In late 2019, the wonderful Barmcake magazine - Northern entertainment for the middle-aged - published a feature on The Distractions, including an interview with Mike Finney. With huge thanks to Barmcake, we are pleased to publish the piece in three parts. Here's the first.
'We wanted to break
moulds, but were not sure
which moulds to break'
Signed by Island, praised by Pete Shelley and Mark E Smith, The Distractions could have become one of Manchester's biggest bands. Singer Mike Finney talks about their seventies heyday and plans for the future
"One of the greatest, but least heralded, of all Manchester beat groups" is how The Distractions' own website describes the band. It's a fair summary.
When people look back at the city's late 70s music scene, The Distractions appear to have been pushed out by the 'big three' of that time - Buzzcocks, Joy Division, The Fall - and related to passing references.
But the inkies (Sounds, NME) raved about them, comparing them to Buzzcocks and The Undertones. Paul Morley and David Quantick were among their fans; Quantick said Mike "looked like a bookie's clerk and sang like R. Dean Taylor or some other blue-eyed soul god". The band signed to Factory then Island in 1979 around the same time as the latter snapped up U2.
The Distractions were founded in 1975 by Stockport College pals Mike Finney and Steve Perrin and split in 1981 after five star reviews of their first album but poor sales. They have reformed and recorded sporadically over the years and started playing live again more regularly, following a memorial gig for Manchester punk legend Jon The Postman in 2015.
The band now feature Mike and Alex Sidebottom from the classic line-up, with new members Joe Brehony, Chris Dutton and Jonny Poole. They plan to release new songs in the New Year. Meanwhile, The Distractions' first LP, Nobody's Perfect, will be re-released next year in time for its 40th anniversary. It will have at least 18* additional tracks and at least 14 additional remixes.
* the reissue has 20 bonus tracks as well as the 14 album remixes
When people look back at the city's late 70s music scene, The Distractions appear to have been pushed out by the 'big three' of that time - Buzzcocks, Joy Division, The Fall - and related to passing references.
But the inkies (Sounds, NME) raved about them, comparing them to Buzzcocks and The Undertones. Paul Morley and David Quantick were among their fans; Quantick said Mike "looked like a bookie's clerk and sang like R. Dean Taylor or some other blue-eyed soul god". The band signed to Factory then Island in 1979 around the same time as the latter snapped up U2.
The Distractions were founded in 1975 by Stockport College pals Mike Finney and Steve Perrin and split in 1981 after five star reviews of their first album but poor sales. They have reformed and recorded sporadically over the years and started playing live again more regularly, following a memorial gig for Manchester punk legend Jon The Postman in 2015.
The band now feature Mike and Alex Sidebottom from the classic line-up, with new members Joe Brehony, Chris Dutton and Jonny Poole. They plan to release new songs in the New Year. Meanwhile, The Distractions' first LP, Nobody's Perfect, will be re-released next year in time for its 40th anniversary. It will have at least 18* additional tracks and at least 14 additional remixes.
(C) Barmcake, 2019.
* the reissue has 20 bonus tracks as well as the 14 album remixes
No comments:
Post a Comment