Twisted Wheel: Liverpool 2009
Twisted Wheel, who take their name from the old northern soul club, venerating Manchester’s past glory, are taking their incendiary, compulsive, no-holds-barred, live set on another national tour this year when they take to the road as special guests to The Enemy throughout March and April, before a headline tour in May. The guys then support on several Oasis outdoor stadium shows and open for Paul Weller on his outdoor forest tour this Summer.
The festivities continue in Liverpool tonight thirty-three years after the influential Sex Pistols gig in the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall, it is exciting to see the city’s punk roots being rediscovered and reworked by a younger outfit.
Twisted Wheel have quickly earned themselves a reputation as one of the hardest working young touring bands around and also as the support band of choice (previously having gigged with Oasis, Ian Brown, The View, Pigeon Detectives, The Courteeners, Reverend & The Makers, Kasabian, The Rascals, The Coral and The Happy Mondays). Mining the same rich seam as some of the UK’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands such as The Clash, The Who and The Jam; and armed with a lyrical intensity to match Mark E Smith at his most pointed.
In twelve short months the Oldham three-piece have gone from nothing to selling out 500 capacity shows in their home town, 300,000 views of their My Space site, and a record deal with Columbia Records. With songs that tell tales of unhinged northern street life, dripping with sardonic humour and reckless desperation.
With chant’s of ‘Wheel’ already rolling around the venue before the band even emerge it’s hard to remember that The Enemy are supposed to be headlining. When The Wheel eventually appear they give all the raw energy of the crowd right back to them.
Around a year ago they came to my home town and performed an outstanding acoustic session for my radio show, and a gig to around 50 people in my local venue. They seemed young, nervous and not really ready. A year on and they have become a full force rock machine that commands the stage and audience in front of them, and drive the songs right down our throats
The stabbing guitar chords of ‘Lucy The Castle’ create a frantic mosh pit as plastic pint glasses go flying through the air. The high tempo, marching drums of ‘You Stole The Sun’, complimented with rasping vocals further adds to the frenzy. ‘She’s A Weapon’ is an all out assault on what is left of the crowd’s energy. Upcoming single ‘We Are Us’ just confirms how good this band really is borrowing heavily from the likes of The Clash and The Jam, with a hint of Oasis - Twisted Wheel has a refreshingly retro but not outdated aura.
Twisted Wheel release their debut album on April 13th on CD, ltd. CD/DVD and very ltd. vinyl. The album also plays host to acclaimed single Lucy The Castle, and new versions of earlier releases ‘You Stole The Sun’ and ‘She’s A Weapon’, you would be foolish not to purchase a copy and then catch the band live at some point - I recommend their Liverpool Sound City gig in May, but I would, wouldn’t I…
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