds like a decent prospect’. Well I’m afraid to say from here on in The Shoes begin to lose their sole (apologies, it had to be done), especially as the first of three Bewitched Hands collaborations kicks in.

‘Time To Dance’ starts with some strange ABBA-inspired piano tinklings and a 70’s disco bass line that just doesn’t go away. Then it gets worse as the campness is accelerated by a Lazytown-style kids spell-along and a harmonised Eurovision vocal that grates straight from the off.

The other two of these collaborations aren’t much nicer with title track ‘Crack My Bones’, which sounds like a trippy Pet Shop Boys narration with unconvincing accents, and the Transylvania-inspired Cheeky Girls-fest that is ‘The Wolf Under The Moon’.

Featuring lyrics like, “Every night the clock stop in my room, it’s so far the wolf under the moon,” it’s hard to take seriously.

‘Wastin’ Time’, which is one of only three songs not to be a collaboration is a definite highlight however, with that Calvin Harris aspect returning, it’s chilled bass line, sleepy harmonies and pretty piano sections make it well worth a listen.

There is so much going on here however that it’s hard to tell if the tracks are from the same record.

‘Cliché’, which features CocknBullKid, is a great example of this with its weird bass line reminiscent of ‘Sweet Like Chocolate’ by Shanks & Bigfoot and a grating electro chorus.

Another oddball is the last track, ‘Investigator’, which is a near nine minute dance track with Empire of the Sun-like vocals but with drums straight out of ‘Wildboys’ by Duran Duran that are too much to bare.

Overall this debut is an odd mishmash of inspirations and collaborations that are often ordinary, although there are some redeeming features, but more often than not they are extraordinary for all the wrong reasons.

3/10

Also published on www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/crack-my-bones-its-the-shoes/

Same Old Story or Step Forward?

AFTER yet another disappointing goal conceded by Middlesbrough at the death, this time against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, you begin to wonder whether Tony Mowbray’s men are making that much needed progress.

The 92^nd minute Dele Adebola goal made it 14 points dropped by Boro after 84 minutes this season, which would have put the club in eighth place, three points outside of the play offs, and possibly in the FA Cup for at least another round.

Swansea, Preston, Burton Albion, Leeds, Doncaster and Portsmouth have all broken the team’s backline in the final minutes of games and with the club still just six points outside the relegation zone, it’s getting beyond a joke.

Boos rang out around the Riverside following Adebola’s smash and grab, and with dwindling attendances and lessening finances those Premiership giant killings are more than ever becoming a distant memory.

But should we be so downhearted after what was essentially a very good performance?

Mowbray’s men dominated possession, the shot count and looked by far the more enterprising side on a night when the defence had been decimated by injury and the midfield was not at full strength.

If anything, from a spectators point of view, Mowbray was a little naive in leaving the line-up, formation and general approach as it was for the final 20 minutes as Forest began to pile forward in numbers.

In fact it was only as the free kick that Adebola scored from was being taken, that Marvin Emnes and Maximilian Haas stripped off in preparation to come on and seal the victory.

The Boro backline has more recently been the focus of fan’s frustrations, with Seb Hines and Jonathan Grounds getting more stick than most, particularly after their last pairing in a back four when Boro let a 3-1 lead slip to go down 4-3 to Swansea City.

For the most part however, the pair dealt with seasoned Championship strikers, in David McGoldrick and Robbie Earnshaw, well although somehow the latter did win a few headers against Grounds.

This dominance was threatened by the aerial threat of Adebola however, who at 6ft 3in tall highlighted a lack of strength at centre back and to be fair to Mowbray, Haas doesn’t exactly look like the Terminator.

With options limited in defence, few could argue with the effort that was put in although this part of the pitch is clearly something in need of work.

Yet when Stephen McManus, Matthew Bates and Andrew Davies return, Hines and Grounds might be fortunate to feature on the bench.

Maxi Haas is continually being mooted as the perfect man to fit that centre back mould in recent weeks although his deal is understood only to run until the end of the season according to BBC Tees, with Boro having an option of a one year extension on that.

As a result Mowbray’s opinion of him at this point may well be an implication of whether he is likely to take up that option as Haas continues to look on from the bench.

However the front men, although hard working, could have been more clinical and killed the game off long before Forest equalised, with Scott McDonald and Leroy Lita among others failing to convert.

In all Boro scored just one of their 11 shots on target, as opposed to Forest’s three on target, which I suppose you could either put down to good goalkeeping or poor finishing on Boro’s part.

