Twisted Wheel - a look back at 2009 (part two)

continuing with the second part of looking back at 2009

Twisted Wheel - a look back at 2009 (part one)

Its that time of year again, when we all sit back and reminisce, so here's my look back at the year of non stop touring and mayhem with the hardest working band - Twisted Wheel.....

Performing Rights Society name Twisted Wheel as second most hardest-working band of 2009

Yes, you've read the title right........ the Performing Rights Society have named Twisted Wheel as the second most hardest-working band of 2009! - beating X Factor's JLS too!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8432278.stm

Twisted Wheel add Liverpool to their 2010 Headline tour....

Twisted Wheel will be playing at the O2 Academy in Liverpool on  Saturday April 3rd - Tickets are on sale now  (priced at £7.50) on the following link:

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_northwest&query=detail&event=364026

Jane xx

Jonny Brown Interview with www.Cheb7.co.uk (19/11/09)

Twisted Wheel lead singer Jonny Brown took time before the gig (Ku Bar) to give an interview

A brief explanation about Twisted Wheel JB: Well me and rick our bass player were in a band called The Children, that was a band we were in because we just wanted to be in a band, you know when you’re kids. We just wanted to play music and after been in that band for 2 years, I started to write songs but the singer didn’t want to sing my songs, so I started doing me own gigs as an acoustic artists. I did about 4 on me own and thought “I’ll get rick on board” and I met this drummer lad I’ve known since I were a kid so we rehearsed 4 days in a row then turned up for an acoustic gig, it went mint so we thought we’d carry on, I said to my bass player “in 6 months we’ll get a record deal…..and we did do”. You seem to be the main character in the band was it always an interest to play the frontman? Music was always my niche I always wanted to do music I’d listen to it anywhere. When I was a kid I used to watch zeppelin videos, jam videos, oasis videos and that and I wanted to be a frontman. When I was younger I was just happy to be in a band, that was the first step, I didn’t wanna go out and go I’m in a band when I wasn’t the frontman, I was the bass player at first, then I went to guitar and started writing songs and built me way into it. My vision was to be a frontman and now I am. What about your musical interests? I wouldn’t class Manchester or the madchester scene as an influence but Oasis were because they were around when I started getting into music. My main inspirations are The Jam, The Clash and Sex Pistols, Stooges, Jimi Hendrix all these bands have energy and a power and I like bands with power, if you’re lucky enough to see one of these bands then they just captivate you straight away. Your ascent into mainstream was a pretty fast movement has it all gone to plan? I don’t think you can have a set plan. If you get a plan of how you want it to work out for you it never will, I never set a plan of our journey, whether we get signed or not or if I write a song that’s singable, you got to have something inside to want to play music. You have dreams and visions you’ll be playing in front of thousands of people, you might get a support slot with the happy Mondays or your favourite band, if you got those dreams in your head then you can do it, I’ve lived a lot of my dreams.

So it won’t be a case of too much to soon with the wheel then? Nah I don’t think it’s a case of going quick too soon, maybe we got signed too early…we had 10 songs and we got a major record deal. I don’t think it serves the right for someone to say “oh its happen too fast” you’ve earned the right for it to happen but if it all goes to pot you still believe and keep going and keep going. You always find your way. Having had Liam Gallagher and Paul Weller, your idols lavish praise on the band, does it add extra pressure? Its great people you look up to giving us praise but it’s not a burden but I’ve heard some people think that because Paul Weller has said this and that about you. It adds some pressure but at the end of the day if they said they like us it’s not because we are just there it’s because they realise the potential. If people say good things about us I’m buzzing my tits off. Does it to a certain extent pigeonhole the band? I think different writers try to pigeonhole us straight away as an arctic monkey’s wannabe band. I’ve got nothing against the arctic monkeys but we’re not like them. I’ve even said that to writers then they say I hate the arctic monkeys. Then some writers put I hear the Clash in this band, Jonny Cash, The Stones and that’s what I’m happy to hear because that’s what I listen to, but mostly it doesn’t matter to me because I’m still making music and we’ll see what sticks after I’m dead and gone, you are where you are. You’ve been classed as Lad Rock is that a perfect fit? We get called lad rock but there are more girls at our gigs. I just think people think we look like hooligans; I’m sat in Stockton wearing a hoody so I don’t get cold because I’m a shivering wreck. I’ve hung around with tramps on Camden, millionaire rock stars millionaire sons of people with fucking yachts its more where you are in your mind than what you wear. But some don’t judge you right, if you’ve got your hood up then you’re a thug. But I’m not into that I’m all for people getting on, I’m so far away from a hooligan. Let the music do the talking not my image.

