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FREEDOM OF THE CITY

Introduce yourselves and tell us what you've been up to recently?
Hi. We are Freedom Of The City. We are based in Manchester and have been together for almost 3 years. We recently finished our debut album which has been recorded at The Chairworks in Yorkshire, which is one of the UK's finest recording establishments. The album was produced by Mick McConnell who has been a professional musician for over 20 years. We are currently in the process of talking to people regarding the album so I guess you could say watch this space.

And how did you get together? The name?
We actually met through a dating agency for musicians called 'Join my band'. George (singer) had previously contacted Simon (drummer) about starting a band, but Simon was otherwise engaged drumming for another local band. Things didn't work out so Simon gave George a call and they began the search for another guitarist and bassist. Paul (guitar) and Matej (bass) joined shortly after and things got moving quite quickly. George had already come up with the name after Ryan Giggs had been awarded the "Freedom of the City of Salford".

Who are your biggest influences?
There are so many of them. We all just love music and share many influences but also have individual favourite bands. To name just a few, we are big fans of Coldplay, U2, Kings of Leon, Snowpatrol, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Metallica or The Doors. Also being based in Manchester, I guess the Oasis factor looms large over us but we just deal with that. We feel we're nothing like Oasis and we like to think we're a little bit more adventurous than they were musically. Many bands deny that Oasis are/were an influence on them. They are more of a motivation to us I guess as we aspire to get to where they got to. We also love Feeder and have been compared to them as well as to other bands like The Script, which is no bad thing.

Here at Designer Magazine we're all about supporting the scene.. which are your fave local bands and why should we check them out?
We get to watch a lot of bands when out the road. There's nothing more frustrating than a band playing and taking all their fans with them. We're pleased to work with Designer Magazine. Every gig we've done for Alex is different and you can tell they work hard to ensure the venue is busy from start to finish. Locally, we have played with so many bands it's difficult to name ones that really catch your eye. I guess the band I'm most excited about is 'The 1975'. They have come under various names in the past and are extremely elusive, but their music is great and I really hope they do well. They've had recent airplay on Radio 1 so things are looking good for them. Hopefully we can gig with them one day.

What's your biggest promo tips you can give to other local bands? How do you push your band forward?
Gig, gig, gig. Doing one gig a month or just playing in Manchester or your home town does not work. You can hide in rehearsal rooms, record demos until your ears bleed, but it's not going to get your name out there. If you don't give yourself exposure, who is going to check out your lovely little demos on your website??? We have travelled to London and played to 10 people and wondered "what's the point?". However, if you blow those 10 people away, it only takes those 10 people to go away and tell 5 mates each about what they've just seen. Next time you're back at that venue there's 50 people in their to see you. The social networking sites obviously give you great scope to get out and about. We're always checking our Facebook page and enjoying the 'likes' increase after we've played a good gig.

Where do you go for pre gig food and where do you go post gig clubs in Manchester?
Subway. Subway is like our second home before a gig. It's usually followed by a pint or two in Weatherspoons before the venue opens. We go for a few drinks around the smaller bars in the Northern Quarter.

What do you like most about Manchester?
Just the vibe. They understand music and a lot of the most famous acts in the world have hailed from or were discovered in Manchester. We always get a good reception and are already looking forward to our show with Designer Magazine.

Best gig you've been to of all time (and why?)
We all recently watched Coldplay in Manchester at the Etihad stadium. Unbelievable band and an incredible show. We all love Coldplay and it will be a difficult show to be topped in my opinion certainly. The effort they put in night after night is just mind blowing and they always look like they're enjoying it. I've seen many "big signed bands" at various festivals and some looked like they couldn't care less if they were there or not.

What one book would you say all of your fans should read and why?
Our biography.......if there ever is one. Will be a very interesting read.

Fave movie or TV show of all time?
Hmmmm. Titanic of course.

Which football team do you support?
Si supports Liverpool.. George and Paul support Man Utd and Matej is only recently getting into football. Originally from the Czech Republic, Matej follows ice hockey. He is beginning to show more of an interest now the Euro's have started.

And finally we're all about the live sweaty gigs - final chance to say why we should check you out live?
Our manager has just recently been asked what we are like live and his response was "they're better live than they are recorded". This obviously is a massive compliment. We do have an incredibly big sound and we give 100% every time. We've had various reviews stating how good we are live which is encouraging and gives us the drive to get even better. One review said were "loud, chaotic and mesmerising". We'll leave designer magazine to judge that for themselves.

And if we want to know more whats your facebook / twitter addresses?

@fotcmusic
www.facebook.com/freedomofthecity
Www.fotcmusic.com

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