Sunday 6 October 2013

World Of Twist / Interview by Terry Christian / MEN 1990

Manchester Evening News - Friday April 6 1990

From "The WORD is Terry Christian" page

World Of Twist turn up trumps


IT'S not often I listen to the radio and hear something and immediately jump up and say, "I want that record". That's exactly what happened thought when I was listening to Steve Toon's show on KFM and he played The Storm by Stockport band World Of Twist.

I'd heard of World Of Twist. In Manchester any band who are a bit different and better than average usually start to get noticed, especially nowdays.

World Of Twist though are outsiders in the game of musical politics in this city. The real buzz started back in January when they sent tapes of their most recent recordings to several record companies, only to find that a low key under-publicised gig at Isadora's on a cold midweek evening had turned into a London A and R man convention, with representatives from Phonogram, London and Polydor records watching as the most fun Manchester band since Freddie and The Dreamers did their bit on stage.

Cheek


World Of Twist have got a sense of cheek and belief in giving an audience a good time, as Cheadle Hulme-born vocalist Tony Ogden explained modestly over a pint of lager.

"A lot of bands just go on stage strum a few chords and stare at their shoes, we kind of jump out at people and get them looking at our shoes. To be honest with you, everyone in Manchester is raving about the Storm track on our demo-tape. When we finished it I didn't like it, I thought it sounded too much like the band playing live."

"Ideally I'd like us to make brilliantly original records in the studio and play exciting fun gigs, but I'd like the band to sound completely different in the studio to how we sound live, but be better for it."

"I mean we have been talking to a lot of record companies, and we want them to spend lots of money on us, but not so we can go and live in Beverley Hills or Prestbury, just so we can buy all the effects we want for our stage shows."

"I mean really we'd even like to design our own shoes or like get an Italian cobbler in as a third band member as a kind of artistic director, a bit like The Velvet Underground used Andy Warhol."

Tony and guitarist Gordon King first met over 10 years ago when they were at Stockport College together, two kids out of sorts with what was going on and spending their spare time bopping to old Sixties soul in their Timpson specials.

Completing the World Of Twist line-up are Adge on programming and Andy Hobson on the 101.

Not quite drum bass and guitar, but World Of Twist use new technology in the way early blues men used an electric guitar. They are searching for new sounds and as time goes on they are going to startle the pop world out of its near terminal slumber.

Recent live shows at Konspiracy and The Hacienda have earned the band a lot of new friends, especially their frenetic stage shows with slides and mechanical spinning heads.

As Tony explained while rubbing a drop of spilt beer from his left shoe, "It's more important that we put on a show than play a gig. I mean we are not a dance band in so far as we don't play house or hip hop, so we aren't really going to get records played in the clubs. The only way we can win a big audience is to play really memorable concerts and so far I think our live shows have been weird, but not weird enough."

Depression


World Of Twist are the antithesis of the late Seventies early Eighties image of Manchester's music scene revolving around depression and overcoats.

The track, The Storm, is due to appear on a compilation album of Manchester bands called Home, put together by Steve Horsfall of Revenge and due for release on April 23. The buzz is out and though the band refuse to mention any of the posse of record companies pursuing their signature, they are now confident that the next move for the group will be a signing to a major label.

But what happens when you're signed up, become rich and famous and then everyone stops buying your records?

Lead vocalist Tony smirks, "I'd like to tour all those chicken in a basket venues playing our greatest hits." Now that is pure rock and roll, from the top of his scatty head to the soles of his worn out shoes.


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