I heard you were dropped by your record label Columbia, any reason behind the split? Yeah we weren’t dropped we just left the label because basically they don’t want to put the effort into us because they fear they aren’t the right label for us. What it is like a major record label they want to have bands to sell all the records first time around but we are a band working slowly, not selling records straight away but building a fanbase and getting airplay. We’re not a band that comes out for the moment and dies we are a band that is growing stronger every day. What feelings do you have towards the label? What you got to remember is a major record label has to put a lot of money into bands and some bands don’t bring in big money for them to get it all back. Because of the credit crunch no one buys rock and roll anymore. The sad thing is our fanbase is growing stronger, people are getting into us, we are in the best position we could be in, we’ve been given money to make a record, to go on tour, we’ve got fans and now we don’t owe anyone any fucking money, it’s worked out well. I think what we’re gonna do now is keep doing gigs and eventually demo new songs. We have enough money saved up from previous gigs to record songs, we’re gonna do an EP and release that in Jan/Feb with a song we recorded called tell the world. That’s going to be something for the fans just to tide them over, let them know we are still here until we make the next record but who knows when. If no one wants to sign us we will release it ourselves. It’s just about having it, if your selling out venues, putting on a show people are gonna come back for the next one. Can Twisted Wheel handle it on their own? Well it’s about been real, making more music and not giving up or going bigheaded. I think the way to carry on for us is to keep doing these live shows, about a year ago we played Brighton and Margate and there was about 6 – 15 people there, 2 months we played Brighton there was 200 people there pulling the barriers down, next time we play Brighton there will be 300-400 it’s a case of keeping it live. There is a million people who want to buy our record so we can keep doing these gigs without a label, you win when you’re a real band and have people interested.

What does 2010 have in store? 2010 will hold for us…another great album! And that’s going to be better than the first one. More gigs and maybe a new member of the band, a new musician who can play a bit of everything but that’s only a possibility. Will that bring a change of direction? Not really…only a natural change of direction, we still want to be punk rock and roll, none of this teeny girly crap. Following the separation of Oasis, do you have plans to fill the gap left by them? We have no plans to fill the void left by Oasis, it’s got nothing to do with us, they were oasis and that was their band that’s what’s great about them because there’s no one else like them. There are bands with the same working attitude wanting to take over but all good bands have that, its irrelevant to us what oasis has done now, all we care about is what we want to do. What about the high and low points of your career so far? Only lows we have are personal issues, lows that come from home, like we might have fallen out with our bird. What we don’t like is the little twats that can dominate you, dominate whether you get press or not and get in your way. We’re happy we get on with one other, we never have falling outs, if we do we laugh about it 2 hours later. Our Highs…walking on stage supporting Oasis at Heaton Park, supporting Happy Mondays, going to Japan having thousands of people singing all your songs throwing themselves around like puppets at your gig. Making a record and selling it, seeing people come and buy it, making these songs, meeting new people. It’s all good. http://www.cheb7.co.uk/review.htm

Twisted Wheel interview with The Real Estate (29th November 2009)

It is a Baltic steely grey-skied Glasgow Sunday. The Barrowlands is full of market stalls and grim-faced Sunday bargain shoppers lugging home carrier bags stuffed with various Christmas –related paraphernalia. But inside the Glaswegian venue is a spare threesome sitting in an empty room. It’s still definitely warmer, even without a working radiator. This is Twisted Wheel – the Oldham trio (Jonny Brown, Rick Lees and Adam Clarke) who bring their own heat. I am offered a comfy chair and they don’t moan too much when I ask the same old questions.

Of course, Twisted Wheel may never have been. Very easily. Tracing its real history, it probably started when Jonny used to follow Adam about at school. Jonny: ‘I knew he played drums as he had lessons in the mobile classrooms. In the terrapins.’

