Remember where you heard the name first. If there is one band in Manchester set to blow the acoustic scene away then its the Cardinals. Drawing on Manchesters rich musical heritage from the Smiths through to the Roses and Oasis they look set to be the next big guitar band. Following a series of supports slots with the likes of The Fall and The Dum Dums they're taking a short break for writing an rehearsing. Expect to see them round the North sometime soon. Check the website / local press for details.
 

Q: As an unsigned band how did you blag all these top name support acts?
Lee: It started with the Animal House who used to be Ride. We worked with this promoter called Lee Donnelley and how it works for a local band like us is how many people can you bring down. Fortunately were able to bring a couple of hundred people down to the gigs so he puts us on with the bigger names. There was the Animal House, Dum Dums, The Fall and then the Llama Farmers.

Nick: At the Fall gig we had these AAA passes with basically meant Access Fuck. All of Mark E Smiths family were nutters going "look at Mark, look at Mark" and we were like "yeah, he only managed to fall over a couple of times tonight".
 

Q: And the other ones. Any tales????
Lee: The thing about all those gigs is we always hold our own on it. Were not overshadowed by the headliners. When we first played with the Dum Dums most of the crowd disappeared after we'd played. It was supposed to be their night but we turned it round.

Nick: At the Animal House gig we robbed all their beer. It was mad because we went back stage and there was like a stare out between us and them.....

Joe: .....and then the bass player stormed out because she knew I was too good.
 

Q: And for the people who haven't heard you. What's your sound?
Joe:  I think the biggest influence for us is getting the power in terms of the hairs on the back of your neck. We do the best we can to achieve that sort of power.

Nick: Up until the age of 16 I was proper into hard-core. I know it sounds daft but there's a lot of melodic content in a lot of the hard-core songs, the actually high pitched girl singing.

Joe: In terms of the bass though reggae and the Floyd sort of shit.
 

Q: But who was the band who got you started?
Rez: When you are 16 you're picking up a guitar because you're listening to Oasis or the Stone Roses but as you get older its all a bit old skool. I listen to dance music now and hip hop. Were not into band music anymore.

Nick: We don't go to gigs hardly ever. You're most likely to see us in club like Sankeys or Planet K. When we've been to the Roadhouse in the week we've never been so bored in our whole life. Everyone just wanted to get pissed and have a fight. Take a club in Manchester like 42nd street - its great, but there is just so many Liam Gallagher knocking you over!!!

Joe: Its time for the indie scene to fuck off!!! You go to a dance club and everyone just wants to dance. Go to an indie club and you just get a load of admin assistants looking for a fight.
 

Q: You're known for the live shows round Manchester. Its kind of a fuck off to the shoe gazing scene isn't it?
Nick: My songs acoustically are very chilled but when these guys get behind it they beef it up a bit. Were about dynamics. Not to put the Llama Farmers down but once you've heard 2 or 3 songs you know what to expect - with us there's always something round the corner.

Joe: We always get a deadly silence while were playing. People just stand there looking at the stage when we plug in. They might hate it but they look at you. Some bands don't even get looked at. Me & him (Rez) want radio mikes. We so much want to be able to walk round that crowd. I don't like being restricted to the stage.

Nick: If you listen to our music without the vocals its still got that sound. Without the vocals it could easily sit on Jazz FM and no one would think its missing the melody.
 

Q: How do you find it in the Manchester unsigned scene?
Joe: We want to do what the Roses did, have our own gigs with DJs backing us up. Its hard dragging the crowds down though cos the bad scene has died quite a bit, people aren't willing to come out of their own home and watch you anymore.

Nick: Watching unsigned bands you know that 99 out of 100 will be shit stood up there thinking they're gods gift. Every so often you'll get a decent unsigned band like us and we know were decent cos we've worked at it. Those people who saw us at the Fall keep coming to the next set of gigs and were building from that.
 

Q: What do you think of the current music scene?
Nick: To be honest I haven't bought a CD for about 2 years now. I quite like Idlewild and Radiohead but that's about it for me.

Joe: Its dying out innit it. I think you've got to take what's in which is the dance music and the hip hop and put that into our music. We are a band and we've got to take what in at the moment and take us beyond that. I saw Ocean Colour Scene the other day on CD:UK and I don't understand why their doing it. They're not helping music in the slightest.

Nick: As soon as you say you play guitar you've just cut off to millions and millions of people. Were trying to get across on guitars what people try and get across on dance music, and all it is uplifting stuff with a beat. I've always been wary of guitar solo's, they don't compliment the music. Its about someone showing off.
 

Q: So you're going to be the next big thing out of Manchester then?
Nick: This acoustic music is all very nice. I call that sort of music bath albums. When you're having a bath and you're rubbing yourself with the soap that's the tune you'll have on that background. But when you going out you're not having it to a guy with an acoustic guitar.

Rez: If you're asking whether were going to be the next big thing from Manchester. Then Why Not!!!!! There's a gap for it and I'll fit it.

Nick: We've played with 5 or 6 signed bands and if they asked me to join them I'd be like Fuck Off!!!! In the 2 years we've been doing this I've never played with a band better than us. Their fans know it as well because we rob 'em.