With a name like The Incredible Magpie Band, it’s impossible not to be intrigued – we caught up with the lads to see how life was treating them, and of course get the lowdown on the new album which is just over the horizon.

Hi, how are you and what have you been up to this week?

Hello, yeah we’re good thanks, been busy rehearsing this week, getting ready for the album launch, which is at The Hawley Arms in Camden on the 14th of May!

Ah yes – we will be present for that. The album ‘Introducing’ is due to be released on May 11. What are your feelings approaching the release?

We’re looking forward to getting the album out there, we’ve had it ready a while so will be good to see how it’s received, it’s always had a good reception in our live shows.

What can you tell us about it?

We’ve tried to keep the album as raw and as live sounding as possible, it’s basically a live recording   with few overdubs.

You’ve recently been gaining live experience by playing with the likes of The Rifles and The Jesus And Mary Chain, what were those experiences like?

The shows with The Rifles were great, we got to play some great venues, we especially love the Portsmouth show at The Pyramids and the Leeds show at The University, a lot of our friends and family came to that one, it was great for them to see us on a big stage. The JAMC gig was amazing, it sounded massive at Rock City. We got to see how a big band do things!

How would you sell yourself to those who haven’t heard of you before?

The songs we play off the album are great live, upbeat, loads of energy. If ya like to dance around and enjoy yourself come out and see us – we’ve got great songs for the summer which is just around the corner!

You played the prestigious Night n Day Café on Thursday, how was that?

Probably one of the best smaller venues we’ve played and it was packed. There is a great music scene in Manchester, which explains all the great bands that come from the city.

What’s your favourite thing about playing live?

Playing live is a release, a chance to express yourself in a way that isn’t really possible in everyday life. For me the sound of an electric guitar, bass, drums, and vocals all coming together is unrivalled, music is in our DNA, its primal, you can’t explain it – my 1 year old daughter knows how to dance, no one has shown her, she just does it automatically when she hears music. If you connect with the people that are there it’s a special thing, your buzzing for days after a good live show.

What influenced the name of the band?

The band is named after a famous Manc musician, in a documentary he was referred to as “an incredible magpie”.

What other artists influence you as a band?

Loads of stuff from the sixties, all the greats – the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, Love and later stuff like the Verve, Oasis, the La’s and the Smiths to name a few.

What else can we expect from The Incredible Magpie Band in the near future?

We’re just in the process of writing and demoing a new album, once it’s all ready we’ll be heading back into the studio. Gonna be a little different to the first one!

Massive thanks to the lads for taking the time out to speak to us!

James Cummins.

@CummyBear.