Adam: ‘Jonny was in Year 8 and I was in Year 11. The first time he approached me, he said: ‘Peace!’ and I thought he was just being smarmy. I thought: ‘Who the fuck’s this little bastard?’

‘I only did it a couple of times after that!’ adds Jonny.

Rik, Jonny and Adam all attended Saddleworth High School. I mention that there aren’t any bands I know of come out of Saddleworth.

‘No! Barclay James Harvest!’ cries Jonny.

What?

‘Barclay James Harvest – a folky prog rock band.’ OK, well now that’s established, it is obvious why they wanted to make a mark for themselves.

Adam: ‘Oldham is just a regular city. People just drink cider and spend money at Comet.’

Jonny: ‘I’ve been into music since I was four years old. When I was six, seven, I was watching videos of bands: Led Zeppelin, The Beatles. Then Oasis came out when I was ten. Before that, all the bands I’d liked were much older. For me, secondary school was just a place to find band members, not work.’

What was your recruiting line? ‘Do you like Led Zeppelin?’ Jonny did go through a few bands but nothing stuck. In 2002, at the Leeds Festival, Jonny bumped into Adam again. Between 2002 and 2007 they ‘talked’ about starting a band. Adam: ‘I think we did have a jam.’ Jonny and Rik joined a band called ‘The Children’, Adam was in a band from Leeds called ‘Gentleman’s Pistols’ – ‘a kind of Black Sabbath 70s rock band. But it got to the point where we were all sick of what we were doing.’ Jonny: ‘I was also doing acoustic songs on my own like ‘Strife’ as the rest of the band (The Children) didn’t want to do them.’ Finally, the three met up, had a couple of rehearsals, played their first gig (Adam: ‘Jonny was supposed to be doing an acoustic gig at The Late Rooms. But we turned up as a full band and played ‘Strife’, ‘You Stole The Sun’, ‘Weapon’, ‘Double Yellow Lines’, and ‘Racket’. The place went crazy.’) and, six months later, they were signed to Columbia Records. Why did that all happen so quickly? Adam: ‘Cuz we were selling gigs out. We gave an outlet for people who wanted to go out and have a good time Friday night. I think we knew something more was happening when we played ‘In The City’, a showcase venue in Manchester. Label men were standing there holding clipboards, their glasses all misted up. We just kept doing gigs and enjoying it.’ Was that the plan then? Adam: ‘It’s hard to make a plan. You don’t make a success plan. It makes it boring. Who wants to know what’s going to happen?’ Jonny: ‘We just wanted to keep doing positive things. I’m not saying a record deal is the best way to go. After signing to Columbia, we gigged for one year and then did a headline tour. We were gigging and demo’d the album. That’s when we were given a list of producers. We saw that Dave Sardy had his own studio and lived in L.A. and thought – right! Let’s go. ‘ I comment on the album’s raw, uncluttered sound. Jonny: ‘I think it could have been rawer!’ What was L.A. like then? Adam: ‘To be honest, dead busy. One week I was doing all my bits, then Rick his, then Jonny so it was relentless. A local lad took us out a couple of times. We went to different bars, went to ‘Space’ and The Voodoo Bar which is just all black.’ Jonny: ‘I went out and about loads with the guy. Just seeing different parts of L.A. meeting new people. I like that.’ Nearly a year later, the album came out this April. Jonny: ‘Having done an album now, I’ve more of an idea about how to get a song across. You get a better idea of what direction you want to go. I wouldn’t let a label tell me.’ Adam: ‘When you’ve gigged an album out, you know what bits in songs you don’t like. You learn to make better bits. Cuz you remember it’s every day of your life you’ll be playing it!’ So no obstacles, no low points? Adam: ‘Just one constant high point!’ And being on the road? Adam: ‘I like being away but I like being home too.’ Jonny: ‘I like the road. If I were at home all the time, I’d want to kill myself. I love meeting new people and being on the road. I’m just a travelling VIP pikey.’ Favourite cities? Adam: ‘Nottingham – lots of girls there. Brighton, London, Glasgow…all over really. Like them all. None I don’t like.’ Jonny: ‘I’m constantly influenced by loads of punk bands. Then there’s the Beatles and the Stones, rhythm and blues bands and Bowie. Old folk music.’ That must be where his balladeering skills come from then. Any family history of songwriters? Adam: ‘His dad serenades. Does a bit of flamenco. Plays a few Spanish songs.’ Jonny: ‘We went to Spain and he bought me a two thousand pound guitar from the place where they make guitars for Pac de Lucia. It’s a family-owned business. My dad dragged me round for two weeks before we found it. Now it sits at home with no strings.’ I comment on how they seem to be your regular rock and roll band but then, in every song, they veer off on some random tangent which is what makes them so kick-arsey adoreable. Adam: ‘As people, we are a bit random.’ Jonny: ‘I think it’s more like we don’t really care.’ Adam: ‘I can’t plan my day, let alone a career.’ And how’s it feel to be supporting their influences? Jonny: ‘I think it’s a brilliant thing. We’re supporting people we look up to and who’ve influenced us. Oasis have split up now so we wouldn’t have that chance again. All the bands we look up to liked us and invited us on tour. We’ve done everything on a shoestring. Just going for it.’ I ask for any unusual anecdotes. Jonny looks bemused. ‘Antidotes? I don’t think I have any of them…’ Adam explains and Jonny mumbles something about getting into trouble for telling too many of those. Adam: ‘Na! the scooter at Fuji Rocks.’ Jonny: ‘Oh yeah. In Fuji Rocks, Ad and I robbed a scooter from some little Japanese fella. We just ran round on it one night. He was bowing to us when we returned it: ‘Thank you! Thank you!’ We tried robbing it a bit more but they’d clued on by then.’ Ad: ‘Then we went on a two day bender with Ray Charles…’ My turn to look shocked and confused. Isn’t he dead? Jonny: ‘No. Craig Charles.’ Adam: ‘Oh yeah. Craig Charles in Jersey. At a festival, Jersey Live. Got drunk as. He’s a sound guy though, Craig Charles.’ I ask about the riders. Adam: ‘Why are you interested in riders?’ I explain why and they then think I am only interviewing them for the possibility of getting free food to last me the week. Adam: ‘No. We used to ask for socks and weird stuff. Used to get some good shit on the rider.’ Isn’t it a bit like having Christmas every night? Making your own wish list? Adam: ‘It all gets wasted though.’ Jonny: ‘We’ve been touring two years now. We just have beer and water on the rider. Not fussed about the rest. We get catering though! We’re more interested in going in a new direction.’ What’s the new direction? Jonny: ‘Riderless. We’re going back.’ Inspiration? Jonny: ‘Anything and everything that happens. Put a record on. Meet somebody.’ Adam mentions that they need to get a blackboard or whiteboard for their rehearsal room back in Diggle (Saddleworth Rehearsal rooms). Adam: ‘That’s where we bang the songs out. But he writes at home.’ At the moment, straddling between tours and song-writing, they are in their own perfect position. Rick is nursing his injured hand from the relentless touring schedule (repetitive strain – says it all), Jonny is starting with the flu but they are still raring to go. Their easy grace and simple elegance cannot be feigned. Headlining bands scrabble to get their energy and reined-in powerhouse songs. After the bombast of the past fifteen years, the world is ready for such starkness.

