Sounds Of The City

THE COLD War era Manchester City Council slogan that inspired their name has long since disappeared, but as producer and synth-maestro Phil Kay tells me, Working For A Nuclear Free City won’t be going the same way.

“A lot of the good bands we’ve supported, like Fujiya & Miyagi, were in their thirties before making any impact. That’s taught us to be persistent, ‘cause the end of the day we don’t mind waiting. We’re in this for the long haul.”

And such perseverance seems to be paying off. Recently striking up a deal with American label Deaf, Dumb and Blind, Phil sees this as something of a second chance: “People in the US are already showing a lot of interest, which is good for us. We’ve not made a great impact in the UK, so now we’re looking to get a decent fan base over there.”

Should the band succeed in their American Dream, the US’s gain will be our loss. As Phil reels off the band’s formative influences: “Nas, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Public Enemy, Primal Scream, Chemical Brothers, Roni Size, Portishead, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, Pavement, Pixies…” it’s no wonder that their original impetus to make music, or as Phil puts it, a “desire to create something original and different on record” is what keeps the band going today.

So as for a follow up to their eclectic eponymous debut? A second album may be on the way, but Phil cannot be sure when: “We write and record in such a weird sporadic way, there's no real way of knowing how long it will take. Our method of writing is so labour intensive that rushing out an album would be too difficult. We're still experimenting with the whole thing, so anything’s possible.”

Ian Pennington