It's a cold wet Saturday night, we're stood outside the Mixing Tin so we can hear ourselves think, and I'm talking to Tom Summerfield and Glenn Pearson from Sound Club who have just finished an amazing set, in support of Tom Hingley.The townie revellers stagger down the high street, looking on in wonder at what we are doing, and trying to squintily eye the people in front of me to see if they're famous. If they had bothered to ask, I'd say "not yet, but I think they just might be".
You guys state that you're a Leeds/Manchester band, does that mean you're from somewhere in the middle? Where exactly are your roots?
GP: MANCHESTER!
TS: Well there's five of us in the band, and four of us are from around Manchester. Three of us are all bezzie mates from Oldham, and we met the other two at Uni, and one of them happens to be from Stockport.
GP: Yeah, it's four against one! [laughs]
TS: I think it's because we started doing our gigs in Leeds, I think people look upon us a kinda a Leeds band.
GP: We're based in Leeds, but we're from Manchester.
So in the great Northern divide, which city is best, Manchester or Leeds?
GP: That's easy, it's Manchester!
TS: Although, I do have to say, it's a good time to be in Leeds.
GP: It's got to be Manchester because... [long pause] ... it houses Salford, the home of John Sheridan the Oldham manager.
Don't talk to me about football, I'm a Leeds fan.
TS: Oh, no! Well we did do a song for you - 'Don't Let Them Bring You Down'.
GP: I once saw Norman Hunter on holiday, and he had like one of the specials in this restaurant, it was a fish, a big fuck off fish! He ate it all!
So how did Sound Club come about, and how long have you been together?
GP: It came about from me, Tom and John. Tom and John were kinda in half a band.
TS: Yeah, but we weren't really doing any gigs or 'owt, we were just sort of bumming along. We were having regular band practices and that with some of the lads, but never really got anywhere. Then we were just smoking weed in your garden weren't we, looking at the moon.
GP: Yeah it was a really nice moon, which is where the quote "Look at that moon Tom! That is a cracking moon" came from. [laughs]
TS: Well it was a cracking moon. To be even fairer, it was a top class ten out of ten moon, and it all came about from there. Then we picked up a bassist, and drummers are ten a penny.
GP: It was like a little jigsaw and with meeting people at Uni it all kind of just came together really and then at the end of the second year we got Al our bassist and he was friends with Ste Drum, so then we had a drummer.
So do you each have your own defined roles in the band, other than playing your instruments?
GP: Yeah, I'm the best one! [laughs] Tom is like the Dad.
TS: Yeah, I'm the one who gets it all fucking sorted.
GP: Tom just tells us all what to do and then we just do it.
TS: He writes all the songs though. For every ten he writes, I write one. That's how it works.
GP: So I can have ten houses now and he can just have the one.
So what would you say has been the highest point of achievement for your band so far?
GP: Good Question! [grins]
TS: We've just been in Sound Works and recorded three tracks, which is fairly fucking major. Some sugar daddy that we've never even met, some millionaire in Cheshire has paid for it all because he thinks we're good.
Anything in return?
TS: Well I think he sees us as an investment.
GP: Yeah but there's nothing like that in writing! [laughs]
TS: Other achievements I suppose would be the fact that Clint Boon likes us and Mark Radcliffe likes us. Well this millionaire in Cheshire is actually mates with Mark Radcliffe.
GP: Lets have it right, he's a multi millionaire!
So how did you bag the Tom Hingley gig?
TS: I'm mates with Jack the promoter, but we're getting to the stage now where we're starting to play larger gigs than playing to four people in what was the old Vine.
So what does it feel like to open up for someone who is classed as a Manchester legend?
TS: It's fucking quality is that. To be honest, to date this is probably our most prestigious gig in terms of supporting Tom Hingley and the Lovers is a big fucking deal to me, and we wanted to be right on the money tonight. It's like ReDiffusion who are playing tonight, they're a lot like Primal Scream and I know he really likes them. I quite like 'em but we're gradually working our way through The Inspiral Carpets. We're missing the bald bassist though as we've had something to do with all the rest of them.[laughs]
What do you think to the music that's coming out of Leeds and Manchester at the moment?