Find the original interview at the link below...........

http://www.therealstate.co.uk/2/72/Music/Twisted_Wheel_Interview.html

Twisted Wheel 2010 Headline Tour Poster Ad

Twisted Wheel supporting Paul Weller at the Corn Exchange, Cambridge 12/12/09

The last night of the tour supporting Paul Weller

The Corn Exchange, in the beautiful city of Cambridge played host to the finale of the tour.

With Twisted Wheel fans down at the front barrier to show the lads their support, it was a cracking last performance with Jonny thanking Paul Weller for all his support.

Throughout the tour, the Wheel have been playing to sold out venues and winning over many, many Weller fans - with their album selling out every night on the merchandise stall as proof!

This gig was also their last live performance of the year - a year which has seen them tour virtually non-stop, to packed out venues up and down the country, as well as festivals in the UK and in Europe.

Their fanbase has grown to phenominal levels.

2009 has been a brilliant year for Twisted Wheel

Here's to 2010 being even better!!

love you lads..... 'WWWWWWWWWWHHHHHEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLL'

Twisted Wheel supporting Paul Weller at the Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry 11/12/09

Twisted Wheel supporting Paul Weller at the Wintergardens, Margate 10/12/09

Twisted Wheel supporting Paul Weller at the Guldhall, Portsmouth 08/12/09

'We Are Us' features in Teletext 'Top 50 singles of 2009'

Twisted Wheel's 'We Are Us' has been placed at number 38 in Teletext's Top 50 singles of 2009..... Here's the list............. Top 50 singles of 2009 1. Bonkers Dizzee Rascal 2. Zorbing Stornoway 3. The Fear Lily Allen 4. Stellify Ian Brown 5. Love Etc Pet Shop Boys 6. Fix Your Accent Fake Blood 7. Stop To Start Bicycle Thieves 8. Swim Until You Can't See Land Frightened Rabbit 9. Wrong Depeche Mode 10 Cornerstone Arctic Monkeys 11. Surfacing Chapel Club 12. Ghostrock The Northwestern 13. Method Of Modern Love Saint Etienne 14. Uprising Muse 15. Bulletproof La Roux 16. Anthonio Annie 17. Oh Brother Skeletons And The Empty Pockets 18. Keep It Goin' Louder Major Lazer 19. Papillon Editors 20. Laura Girls 21. Dominoes The Big Pink 22. Daniel Bat For Lashes 23. Golden Beth Jeans Houghton 24. Hard Times Patrick Wolf 25. Take Me To The Hospital The Prodigy 26. Hung Up The Cheek 27. Bad Romance Lady GaGa 28. We Share The Same Skies The Cribs 29. To Kingdom Come Passion Pit 30. Underdog Kasabian 31. The Never Ending Why Placebo 32. One Night In October Little Comets 33. I'm Not Alone Calvin Harris 34. Chapter Two Cosmo Jarvis 35. Just Me Music Go Music 36. Storm Django Django 37. True Love 1980 Ash 38. We Are Us Twisted Wheel 39. When Life Give Me Lemons I Make Lemonade The Boy Least Likely To 40. Innocent Stereophonics 41. Goodbye England Laura Marling 42. Hollywood Codeine Velvet Club 43. I Don't Wanna Go There Dinosaur Jr 44. Fallen Over Rose Elinor Dougall 45. RA88 The Soundtrack Of Our Lives 46. The Worthing Song Bleech 47. Whatabitch Kurran And The Wolfnotes 48. Crystallised The XX

49. The King And All Of His Men Wolf Gang

50. Stranger Than Kindness Fever Ray

http://www.teletext.co.uk/planetsound/single-reviews/410e8a392d07b22da967b3f955e83cd4/Top+50+singles+of+2009.aspx

Twisted Wheel - The band have the backing of Paul Weller.....(thisishullandeastriding.co.uk)

Band has the backing of Paul Weller

The main thing you have to learn when you're in a successful rock band, is that you don't have to please all the people, all the time. That's the best nugget of wisdom Jonny Brown would like to pass on to any up-and-coming rock stars. And as the singer in Twisted Wheel, one of the hottest and most critically acclaimed Manchester bands of the year, it's fair to say he's picked up some useful advice in the past 12-months. His band has been proclaimed as the best in Manchester by none other than Stone Rose Ian Brown. They have supported Oasis, Kasabian, The Happy Mondays, The Pigeon Detectives and The Coral and their debut album has brushed the Top 40. The Wheel trio are also close personal friends of the Modfather himself, Paul Weller, and will be supporting the former Jam man when he arrives at Bridlington Spa tomorrow night. It's been a successful, if hectic, year for the group and Jonny says the band is finally feeling more comfortable in its own skin. "I think when you start out in a band it's easy to be quite naive," he says. "You do this to impress that person because you're told you should. Then you do that to impress this person because it's the way everybody believes you're supposed to get on in this business. But at the end of the day it's all nonsense. "The main thing I've learned is that if you do your own thing, and stay true to who you are, then ultimately it'll pay off. "We're quite glad that we've built up our fan base purely by getting out there and gigging. We've never been a band who's appeared on the front page on the NME or been played on Radio One. "But that gives you a sense of security because it means we're not a flash in the pan. We're not going to be here today and gone tomorrow. I like to think that we've built up a loyal fanbase who'll stick with us long after other flavour of the month bands have come and gone." The high-profile support slots which the band have won in recent months have also paid dividends, says Jonny, with the group constantly picking up new fans on the back of touring with bands such as Oasis and Kasabian. Paul Weller has been particularly supportive, he adds. The Saddleworth-based band, who are named after Manchester's legendary Northern Soul club, seem to have stuck a particularly strong chord with the former Style Council-singer. "Weller's been brilliant to us," he says. "He asked us to support him on his forest dates during the summer and we had one of the best reactions we've ever had as a support band. "He's got a good mix of fans – from the old mods to the young kids who've rediscovered him through their dad's record collections. I think because we've got that Jam-vibe going on, we really appealed to his fans. So when he asked us to go on the road with him again it took us about three seconds to say 'yes'. http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/entertainment/Band-backing-Paul-Weller/article-1568727-detail/article.html