Despite this both McDonald and Lita’s work rates were fantastic although Lita’s at times frustrating approach of not playing to the whistle annoyed the home support, despite his uncharacteristic role as a header winning target man.

The 15,341 fans in attendance also gave a relatively good account of themselves, particularly during Boro’s more dominant stages towards the end of the first half and start of the second.

But understandably during the tenser moments, particularly during the first 15 minutes or so, the atmosphere resembled that of a reserve team match despite two staunch sections of diehards singing throughout at either end.

It is during these periods in games that Boro seem most vulnerable however, whether it be through conceding early, which the players seem to have a distinct lack of confidence in dealing with, or conceding late on when the opposition fans are willing their side on.

Whether it was the fault of Mowbray’s naivety, defensive frailty, poor finishing, good goalkeeping or wavering support, something that must be stressed is that this season’s objectives are now set.

Instead of there being a cheeky play off push in the making, Boro are all but certain to be in the Championship for a third season come May.

This period between now and then is vital in persuading the fans and players that next season will finally be Boro’s fight back year.

Time is running out on the club in terms of its fans’ patience, its ability to attract high quality players and quite possibly those underlying finances that the club are continue to be worryingly vague about.

One thing is for sure now however. That step forward will only come if Middlesbrough as a footballing town gets behind the Reds for the remainder of the campaign.

By next season, a stable line-up of committed and proud Boro players can hopefully turn that same old story into a different one entirely.

Also published on www.oneboro.co.uk

http://oneboro.co.uk/same-old-story-or-step-forward-03-03-2011-354.html

Live Review - Morning Parade

ON PARADE: Morning Parade on show in Manchester

CHURCH pews, multi-coloured chandeliers and burgundy walls welcome electro-rock five piece Morning Parade to Manchester at the quirky ballroom-esque Night and Day Cafe.

Vintage-looking picture frames and beams don’t initially strike you as the perfect backdrop for a fresh dance influenced band but blue fairy lights and spotlights attempt to make the group feel more at home.

Having recently signed to Parlophone, joining the likes of Kylie Minogue and Coldplay, and getting airplay on Radio 1, XFM and BBC 6 Music, expectations of the Essex natives are high despite an anything but capacity crowd of around 80 punters.

Prior to the gig only ‘Under The Stars’ has been released as a single from their as yet untitled upcoming album, with ‘A&E’ set to hit the shops on February 28^th.

As the nervous-looking fivesome stroll onto the slim line Night and Day stage, the waistcoat-clad lead guitarist, shirted bassist and singer set for action with his sleeves rolled up form a frontline of strings, as that familiar distant soft electronic start brings the mixed crowd alive.

Those there just to see what all the fuss is about are even nodding their heads in approval as the beat rises higher before jumping into the echoed yearning bass guitar rhythm at the centre of ‘Under The Stars’.

All of this is added to by a Foals ‘Spanish Sahara’-style bleeping accompaniment and lead singer Steve Sparrow’s polished vocals before a rocky interlude and final bit of chorus that couldn’t have opened their set in a bigger way.

After that tight opening song the stage then beckons for a sound man who’s out to solve the technical issues that Sparrow is already apologising about before the gleaming guitars and pulsing drumbeat of ‘Marble Attic’ urge the singer to stand in front of his mic in the heavier sections.

More problems coerce Sparrow into saying: “Ever feel like life’s f**king you in the arse?”, before a later admission that the band have never had a good gig in Manchester marks a strange rapport with the crowd who look bemused as the band sound tight.

For a group that has major label backing and have supported the likes of Feeder and Florence and the Machine, Morning Parade are a clean cut almost imageless set of mates that seem keen just to get on with the music.

Besides all this however, the band continue to power through with their set that rings of everything from My Chemical Romance’s catchy emo-rock and Angels and Airwaves’ big sounding symphonic indie.

Described as a band that are stadium rockers in the making by their supporters, a lot of their expansive tracks warrant that reputation and are in truth more suited to Wembley than a Mancunian cafe.

‘Speechless’ is a classic example of this with its heavy drum backing, soaring guitars and pretty piano that accompany Sparrow’s wide-eyed vocal that is more than up to the task as he brings the tempo down gently, singing: “I’m just speechless”.

And it’s not long before their second single, ‘A&E’, kicks into action with its vibrant bouncing guitar and familiarly atmospheric electronic background yearnings and a vocalist who at his best sounds like Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins.

