INTERVIEW: Man Made

Undoubtedly one of the hottest bands in Manchester right now, Man Made is the name on the tips of many tongues. Making an impact across the whole of the country, as well as one of the greatest cities, by producing music across that surpasses generations, we caught up with front-man, Nile Marr.

Hi Nile, how are you and what have you been up to this week?
I’ve been pretty busy organising our next Manchester show, we’re putting on a show in Kraak Gallery on the 25 June. We’ve got students curating an art show with illustrations and other work up, and throughout the night there will be screenings of student films, as well as a gig with us and Kagoule playing. We’ve tried to create a space for one night where it’s all about creativity and a celebration of the new generation of Manchester artists. It’s about giving students a place to hang out late, see some bands, and meet other people that are all there trying to make something happen. It’s a show with a lot of moving parts to it, so it’s pretty hectic over here right now, but everyone involved is excited. And of course, it being a hometown show for us, there’s going to be glitter and lots of it. (You can find info about this show here)

You recently unleashed your latest single, ‘You Never Know How It Feels’, what can you tell us about it?
I like ‘unleashed’. It was a newer song of ours that we’d written and immediately started playing at our live shows – I think we might have played it at a gig the next day. We never really had time to ‘live’ with it, it evolved on stage not in the practice room so it’s probably the best representation of what we do live.

This is following the release of singles ‘TV Broke My Brain’ and ‘Carsick Cars’, how do you think the reception to those was?
We’ve only had positive reactions from people getting in touch with us online, though I don’t think the people that follow us are the sort to slag someone off from behind a screen. The amazing thing for us now is that people are singing along at our shows. ‘Carsick Cars’ was ‘Record Of The Week’ on BBC 6 music, and I think that helped put us out there more; you see it at shows when people know the songs, they get into it and we see that and that gets us into it. The more music we can get out there for people to hear, the better our shows get.

You played Dot To Dot this weekend just gone, how did that turn out?
We had a good time, our Manchester show was at 2:30am which was a bit strange, we had some stragglers in still partying and our friends and we played a good show. We hadn’t played in Bristol before as our last show there was cancelled, so a show there was long overdue. Nottingham was the best gig, we played the rescue rooms, so getting to do a venue that size was a fun change. Festivals like that are interesting as you get such a broad cross section of people wandering around taking in music and I think that’s a pretty good thing.

You’re also playing some much bigger festivals such as the likes of Latitude and Kendal Calling this year, excited?
Festivals like that are a completely different experience to our own shows, you have to get into a totally different headspace. The whole operation has to be super slick as you’re only a small window in people’s weekend. Kendal and Latitude are definitely the more pleasant of the bigger festivals, you get a broad age range there, and a lot of people with their families; for someone just passing through, having that dynamic makes for a better time I think.

Dot To Dot Festival 2015 – Man Made ‘Carsick Cars’ from Fred Perry on Vimeo.

How would you describe yourselves to people who have never listened to Man Made before?
I always tell people we make ‘Alternative Pop’ music.

Being from Manchester, do you feel you draw a lot from the influences of Manchester bands, or do you feel like you are influenced by a much larger spectrum?
Not at all, we didn’t grow up in that – we just had to deal with the hangover. I appreciate that the Manc thing meant a lot to a lot of people and still does, but by constantly bringing the comparison back to those old Manchester bands as if that’s the only frame of reference, you aren’t allowing the city and its culture to move on, and it won’t ever move on until that change happens. Manchester is so much more than what’s come before and I don’t want it to keep being held back by nostalgia.

What do you think you’d be doing right now if you weren’t involved with the band?
I’d probably just be in another band.

What’s been your favourite moment during your time with Man Made so far?
Our house party shows are the highlight. They’re totally free from any pretense, how can you act like you’re on a stage when you’re in someone’s kitchen? And I really enjoy that. We get to meet people we would’ve never met, and when we turn up we’ve no idea what’s about to happen, no one does. It keeps us on our toes musically too.

What’s next for you guys?
This Kraak Gallery show in Manchester on the 25 of June with Kagoule, that’s what all our energy is focussed on – we’re excited to be back playing in our home town. I think before that though, we’re playing Long Division in Wakefield, and then we play the Isle of Wight. So there’s a lot to look forward to.

What would your Desert Island Disc be?
I’m not sure, probably You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene, I’ve never stopped listening to that album, it’s a perfect record. That or The Argument by Fugazi… Depends on the island.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
The only record we listen to in the van every day is the new Menace Beach album.

A massive thanks to Nile for answering our questions and we look forward to hearing more of Man Made in the future.

 

James Cummins.
@CummyBear

James Cummins

James Cummins

James Cummins

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