Oswestry - the biggest event to happen in the town for years! - Twisted Wheel's packed out gig at Gibsons 5/12/09

Yeah, thats right, the biggest thing to happen in Oswestry for years and years, infact the whole population turned out for this gig, and what a night of mad mayhem it was. Still in the middle of touring with the undisputed 'modfather' Paul Weller, Twisted Wheel took time out of their tight schedule to cram this gig in. The locals turned up in force to witness the gig that will surely go down in this small town's history.

More dates added to Twisted Wheel's tour February/March 2010

You will be please to know that there have been more dates added to Twisted Wheel's tour in March 2010.....

11th March ~ The County, GRIMSBY

12th March ~ The Brumby, SCUNTHORPE

26th March ~ Funbar, STIRLING (Scotland)

27th March - Flanigans, ELGIN (Scotland)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the complete tour dates are as follows:

11 Feb 2010 ~ Academy 3, BIRMINGHAM, Midlands
12 Feb 2010 ~ Academy 2, MANCHESTER
13 Feb 2010 ~ Brudenell Social, LEEDS, Northeast
18 Feb 2010 ~ Bodega, NOTTINGHAM
19 Feb 2010 ~ Leadmill, SHEFFIELD, Northeast
20 Feb 2010 ~ Electric Circus, EDINBURGH, Scotland
23 Feb 2010 ~ Lexington, LONDON
25 Feb 2010 ~ Watershed, WIMBLEDON ,London
27 Feb 2010 ~ Kasbah, COVENTRY, Midlands
5 Mar 2010 ~ Indiependence, WIGAN, Northwest
6 Mar 2010 ~ Buckley Tivoli, BUCKLEY, North Wales
11 Mar 2010 ~ The County, GRIMSBY
12 Mar 2010 ~ The Brumby, SCUNTHORPE
13 Mar 2010 ~ 12 Bar, SWINDON, South East
19 Mar 2010 ~ The Lamp, HULL, North East
20 Mar 2010 ~ Music Cafe, LEICSTER, Midlands
26 Mar 2010 ~ Funbar, STIRLING, Scotland
27 Mar 2010 ~ Flanigans, ELGIN, Scotland

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING LINKS:

http://www.seetickets.com/see/event.asp?e%7Cartist=TWISTED+WHEEL&nartist=null&resultsperpage=20&filler1=see&filler2=art-srch&orderby=date

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.seetickets.com/gat/event.asp?e%7Cartist=TWISTED+WHEEL&epromoter=372&resultsperpage=20&filler1=gigsandt&filler2=search&orderby=date ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://www.lunatickets.co.uk/search.php?action=quicksearch

Twisted Wheel - Tour Carnage - as featured in LOADED MAGAZINE - Twisted to fook - (January 2010)

Why do Paul Weller and the Gallaghers love having Twisted Wheel support them so much? It only took three nights on their tour bus for Loaded to find out......

Drink has been taken and the Transit van is rocking like an impotent Transformer. The photographer's stout is booted off the table as a young lad hoists himself up to the roof, placing his deck shoes through the skylight. Meanwhile, the merchandise manager is honking his brew up through the open van door. Little silver bags explode white dust everywhere as Gary Glitter's 'Rock and Roll Part Two' is screamed into the Caledonian night. Outside a storm is brewing. Inside a twister has already hit.

