Face to Face - hometown double header
Gary Fitzpatrick • Published 4 Apr 2012 09:30
DUNFERMLINE rockers Modern Faces continue to go from strength to strength and have just enjoyed a successful raid down south where they partied, net-worked and gigged big time.
The coming weeks promise to a massive time for the hotly-tipped band as they look ahead to a weekend double-header at PJ Molloys to launch their new single.
From the start, the young band have benefited from putting in hard graft and being prepared to travel far and wide to spread the word.
The 'work hard, play hard' ethic has served them well and their fast-improving sounds have earned accolades from some of the top names in the music business on their regular gigs in London.
Creation Records founder Alan McGee is a fan of the band as is Bonehead, formerly of Oasis.
Faces have supported The Charlatans, Shed 7, The Rifles and The View locally and had a real result last year when the mighty Kasabian asked them to provide the support for sell-out arena gigs in Manchester and Sheffield.
Currently in the middle of supporting highly rated The Twang on their UK tour, Modern Faces are now ready to grab centre stage.
Their recent trip down south started with an invitation to the NME Awards Aftershow Party in London where they partied with The Enemy, Carl Barat from the Libertines, The Heartbreaks and Noel Gallagher's wife Sara Macdonald.
Singer Monty told the Press, "It's was a cracking time. We were sitting with the boys from The Enemy. They're with the same PR firm as us so we could possibly link up with them for a couple of big gigs and maybe support them on their tour with their new album coming out."
The next night they played a showcase gig in London for BBC6 DJ Chris Hawkins and impressed the influential audience including top radio DJs Janice Long and Steve Lamacq.
"Janice Long is now a massive fan of the band and tweeted about us for the next few nights saying we're amazing and going to be massive," said Monty.
Faces have already supported The Twang at gigs in Manchester, Hull and Glasgow with other dates coming up soon.
"It's good to be handed a full support for a tour, not just a one-off slot and to actually go out on the road with a big band. It raises your profile in the different cities and helps build your fan-base. It's all learning curves and all good for us to be out there.
"The music industry is a big social circle and once you get in there it pays dividends. We're just breaking through just now but it's all working out."
The band's confidence has been boosted by praise for their music in the media. "We know we're getting the fans buying into us but it's good also to know that people in the UK industry are taking notice and appreciating that we're going to do big things.
"To get support from Janice Long and Steve Lamacq, massive radio DJs, plugging your band at such an early stage, it's very good for us.
"The Sun, Daily Star and the Daily Record and the NME have all been in touch and want to do spreads on us. We're still just establishing ourselves so for them to come to us like that is encouraging, definitely. We've had good coverage in the national papers plugging us and word spreads around."
Despite their successful wanderings, the band are proud of their local roots and home town gigs are always a huge draw.
"It's always been about Dunfermline for us. In Scotland the music business haven't maybe clicked on to us but the fans do. It's different with the music business south. We've been doing great down there and supporting Kasabian was a big highlight. When you get chances like that, it's an ever spiralling effect.
"The last time we were at PJs there had 350 in and 200 turned away. That's 550 people coming to see you so this time we thought we'd go for a launch weekend, a double nighter - like Oasis at the Barrowlands. Nobody's done it here before so it's all about setting the trends and that's what we're all about."
The Easter weekend is a big date in the band's diary with the launch of the band's double A-side single 'Pravda Scrolls' and 'Cynical Brother' released on their own label 'Dirty Love Records' on Monday, following the PJs dates this Saturday and Sunday.
The band are currently working on their debut album which will be released later this year and looking forward to hitting the festival circuit in the summer.
With burning ambition and creating a growing buzz around the country , Modern Faces are a young band ready to resurrect old-fashioned raucous rock 'n' roll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmF3xLDlmxg
This article appeared in Dunfermline Press 04 Apr 12
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