TS: It annoys me that there are so many bands around at the moment, and I know that we're gonna say that our band is the best band in the world and all that bollocks, but we genuinely don't think we've done a gig with a band that could really challenge us. We did a gig with The Children here, and they are a good outfit, but I just think that there's so much shit around, it really pisses me off!
GP: It's like today, we watched MTV2 and it seems acceptable to be a bit shit, do you know what I mean by that? It's all weak music, that's how I'd describe it.
TS: It's just forgettable.
GP: There's nothing that's massive, but we're the people to be that though. I don't mean massive as in giants, but I do mean sound and music wise. We want people to hear us on the radio or something and say fucking hell they're massive.
So is that your entire thoughts on the indie scene at the moment?
TS: There are some good bands about, but they're few and far between.
GP: There's not much out there with any bollocks to it.
TS: Yeah its all about if they've got the right fucking shoes and their jeans are tight enough.
TS: I was on the Leeds Music Scene forum the other day on me computer.
GP: Tom were you on t'internet?
TS: Yes, I was looking at some threads like favourite bands in Britain at the moment, and someone had posted a reply saying, Razorlight, Snow Patrol and Keane and I thought, I wanna meet this guy, because he needs sitting down. [laughs] There were a couple of people saying "No, you're wrong".
GP: We saw Razorlight support Ashcroft not so long ago, and they are rubbish. I really can't sum it up any other way than to say it must be fashionable to be a bit shit. Not shit as in trying to be shit, but it's like minimalist music. It's just forgettable that's all it is.
So inspirationally, on a personal level, what is it you look for in the music that you want to produce?
GP: Just big massive bollocks! [laughs] Swaying ones!
TS: I've given up trying to find something good to cling on to band wise, so we need to be the ones who stop people and say, hang on a minute these guys are really fucking good with music that speaks for itself. I couldn't think of a band I'd like to go see more at the moment than Black rebel Motorcycle Club. They're dirty rock and roll!
Couple of readers questions for you now!
TS: Ooh readers questions! [grins]
What was the last dream you had and what happened in it? (from Gemma)
GP: Awe... I had a well good dream! I told my mate this morning. [laughs]
TS: Can I just say at this point, that GP is unavailable! He's got a bird, however I'm free! [laughs]
GP: I've got a book about dreams and stuff because I always have mental, mental dreams! We went out last night to the Cockpit and I woke up at like 8am and I thought fuck this I'll go back to bed for a bit, and I was in like a queue to get on a bus and this guy wouldn't let me get on and he looked a bit weird, like with a funny cap on and stuff. So I'm there shouting "let me on! let me on!" and everyone was in the queue for the bus saying "ooh don't bother him". But I shoved him and this guy turned round and shouted "This is our area! This is our area! Get back! Get back!", so my bird who was in the dream with me was telling him to leave me alone, and then he ran past me and pushed another bus over and it smashed all the windows. And then he ran into a mental institution and started screaming "This is our area so get out!" and then I just started laughing and that's when I woke up.
TS: You see I had a well decent dream, but it doesn't even hold a candle to that! It was about Oldham Athletic.
GP: Alex is a massive Man City fan and he had a dream that he was watching City and Joey Barton scored, none of the crowd cheered and Barton ran up into the stadium and shook his agents hand and then went home! [laughs]
Next readers question is from Dave: What is your favourite word in the English language?
GP: Ooh good one!
TS: Mine is Tom!
GP: That's not a word, it's a name.
TS: It is in my dictionary mate! Does it have to qualify for a scrabble word?
GP: Monumental would be mine.
TS: I'll stick with Tom!
GP: Fucking hell! What a dickhead. People are gonna read this and think he is a right cunt him. [laughs]
TS: I can't think of any others! Ok then, how about mint or grass.
With those pearls of wisdom, and now a little bit damp, we head back into the Mixing Tin to drink, drink and be merry and see if we can get some cheese down GP to enhance his wonderful dreams.