Liam and Noel Gallagher may not agree on much these days, but one band they're both championing is Oldham three-piece Twisted Wheel. In kind, the band paid the brothers back when they supported them earlier this year in Milan, by punching the lights out of some locals who were slagging off the Manc rockers. The, 'The Modfather' Paul Weller fell for the trio and booked the lads as support on his current UK tour. Loaded has also been playing Twisted Wheel's self-titled debut on the stereo, with its surprisingly endearing stories of night buses, dancing, drugs and chip pan fires. So much so, we decided to hitch a ride with the boys on a mini-tour of Scotland....

Wednesday, Saddleworth

The landscape is a little eerie in this part of Lancashire. Somewhere out there, 'Moors murderers' Ian Brady and Myra Hindley buried some kids. Twisted Wheel HQ is a converted Victorian mill that's home to their rehersal studio next to a pizza chain and a group of rather notorious 'business men' whom Danny Dyer paid a visit to while filming his Hard Bastards documentary.

Transferring the amps and instruments into the tour van, Twisted Wheel wolf down Monster Munch. Jonny Brown (lead vocals, guitar and songwriter), Adam Clarke (drums), and Rick Lees (bass) all live in the local village of Greenfield. They drink at the Railway pub, eat at Saddleworth Pizza and Jonny resides above the local post office and cafe. There's also a story involving a break-in at his flat by a prominent local carrying an axe. "He said me music was too loud and next thing he's hacking down me door!" he laughs.

The entourage for the next few days is Ant the tour manager and driver, John (CRAIG) the guitar tech, Mark (the merchandise guy) and Jane, who basically plays mother to the lads in return for free tickets and travel. Jonny hangs a load of wet clothes into the baggage rack so Jane can get ironing later. John (Craig) joined the band recently after they realised that their previous guitar tech was deaf. "We honestly had no idea", says the flaxen-haired Rick.

Thursday, Glasgow

We're off to King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, the venue where Creation records boss Alan McGee first spotted Oasis. Having befriended the Gallaghers and toured with them, how did Twisted Wheel find the warring brothers? Jonny munches through a bag of pears, "S'alright, you know, they've been good to us. Liam's the friendlier. He made an effort to talk to us. You see him looking all moody in photographs and the like, but he's a right old laff. When he's pissed, he graps any girl near him. He's like a drunk dad at a wedding" Adan pipes up, "Remember when he pissed in the middle of that pub?. That was MINT! We're touring with Weller after this little mini-tour too, and that will also get our music heard by a few new people. But the Gallaghers are mint and so is Weller" says Jonny.

By the end of this trip Loaded discovers that many things are 'mint' in Twisted's world: Spaghetti 'oops are mint, the new Fruit Pastilles are mint. Even Bruce Forsyth is mint. "He looks like an old lion or a tiger," Jonny observes. Anyone distinctly un-minty? Silence. They all stare at each other "The Pigeon Detectives were dead moody" says Adam.

We pull into a petrol station an hour or so outside Glasgow. As John (CRAIG) the guitar tech browses through porn, thoughts turn to Craig Charles and his legendary service station stop-offs for grot while high on the crack pebble. "Oh god, Craig Charles!" booms Jonny. Everyone bursts out laughing. "He was compering at a festival we played in Jersey. He was sweating like mad, dressed like a cowboy and used his mic like a lasso. He had this box of vinyl called the 'pink trunk of funk'. He kept going up to people and singing "That's the way, ah-ha ah-ha I like it..." Ant the tour manager pipes up from the front. "At night, all I could hear from my hotel bed was Charles knocking on one of the doors in the corridor. "Eh, it;s Craig, Eh, are you awake?" he'd whisper. "Eh, it's Craig......" all fucking night!"

The lads spend the next hour or so hurling bomb bags at each other. For the uninitiated, bomb bags are silver bags of salt and vinegar that explode 20 seconds after they're inflated. The first time you 'recieve' one is quite a shock. And Twisted Wheel are well stocked for this tour.

