'Alias Kid should be filling stadiums and don't even know it' Alan McGee
After an action packed year which included getting signed by Alan McGee's 359 label, XFM airplay, features in national magazines and brushes with the law, Alias Kid are shaping up nicely to be the new Bad Boys of Rock n Roll.
We travel on what must be the coldest Sunday of the new year to the north end of Manchester city centre and settle in a back area of Rochdale Road's Marble Arch boozer. The place is surprisingly packed with early afternoon diners, with a collection of young student types and 'joe normal' regulars. I have with me Scots born Sean O'Donnell and Maz Behdjet, and immediately salute the boys for taking the time to come and talk, considering the impending media frenzy that awaits the band...
There has been a buzz about Alias Kid for a while now on the strength of some lively gigs that have ended in chaotic stage invasions. They have worked up in Scotland's biggest recording studio, Gorbals Sound, owned by Teenage Fanclub drummer Paul Quinn who has recently joined the reformed Hurricane #1. There is also the release of their debut single, Dirty Soul, which delightfully sounds like the cheeky younger cousin of Primal Scream's Jailbird.
I'm eager to find out how they caught the attention the former Creation Label boss Alan McGee, and livewire Sean explains: "We were down in Notting Hill at a club night with ex-Oasis Bonehead who used to play a bit with us, and McGee gave us a gig down there. I got smashed and I can't remember much about it. Funnily enough our manager at the time actually said `Don't meet McGee', 'cos he knows what I'm like - he wanted McGee to help us out and didn't want me to spoil it. But anyway McGee messaged next day and said 'Top that last night, let's do it again'."
Prestwich based Maz adds "Yeah, McGee heard a few things about us and liked the sound of what we are about, he got wind of us setting fire to dressing room in Lewisham once when the promoter didn't pay us."
Those familiar with the 90's music scene will know that McGee doesn't mind getting his hands dirty managing difficult bands. The Scot is back managing the Jesus and Mary Chain, famously oversaw the early meteoric rise of Oasis and managed The Libertines back in the early Noughties when Pete Doherty was getting nicked every week for burglary and drug possessions galore.
In keeping with rock n roll tradition, Alias Kid are no strangers to run-ins with the long arm of the law themselves, and Whitefield lad Sean, in particular, has been involved in a couple of incidents, namely an arrest for high jinks after a gig in Amsterdam and also an incident whilst trying to access 10 Downing Street to throw eggs...
...Sean was with bass player, Colin, and the pair wanted to show their displeasure with those who run the country by egging the most famous front door in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately the caper ended in another trip, the nearest cop shop after being collared by some surly members of the Met guarding the area. They were lucky to be let off with cautions.
I was told of other tales, like causing chaos in France and in Liverpool as well. Of the Amsterdam arrest Sean recalls, "They fined me 450Euros and wouldn't let me out until I stumped up, I was ringing around asking various people to put fifty quid in my bank so I could get out. McGee was nowhere, he phoned me the next day and asked what happened, I told him and he just laughed and said `You'd have got shot in America' and put the phone down..."
Members of the band are still holding down jobs in Salford and Manchester and are poised to escape the shackles of the 9-5 grind. Sean works in a factory in Salford and tells me the band is his chance to escape.
Their style of music is what you would expect from a Manc Band or from an Alan McGee band more to the point. Guitars and melody. Influenced by their older peers Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Oasis. They will have their critics, no doubt, and they will be accused of rehashing old formulas. Who cares? And it shouldn't bother them. They flaunt every Rock n Roll cliché unashamedly. Make no mistake, they are proper Boys. Their record sleeves depict young glamorous models and the video for Dirty Soul must feature every attractive girl within the M60 playing instruments and partying with the band.
"I was brought up on music I listened to in my old man's car, nick nack paddywack music" songwriter Sean explains when asked about influences, adding that Oasis were the first proper band he got into... "It all started with Oasis for me in '94 when I was about 14 or 15 but even before that all I heard was kiddie music like 2 Unlimited. I didn't even like guitars then, the only reason I started liking them was 'cos they were City fans and I'm a big City fan myself. Then it was the Roses, Sex Pistols and Primal Scream."
Maz chips in; "The first album I had bought for me was Depeche Mode's Violator album, all my mates were about three or four years older than me which is quite a lot when you are a kid but they were all into Depeche Mode. I still like that album actually."
Alias Kid are now getting featured in lots of magazines and it's no secret that they initially built up a following mainly made up of football heads but now their appeal has spread wider. Paul Quinn was actually quoted as saying "Alias Kid are a band that the kids from the estates and the schemes can relate to".
I ask why?
"Well we went up to this big multi million pound studio in Scotland and we were all chilling out. There was the City game on against Liverpool and Sean was screaming at the tele" Maz explains "He broke the sound barrier in the green room, and the lads that worked there are all from the Gorbals, handy lads, Celtic boys, and they could see we weren't the usual arty farty types they get working in there...they actually said `We are gonna have fun working with these, football lads".
"It's not rocket science what we do mate, it's 4, 5, 3 chords and f****** bang let's 'ave it and let's have a party'" Sean adds.
Over the last ten or fifteen years the music scene has been bereft of a proper people's band, since the demise of McGee's most famous sons Oasis. If you are old enough to remember, it was the three day week misery and winters of discontent of the late '70s that created the Sex Pistols; Oasis were born out of the depressing early '90s recession Britain. Has the grey Con Dem austerity of recent years brought us Alias Kid?
Their gig at Oldham Street's Night and Day Café sold out weeks ago, the debut single Dirty Soul is about to be released, the album, Revolt to Revolt, is earmarked for a May release, and more dates will ensue. I for one want to be at the Party.
Dirty Soul can be pre-ordered on iTunes: http://geni.us/DirtySouliTunes
To see the video and get more info check out the band on Facebook aliaskid
Words by Graham Williamson
Photos by Asupremeshot link https://asupremeshot.squarespace.com
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