A Conversation with 'The Tracks'

The 16th of May; the weather is beautiful and I'm drunk. Clarence Park in Wakefield witnesses the Collective's 'The Young Band Showcase', a labour of months of hard work and meticulous care. I was there purely by chance and I'm glad I was. The atmosphere was ripe for a good old knees-up. And that's what I got. Eventually.

The first two bands, Rogue Hearts and The Study, gurgled on with their adolescent posturing, well-practised sneers and GN'R covers, but the less said the better. It was the head-lining act that really demanded my attention. Ladies and gentlemen,The Tracks.

With their decidedly dark Post-Punk tones, reminscent of Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures', and the kind of bass-lines that perfectly encapsulate eveything that is Pop. Bizarre, really, for a band of young whipper snappers who count Meatloaf amongst their gallery of influences.

Not wanting to miss my chance (READ: Wanting to seize the oppurtunity before I fell over drunk) I snatched a little interview with these talented little devils. Chrs,Mac,Faye and Tom.


SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU ALL BEEN TOGETHER?
TOM(Guitar):Not long,really. Faye formed the band in college. She was really into The Editors and wanted to do something amonst those lines. Mac and I joined and after a problematic vocalist we got Chris in, he was the last to join, and he certainly made his mark. Everything fell into place after that and you get what you have here today.

WHO ARE YR. CHIEF INFLUENCES:
CHRIS(Vocals and Keys.) Well,Meatloaf - he's a great performer and, definately, Morrissey.
MAC(Drums): For me?The Who and Velvet Underground, yeah.
THOM: Personally, I'm obsessed with Joy Division but also Death Cab For Cutie and The Editors. Very, kind of, retro styles of drumming, beautifully rhythmic.
FAYE(Bass): The Editors. Linkin Park too. That energy and darkness is so powerful!

WHERE DO YOU SEE YR.SELVES IN THE LOCAL 'SCENE'?
CHRIS: 80's Pop meets the alternative of today. Something a bit dark that engenders our influnces and our feelings about the world.

SO,WHEN'S THE ALBUM OUT?
FAYE: It's called 'Theory Of Movement' and it's available for download on Itunes from August 21st. The CD comes with a little booklet and DVD with lots of live goodies and tracks the making of the album. This can be ordererd from the band.

ANY TRACKS TO LOOK OUT FOR?
ALL:'Green Lights' and 'Start A War'. Our best,we think.

Brett Kelly