1913They Can Move On
As I sit with three quarters of Manchester's 1913 in the Northern Quarter of the city it is typically pouring down with rain on a surprisingly quiet Saturday afternoon. Their lead singer, Ian Lawton, is apologetically quiet at the hands of a cold / hangover, so it is left to their guitarist Joe Wilson and drummer Lee Thompson to fill me in on what they have encountered so far in their short time together.
Prior to forming, Joe and Lee played with The Cardinals, whilst Ian and Laurence (the band's bassist) played with Frame Of Mind. Both were rival bands on the local unsigned scene, and despite slight success, they eventually ran their courses around the same time as one another, after which Joe and Ian became drinking mates. From this, a jamming session was organised a few months later, which Joe openly admits only occurred because they 'had nothing else to do', and that they did so with no intentions of forming a new band.
Nevertheless, something clicked, and past differences were overshadowed by the excitement they all felt when they played as their new line up. 'That first session was great', reminisces Lee. 'I came away from it thinking something might happen; there was something there. I was buzzed up again and ready to get on with it.'
With their passion for making music rejuvenated, they continued to play together before securing a management deal, which led to some recording time with producers Jim Spencer and Dave Tolan soon afterwards. Shortly after this, they released their limited edition debut single on 7" vinyl - the double A-side 'Can't Move On'/'Roll into You' - complete with a fold out Ouija board as artwork, which was inspired by their band name being dictated whilst drunkenly playing around with the real thing in the studio.
The launch party for the single took place in late September at Cloud 23 - the high rise bar of Manchester's Hilton hotel - and could've easily doubled its capacity had it been allowed to. 'We lost some friends through that gig', Joe jokes of the demand to get inside. On hearing of the high profile venue for the launch, I had assumed that this would've been conceived by their management, but they inform me it was in actually their idea, and was organised by them too. 'We just wanted to do it, so we asked them, and they said 'Yeah'', explains Joe, making it sound very straightforward. 'It was a party for us to show where we were as a band at that time, and say 'Well done' to ourselves for getting this far', adds Lee.
Whilst the gig at the Hilton was for fun, their 'In The City' showcase at Manchester Club Academy a few weeks later was a serious chance to gain some interest from the industry, but through no fault of their own, things didn't go as planned. They were second on the night's bill with three other bands from the south of England. It was supposed to highlight their fast paced rise to prominence on the local scene, but sadly it saw their set being cut short, and understandably the band didn't take this lightly. In his typically matter-of-fact way, Joe explains that 'a jobsworth monitor engineer decided it was time for us to get off stage after two tunes. She took it upon herself to kick us off whilst we were on stage, so we kicked off on her.'
'The other bands on the bill were all on our management company', explains Lee further, 'but everyone there was there to see us. They'd put the night on mainly for us because the other bands were already signed.' The band managed to play one more track before the plug was pulled on their set, but the gig had been a disaster overall. Justifiably, the night left the band (as well as their devotees) disappointed, but they tell me that they refuse to let it hinder their plans of gaining industry interest and expanding their currently respectable fan base.
The band explain that they have had their fair share of set backs over the years, both as musicians, and their personal lives, and this is naturally reflected in their music. 'Some of our lyrics are pretty morbid', admits Joe, 'but that's real life', concludes Lee. 'It's a morbid time at the moment', he continues. 'I've just driven into town and there's no-one about. I mean, look at this -', and he taps his finger repeatedly on an article in the local paper reporting the current poor state of the economy. 'Could it get much worse?' To be sure the band aren't misrepresented, however, Joe adds 'Our songs do have an uplifting twist to them though. They might be morbid lyrics but they're not morbid songs', and on listening to them he is certainly right. Their fans can undoubtedly relate to the band's lyrics, and can simultaneously use the contrastingly upbeat sound which accompanies them as a means of escapism as much as the band does themselves.
Despite a few inevitable hurdles along the way, things currently seem to be going well for 1913. They continue to rehearse, and whilst no record contract has been signed to date, the band have independent backing to work on their debut album early next year, no matter what happens in the meantime. After previously spending time in bands which had both had a specific agenda with their music, the band which has formed from their ashes has a vastly more open minded approach. They declare that they wrote their current songs at a certain time in their lives, and their musical direction could easily change when they get round to recording seriously. They are currently excited by the current electronica sound led by of the likes of The Whip, Holy Fuck and Simian Mobile Disco, and whilst there is an element of this on their debut single, they wish to explore it further when they get to work on their album.
'We're totally open to ideas. We'll try anything', Joe concludes, as our interview comes to a close, and this is encouraging to hear. 'The sound of the first single was rushed because we'd only been in the band for six months, but this new stuff should go further down that line. We can write bigger and better singles'.
As we end our interview, I am left with the impression that 1913 have emerged from their previous bands as more confident musicians, yet they remain refreshingly humble, and if they are able to successfully meet their own personal expectations, then their forthcoming releases could prove to be very exciting. We go our separate ways and the rain still pours, but the outlook for the band's future looks very bright indeed.
Interview by Stuart Holmes
Photography by Steve Baker
www.myspace.com/1913official
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