But if anything this continuous use of keyboards, electronic organ chords and bleeps and beeps does make defining tracks individually harder and blends the set more than you might like as it goes on.

One black sheep in the set that signifies the stranger grating tendencies on the part of the group then follows in the form of ‘Your Majesty’.

Shadowed by an odd-sounding organ based dancy backing which sounds like something from an 80’s horror film or Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is added to by an uncharacteristic ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ guitar riff during the chorus that on the whole is hard on the ears.

‘Carousel’ then swiftly follows in emphasising Morning Parade-based frustration with dubbed in electronic claps and yet more random additions of feedback and electro sound effects over what is essentially a good guitar-centred track.

Before signing off with the slightly less electronic ‘Born Alone’ the self deprecating Sparrow says: “We’ll make sure we’ll be better for you next time,” which if anything ends the night on a low after what was for the most part a good gig.

And on the whole it’s not difficult to see why Morning Parade are being tipped for the top as they clearly have some fantastic mixed influences and ingredients, none more so than Sparrow’s standout live vocal.

But at points the overuse of echoed electronics make what could be great tracks become too layered and unnecessarily complex when Sparrow and those gleaming guitars are calling out to be centre stage.

Also published on www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/morning-parade-at-night-day/

The Answering Machine Lifeline Interview

IN DEPTH: The Answering Machine open up to Jonathan Brown

AFTER being hotly tipped as one of Manchester and the UK’s next big things following the release of their 2009 debut album, ‘Another City, Another Sorry’, punk-pop foursome The Answering Machine have gone all DIY on us.

On meeting the eclectic collective in a chic Manchester bar, just days before the release of their anthemic follow-up, ‘Lifeline’, the one time buzz band, led by singer Martin Colclough, finally take time out from personally posting out band-made EPs and t-shirts.

Self- penned, produced and promoted, this record is a far cry from the heady heights of their A-list duets with the likes of Tim Burgess and cross-continental acclaim, as the band look back on successfully rejuvenating their sound.

Sipping up unassumingly to a backdrop of bare brick walls, cosmopolitan accents and rusty garden furniture, the wide-eyed enthusiasm of the group spills out in conversation over Thom Yorke, free vimtos and aborigine rock.

So how did the idea for Martin to produce the album come about?

Martin Colclough (singer): We were making a list of our dream producers just over there in this bar with our old manager and it was just kind of a dream list. Dave Eringa was top, who produced the first album, and other big producers were on the list and then we just added my name on the bottom. From that over the next couple of days we all individually just thought ‘why not all do it ourselves? We’ve got the equipment to do it’ and it didn’t seem that harder task in the end and it was the best thing we did, it really was.

Pat Fogarty (guitar): The whole idea of self production was that we all know the music better than anyone. Although they were all very diverse songs it brought a real linear structure and made them sound like they were part of the same record.

Gemma Evans (bass): It’s very hard to talk about creative stuff in terms of sound and getting the right words to describe them, so when you’re doing it yourself you can just do it without having to go and tell the producers what you want and them not quite understanding. When you’re doing it yourself you know exactly what you want and you can just do it.

Ben Perry (drummer): Although there was a dance class above our room so we did have to time our sessions right.

So how much more personal to you than ‘Another City, Another Sorry’ is this album, what can we expect?

M: With respect to the first album, we were very proud of it and what Dave (Eringa) brought to it as well. There’s a track called ‘Rules’ on this one which was literally the demo that was made way back. It was a really raw demo and we just kept that idea for the final thing, so that kind of feels personal to us because the listener hears it the way we first heard it, without it being put through this kind of gloss machine to become all top 40-ish.

P: We want people to listen to it and turn and say actually they’ve taken the time to think intelligently and creatively grow to sound different to their first record. They’ve not just churned out another bunch of songs that were like that punk-pop style that we had at the beginning.

Where did you write ‘Lifeline’?

P: Initially we started writing it over here and then we went to New York and Martin was in his element writing over there and came up with a couple of songs. We also wrote in Japan.

M: I think we’re quite good at getting little ideas from here and there but then we’re not really good at finishing tracks on the road so then we’ll bring them back. We work on best when we’re just locked away.

So how would you describe the way that ‘Lifeline’ sounds?

G: The way I always describe it is mature sounding. We were 20 when we wrote a lot of the songs in the first album and we’re all around 25, 26 now and we were obviously going to mature in that time.

