The Drainpipes - Club Designer Magazine @ Bar Amp - 8.2.07

The last 12 months has been a bit of a strange one for the Drainpipes. While critical acclaim has come from Marc Riley, Doves manager Dave Rolfe and producer of the moment Paul Epworth who selected them as one of the Twenty Best New Bands in the world for the BBC's Next Big Thing competition. The sort of things any unsigned band would love to achieve. It's been a period where riot vans turn up outside gigs and promoters have 2am phonecalls urging them to cancel gigs. Even journalists who end up review the band end up with a campaign waged against them on myspace as Designer Magazine found out when we booked them for last years Break In the City showcases.

So what of the Drainpipes in 2007? They've just come off the hugely successful Transit Tour and this gig in Manchester is the best we've seen the band. A batch of new songs including the buzzsaw pop of "House On The Corner" are aired alongside the standards "Standing on The Other Side" and "Special" which add ska to the punk rock template. Although the band are undoubtedly influenced by Doherty it's not from the same vein as many of the scenester bands in Manchester, which is probably as much down to the fact they're barred from most of the city centre venues so they find themselves forced to make their own scene.

They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and while some bands are wasting their time on Drainpipes hate sites, the band have just written songs that are their best yet. By the end of 2007 they could deliver on that potential that so many see in them and get labels offering blank cheques.

Alex McCann
Photos: Kirsty Umback www.kirstyumback.com

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