Milburn

South Yorkshire scamps Milburn are whipping up a storm in the shadow of another (obvious) young Sheffield band who they're constantly compared to.
But having signed to Mercury in January there's an (as yet untitled) debut album set for release this year and they're selling out headline shows around the country to a breed of hardcore fans.
Music News met the four-piece in a small London pub and, with a gutful of ale fuelling the flow, allowed the spunk of youth to let rip.

MN: So the story goes you three - Louis (rhythm guitar/vox), Tom (lead guitar), Greeny (drums) - got together and roped in Louis' little brother Joe to do the singing.

Louis: We needed a singer and a bass player. Father Christmas bought him a bass - he doesn't know Father Christmas doesn't exist!

Joe: I was between bands and thought I'd help them out. I'd just finished with Manic Street Preachers!

The interview is interrupted by a phone call from Greeny's Mum. The other three then discuss the fact their drummer was set for Cambridge uni had it not been for the band. On returning to the task in hand Greeny is highly amused by this accusation - turns out it was actually the other Joe who dissed the cap and gown for rock n' roll.

MN: Were your parents worried about you not getting 'proper jobs' then?

Louis: No, they're dead behind us. They used to pick us up, ferry us everywhere and support us financially. They were brilliant actually.

MN: Are you just riding on Arctic Monkeys' coattails really?

All: Yeah!

Greeny: We're the bandwagon. You know the bandwagon we're always hearing about?

Tom: We're driving it.

Louis: Well we've been around for like five years so we've always been there.

MN: What can you offer that Arctic Monkeys can't?

All: Nothing!

MN: You've said you want to write a classic album unlike those that don't stay on the shop shelves for long. Who were you referring to?

Louis: That kid I said looked like Dane Bowers. The Bravery. Where the fuck are they?

Joe: Album comes out and in two months time, who gives a shit? That's just horrible.

MN: So have you written this classic then?

Louis: Hopefully yeah. It's just a way we've gone about it. I don't know. Well we're better than fucking Towers of London put it that way. Don't start. Did you see that video where they were supposed to have beaten someone up? Fuck off! I'd love to fucking kick their head in.

Joe: 'Blood Sweat & Towers' - what an album title!

MN: The live scene seems to be treating you well. Is there a different reaction from the North and the South audiences?

Louis: Not really. You'd like to think there were.

Joe: North loves us but London's right good. It's funny now, you get to see people who you saw at past gigs.

Louis: Oxford and Cambridge don't really give a shit.

Greeny: Fuck Cambridge.

Joe: No, Cambridge is right good for us, Greeny, I'm sorry!

MN: You're latecomers to My Space. Is that proving its worth now?

Louis: It's only just got important.

Tom: We had about 1500 fans and we looked on Larrikin Love or someat (sic) and they had about 50,000. It's like we proper missed a trick.

Joe: It's easy to join up to My Space. It doesn't mean a lot.

Louis: Yeah you're not going to watch a band, though.

MN: Do you have any faith in the music press such as NME?

All: No!

Louis: The thing is people do buy it though.

Joe: You get it for gigs. Gigs are brilliant although they got ours wrong. (NME printed June dates instead of July)

Louis: If they really came onto us, fair enough you can't deny that publicity, but I'm not bothered if they don't.

MN: If being in a band is all it's cracked up to be have you got any good stories?

Joe: This is going to sound right gay but. Billy Bragg told us this one! Chuck Berry was in his dressing room eating a sandwich and a bird's sucking him off. This is genuinely true. He should be on stage and the tour manager goes: 'What are you doing, Chuck?' And he goes: 'I'm eating a sandwich!'

MN: So when exactly did Billy Bragg tell you that?

All: Oh well.

Louis: We can't tell you that!

Tom: We did a song with him. It was fucking brilliant. We had a song that was really old and we didn't want to do it anymore so we thought we'd get Billy Bragg to do it. We ended up re-working it. We really liked it so we're doing it as a B-side. When he came in, for the first ten minutes we couldn't believe it but after that it was right in and he was like one of the lads.

MN: You've previously said if one of you quits it's all over. Does that still stand?

Greeny: If somebody quits it'd be shit.

Louis: It won't be Milburn anymore but we might carry on as a band: Milburn Mark II.

MN: And finally anything else you want to add?

Joe: Elderberries. (To Greeny) Okay Jerry's final thought.

Greeny: (after much thought) Camel.

Joe: Toe!

Myriad jokes then follow as their manager tries to wind up the comedy for fear of them missing their train back up North. But the lads were still supping when Music News left.


Milburn tour the UK this month as well as working the festival circuit everywhere from Scotland to Japan - don't miss out on a cracking live show. And catch them signing copies of new single 'Cheshire Cat Smile' - released on July 10th - at various outlets.
Visit www.milburnmusic.com for details.