M: I think it’s because we changed the dynamic of things. We found our live show especially was all on one level and it was in fifth gear all the time. I think if you bring some of those mellower moments into the set and into the album and it makes the bigger parts seem bigger and the smaller parts seem smaller.

What would you say to people who might suggest that you’ve changed your style?

P: At the end of the day some people are always going to want us to be that band who did ‘Oklahoma’ but obviously that’s not fulfilling for us. I mean we’ve got such eclectic, varied music tastes as it is, the four of us just wanted to represent that on this record and yes it might alienate some people but it might bring some people who had written us off at the beginning back to us. It might even turn new people on to us.

Was that style change a conscious decision?

B: I think at the bottom of it all, the songs have all got a definite pop sensibility to them like the first album, they’ve got a melody that shines through a lot more. It feels like we’ve used what we’ve got but stretched it wider.

P: With a tune like the title track, ‘Lifeline’, arguably it’s more catchier than ‘Oklahoma’, it’s poppier, it’s groovier.

M: Your references and your inspirations change over time and it seems silly for us to try and use the references that we were using way back in 2005 still now when they don’t really relate to us as much any more.

CHANGE: The Answering Machine embrace mature new sound

As far as commercial success and charting singles go, do you feel under pressure deliver sales?

M: I don’t think we’re driven by that kind of success, I don’t think we’re driven by commercial success as such, we just want the right kind of people to enjoy us, a credibility I guess, that’s all we strive for really. Although we don’t really sound like them, that Elbow kind of model, they’re never putting out pop songs as such, they’re just sticking to their guns and musically they’re very talented and hard-working, we’d like to think of ourselves as a younger versions of that maybe like scrapping away and someday will say “Yeah I get it now”.

How did this DIY attitude come about?

M: We used to think that the answer was money but I’d like to think that if we started over again as a band now and we got offered a major label deal we wouldn’t be so taken in by it. I mean I know it’s controversial about what Thom Yorke said about the record industry collapsing on itself within a matter of months but I guess we kind of agree in a way. Anyone can announce an album release on their own and sell stuff on their own website. So who needs a big labels to manufacture CDs and pay for adverts on the radio and this that and the other. We’ve kind of done it on a small scale on our new album with the new EPs and t-shirts that we’ve sold on our website. The majority of people still haven’t come around to this but at some point they will think ‘well the band that I love are actually making this for me directly. Why would I want some anonymous company on the high street to give it me in a little shitty plastic case, when the band can give it me themselves for cheaper.’

How would you compare your first two albums then?

G: ‘Another City’ was a snapshot of our lives at that age without a doubt and I think this is a snapshot of our lives as well. We’ve pushed ourselves more on this record.

P: I suppose in 30 years time we might look back and say which we prefer but we’ve played ‘Another City’ for the last five years pretty much. There’s no point in doing an album just like the last one so this time we brought instruments in that we haven’t used before, next time it could have other electronic influences and go down that route you never know.

(Interrupting and laughing) M: Operatic? or aborigine?

Do you get much support from other bands?

M: Manchester bands kind of stick with one another a lot of the time. Leo from Young British Artists works here actually, we chat about what we’re up to and what they’re up to. He even gave Ben a free Vimto. We’ve just got each others backs really.

What’s your stance on continually being compared to the Wombats, does it bother you?

P: It’s fair to say they used what they had more to their advantage than we did, we were quite humble and happy with what we had whereas we didn’t really see the money making side. I guess their record label saw that their ‘kookiness’ will help them sell more records, that’s no fault of theirs. But I suppose it is upsetting to see that maybe some of their fans could also be our fans but they don’t get the chance to hear us or they’re using up our budget as a label as well I don’t know but we’re not bitter about it at all. But again there’s a weird thing where, I use the example of Bombay Bicycle Club as it’s the first that springs to mind, we did shows with them here and there and we were like the fourth support band that no one had heard of and then we went to Japan and we were like on the same level. You live in a bubble a bit in the UK.

G: I definitely don’t want to be in the Wombats though.

How would you describe The Answering Machine journey so far?

G: It’s kind of like a story of survival.

M: The bands that we listened to, to start this band, were Shout Out Louds and The Radio Dept. and if you go back four years when we were doing interviews we were like giddy kids talking about these people. Now we can look back and say we’ve played a ton of shows with Shout Out Louds and we’re about to play a show with The Radio Dept. in Manchester. It’s a dream come true I guess.