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

Having wolfed down a Thai meal, the lads hit the bottle. There's a little nose powdering and pacing around the dressing room before going onstage. "When you're playing with bands like Oasis and Kasabian, you get to see them doing the same daft things that you do" says Jonny, pacing furiously back and forth like a dog in a cone hat. "I got to work meself up". The Wheel are tight despite the poor sound tonight, mixing the anthemic melody of Oasis with the streetwise lyrics of fellow three-piece The Jam. The sweat pours down Jonny's head and off his beak like tap. There's a few glitches with the guitar and the crowd start singing the darts theme from Sky Sports. Backstage afterwards, a few Caledonian friends have joined them for a chinwag, while they put onsome clean threads. Then it's off to Fire And Water for a thoroughly good session on the pop again.

Friday, Aberdeen

Its Friday afternoon and the lads can't remember where the venue is. "Tunnels, Its the one underground - there it is" They say pointing at a venue, which is actually a pub called Drummonds. Jonny is reading the Kasabian cover story in the NME. "Eh! They've mentioned that they include socks on their rider, too". As the light fads quicker than a Scottish tan, we pull up to the real Tunnels venue - a cool little venue hidden away in a series of moody caverns.

Tonight is, in Twisted Wheel's words, mint. The sound is great, the crowd responsive, and the beer is cheap. Jonny screeches his way through the set list, and even the barflys at the rear end of the venue are singing along like a rowdy section of terracing: "You stole the sun! You stole the sun! You stole, you stole You stole the sun" while glasses of beer sail through the air.

Sat backstage after - in what is essentially a kitchen storeroom - the door is banging and Jonny lets in two female 'units'. Sitting here with the lads, Loaded feels at home. There's no strops and no egos. When we ask to photograph them on some old rubbish we found down one of the tunnels, they're happy to oblige. "Thats nice" Adam remarks, "Can we shoot you on top of some crap? Ha ha! ". Having spent a couple of days in their company, you can't help like the boys. There's no silly shoes and bizarre haircuts, just three lads dishing out some top tunes.

Equipment all packed, we head to Drummonds where punk legends Sham 69 are playing. The placed is rammed, many of the punters having seen the Wheel earlier. The locals shake the band's hands as they dance to Sham 69 and to the indi/rave DJ set that follows. The DJ whacks Twisted Wheel into the mix, and an embarrassed Jonny disappears into the toilet.

The drinking is ferocious and one casualty has already fallen through a coffee table. Then it's back to the van, for more grog, more toot and a little Gary Glitter singalong. Tomorrow is Dundee, and The View are coming down to watch. Now, The View do love a few sherries.......

Jonny upsidedown in the tourbus during another stint of mayhem

'Bad Candy' live at Kendal Calling Festival 2009

Twisted Wheel new Headline Tour Dates for February/March 2010

11 Feb 2010 ~ Academy 3, BIRMINGHAM, Midlands 12 Feb 2010 ~ Academy 2, MANCHESTER 13 Feb 2010 ~ Brudenell Social, LEEDS, Northeast 18 Feb 2010 ~ Bodega, NOTTINGHAM 19 Feb 2010 ~ Leadmill, SHEFFIELD, Northeast 20 Feb 2010 ~ Electric Circus, EDINBURGH, Scotland 23 Feb 2010 ~ Lexington, LONDON 25 Feb 2010 ~ Watershed, WIMBLEDON ,London 27 Feb 2010 ~ Kasbah, COVENTRY, Midlands 5 Mar 2010 ~ Indiependence, WIGAN, Northwest 6 Mar 2010 ~ Buckley Tivoli, BUCKLEY, North Wales 13 Mar 2010 ~ 12 Bar, SWINDON, South East 19 Mar 2010 ~ The Lamp, HULL, North East 20 Mar 2010 ~ Music Cafe, LEICSTER, Midlands TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING LINKS: http://www.seetickets.com/see/event.asp?e%7Cartist=TWISTED+WHEEL&nartist=null&resultsperpage=20&filler1=see&filler2=art-srch&orderby=date

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.seetickets.com/gat/event.asp?e%7Cartist=TWISTED+WHEEL&epromoter=372&resultsperpage=20&filler1=gigsandt&filler2=search&orderby=date ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ https://www.lunatickets.co.uk/search.php?action=quicksearch