Beat the Radar

Listen Up!

by Jennifer Ross on 10.10.09

Beat the Radar were signed to the Akoustik Anarkhy label after bumping into AA co-founder, Noel Vazquez, in a toilet.

“He said, ‘I’ll come listen to you guys’,” says bassist Rowan Smith, “We thought he was just going to ask us to play a pub night that he runs, but he wanted to sign us. It all happened pretty weirdly!”

Despite the strange start to this relationship, it seems to be going very well. The lads describe working with the label as an “honour”, and say that Akoustik Anarkhy’s encouragement made sure their first album was completed.

“They pinned us down and said “Finish the recordings while it’s still possible or else it’s gone forever,” which gave us more direction.”

“It’s like having a fifth member who gives you a kick up the arse when you need it! I know it’s quite a weird thing to say but Akoustik Anarkhy has quite a family atmosphere ‘cos there’s just so many people come along and it’s the same faces, and bands that supported us we’re mates with.”

Beat the Radar started at the University of Lancaster, where Rowan and guitarist Laurie Hulme were studying. After deciding to form a group together, the guys started looking around for a singer.

Laurie says, “We knew Jonny because he was in another band, and then one day Jonny says ‘I’ll try out with you guys’ and that was it.”

After spending a couple of months in America the group moved to Manchester in order to get noticed. Later on their drummer left in order to live in London and, after a search for a new member, Adam Featherstone stepped in to take his place.
“When we first started we had another guitarist, so it was a five-piece and we were grungier,” Laurie says, “Adam’s drumming definitely brought a different kind of context to it, a lot dancier at times.”

Adam admits that the music scene in Manchester surprised him because it was so different to that of Leeds, which he says was filled with cliques – making it hard for new talent to break through.

He says, “I was living in Leeds before I came here, it’s completely different from the music scene there… Manchester is really spread open and I couldn’t believe it when I first came because the music [scene] here is really broad and friendly.”
“I did a lot of work for a couple of well-known bands in Leeds. It was very much that you had to be on the inside and if you didn’t know the right bands, they didn’t want to know.”

“Before I moved here my impression was that it was a bit dead and it was ten years too late; all the music had already happened. But I think the best is about to happen, really. It’s not just a wait – it’s all happening now.”

Despite owing much of their influences to Mancunian groups such as The Stone Roses, The Smiths and The Chameleons, Beat the Radar describe their style as “very US indie, but as in the actual indie, rather than pop indie such as Fall Out Boy!”
Laurie adds “but I think Jonny brought a real back-to-British side as well.”
The group’s first single, ‘Telephone Conversation’, was played by Steve Lamacq on his Radio 1 show, ‘In New Music We Trust’. It has also been remixed by Spartak – a collaboration between Martyn Walsh from the Inspiral Carpets and Ruthless Producer – who decided to work with the band after seeing them live.

Rather than releasing the track solely as a download, it was also brought out on a limited edition disc, with artwork by a friend of the band.

“To me that’s what independent music is all about – being a little bit different rather than just sticking it on download or whatever. We want to make a big thing about it.”

The launch of the album was another big step for the band, with a launch gig taking place at the Garden’s Hotel.

“We had friends’ bands play; it was really good. It was really grand ‘cause everyone there was just having a good time.”

So far the band has only had one major problem – security at a festival they recently played.

“They were weird people, the security,” laughs Laurie. “We were supposed to play unplugged but we told them we could use this amp ‘cos I had to play a guitar solo. [We were given] this little matchbox-sized amp. In the end it was so quiet we ended up getting shot down.”

Later on at the same place, “We went out and bought like a 24 pack of beer and brought it in and the security came back and said ‘you can’t have that, you have to throw it out’ and then they came back and said ‘you can have it but you’ve got to put it in plastic cups’. So they had to put a 24 pack of beer in these plastic cups…it looked like some sort of 18-year-old’s birthday party!”

The group have an album due out in November, and are set to release another single from it – ‘18 19 20 21 22’ shortly.

“When the album’s out we might do a little tour or something,” they say.