The Answering Machine’s second album ‘Lifeline’ is released on Heist or Hit Records on February 21^st.

Also published on www.virgin.com

http://www.virgin.com/music/interviews/the-answering-machine-lifeline-interview/

Was Davies a Missed Opportunity?

AFTER an impressive second debut for Stockton-born Andrew Davies against Millwall last week, it does make you wonder where that dominance at centre-half was during his first spell on Teeside.

To be fair it’s probably too early to judge Davies’ ability since his return to the club where he started his career, but the defender’s mature performance at The Den makes you question whether letting him leave in the first place was the right decision.

Several home grown Middlesbrough players have reportedly not made the standard at the club before going on to prove former Boro bosses Gareth Southgate and Steve McClaren in particular wrong.

Youngsters including James Morrison, Chris Brunt and Danny Graham have been shipped out after not impressing Boro gaffers before going on to make serious names for themselves at other clubs.

Morrison, who left for West Bromwich Albion in 2007 for an initial £1.5million, has gone from strength to strength since Southgate let him go, becoming a regular in the Scottish national team and playing week in, week out in the Premier League.

His West Brom teammate, Chris Brunt, never made a first team appearance for Boro but after dropping down to League One with Sheffield Wednesday in 2004, he has since lit up the Premier League.

Watford’s Danny Graham also failed to make the grade, leaving for Carlisle United in 2007 after a series of lower league loan spells from Boro, but the forward has since silenced the doubters as the current top scorer in the Championship.

Bringing any of those three in particular back to the Riverside would put a smile on even the most disillusioned Reds fan’s face but unfortunately their success elsewhere, combined with Boro’s poor financial state, renders it all but impossible.

In a strange turn it could be argued that those players, once deemed not good enough for Middlesbrough, are at present out of their financial league.

Obviously there have been tens of local youngsters who have gone and proved the Boro hierarchy right in letting them go but still it seems that more and more players are slipping through the net, something the club can ill afford to do at present.

The loan signing of Davies however could be one that rejuvenates both the fortunes of the club and those of the player, who has seen his stock decrease massively during a three year career nose dive of loan moves and reserve team football.

Having spent the most successful years of his career at Boro, Davies managed to win his only England U21 cap in 2007 but within a year his move to Stoke City from Southampton had turned sour.

The 26-year-old, who spent ten years with the club before his 2008 transfer to Southampton, wasn’t even included in Tony Pulis’ 25 man squad in January, making him ineligible to play for the club for the rest of the season.

So the strong centre-back’s return could well be his chance to prove to the Boro faithful that Southgate’s decision to let him leave was the wrong one and that he can be one of the few exiled youth players to come good back at Boro.

Aged just 23 at the time, Davies had arguably not reached his full potential by the time of his departure whereas Graham was 21, Morrison was only 20 and Brunt was just 19 when he left the Riverside.

Despite this, Southgate and McClaren were managing Premier League teams when they let these players go and as much as fans have welcomed Davies’ return, not many were bemoaning selling him in 2008.

More patience in these cases where relatively unproven youngsters, who had not yet hit the heights as first team starters, could well have sprung more Adam Johnson-style success stories.

And if anything these past examples, whether Davies proves a success or not, should mean that judging players who are given those first team opportunities early on should be done with caution.

However for Davies at least a string of positive results, continuing against QPR on Saturday, could well start to bring around those who supported his departure.

And a more understanding view on the Boro youth should make that list of missed opportunities in the future a non-issue.

Also published on www.oneboro.co.uk

http://oneboro.co.uk/was-davies-another-missed-opportunity-24-02-2011-352.html

Answering the Hero Worship Call

MATURE: Manchester band are looking forward with 'Lifeline'

AS self-proclaimed “giddy kids” upon their 2006 conception, Mancunian indie-pop four-piece The Answering Machine have embarked on gigs in Japan, America and headlined UK tours but for now they’re looking closer to home for their kicks.

On meeting the former University of Manchester students in the cool, vintage-looking Common, in the city’s Northern Quarter, there’s a definite sense of self assurance on the eve of the release of their second album ‘Lifeline’.

A band from humble beginnings, who fit right into the bare brick, cosmopolitan backdrop with instruments in hand, fresh from practice at a nearby rehearsal studio, they still carry that approachable image from their early days.

Initially started by lead singer Martin Colclough and guitarist Pat Fogarty, the group soon took shape with the addition of bassist Gemma Evans and a battered drum machine nicknamed ‘Mustafa Beats’ five years ago.

Before long the skinny jean-clad, indie trio were being tipped for big things, yet only after being courted and dropped by a major record label before ever signing up did they finally hook up with DIY specialists, Heist or Hit Records.

Martin explains: “We didn’t have the drive to be like this self sufficient indie band, it was more a case of wanting to be successful and we thought the answer was a label giving you money and buying you the tour you need and all this.

“We understand now it’s a lot more about hard work but I guess it taught us a lesson, it’s a self fulfilling prophecy, if you want a sold out show in Manchester you have to work hard for it.”

The group, who self-produce their work, also self-promote and even are integral to the running of their London-based label.

Mustafa was soon binned under Heist’s tutorship and drummer Ben Perry filled the gap that the electronic enigma had left, before the band finally released their debut album, ‘Another City, Another Sorry’.

Sat crowded round a small coffee table, the group remain fully aware of the pitfalls that come with the kind of hype that they received.

Timid drummer Ben continues: “The first album’s definitely something to be proud of but it’s mad when you see bands come through and get the hype that we did, get loads of support from the media and then the next minute they’ve split.”

Pat weighs in: “It’s weird to think when we’ve got friends on major labels, the whole expectation of what you are basically all of a sudden is not about writing the best pop or whatever.

“It becomes about how many gigs you sell out, how many units you’ve shipped and if you chart.”

And it wasn’t long before the music press began to categorise and pigeon hole the foursome as Wombats-esque, although they actually started out at much the same time, something which doesn’t seem to sit terribly well with the group.

LIFELINE: Second album now released

“It’s fair to say that they used what they had more to their advantage than we did, we were quite humble and happy with what we had whereas we didn’t really see the money making side,” Pat explains.

“I suppose it is upsetting to see that maybe some of their fans could also be our fans but they might not get the chance to hear us, but we’re not bitter at all as it’s no fault of their own.”

Charmingly down to earth, the group let the conversation flow and jump in whenever they feel the urge. These aren’t giddy kids anymore that’s for sure, as they settle into conversation about ‘Lifeline’, which was launched at The Deaf Institute last week.

Self-penned and produced, the 11 track ‘Lifeline’ album is an upbeat collection of mellow indie-pop anthems which the band claim is much more personal to them than its predecessor.

Slurping his drink through a straw, outspoken Pat adds: “There was no point in doing an album just like the last one, so this time we brought instruments in that we haven’t used before.

“Next time it could have other electronic influences or we could go down another route,” before Martin interrupts, laughing: “Operatic? or aborigine?”

Now it remains to be seen whether aborigine indie-pop takes off but there is a certain optimism about the band and their new album, particularly as Mustafa Beats has made a cameo appearance from beyond the bin.

Gemma explains: “The way I always describe it is mature sounding. We were 20 when we wrote a lot of the songs in the first album and we’re all around 25/ 26 now.”

Yet despite having supported bands like The Manic Street Preachers, The Rumble Strips and Tokyo Police Club as well as having played with their Mancunian friends The Charlatans, the grounded four-piece still get star struck.

“For me when we toured with the Manics, James Dean Bradfield didn’t really make me star struck like you might expect but Nicky Wise just had this thing about him,” Gemma grinningly reminisces.

“I mean I didn’t even grow up as a big Manics fan but even I was like ‘Yeah that’s pretty cool’.”

In fact The Answering Machine have also become synonymous with video game, FIFA 10, after their song ‘It’s Over! It’s Over! It’s Over!’ featured on the game’s soundtrack, but that is no measure of success for the group.

Martin adds: “I don’t think we’re driven by commercial success as such, we just want the right kind of people to enjoy us, a credibility I guess, that’s all we strive for really.”

Slurping up the dregs of their assorted drinks, everything from a rock and roll mid-afternoon beer to a less so vimto, the eclectic collective have little in the way of a master plan. If anything it’s more of a dream lifestyle that they aspire to.

“We do enjoy going on tour and stuff but that’s not what drives you, it’s all about writing that sound or writing that album,” Martin explains.

“Once we’ve put together ‘Lifeline’ it justifies that lifestyle and that travel around Europe and all that, but that’s another dream.”

The Answering Machine’s second album, ‘Lifeline’, is released on February 21^st before they play at Manchester’s Sound Control on March 24^th.

Also published on www.thenatter.co.uk.

http://www.thenatter.co.uk/2011/02/answering-the-hero-worship-call/