Post by unplugged on Nov 15, 2006 10:43:26 GMT
From The Citizen - November 11
A FORMER county schoolboy is putting his education to good use as he sits on the verge of rock stardom.
But Oliver Hughes, who attended Newent Community School, is more likely to be counting the beats than the beads through his role as drummer with rising stars Alterkicks.
The band, formed at John Moores University in Liverpool, has just completed a nationwide tour with indie starlets The Automatic and is about to launch its first single on a major record label.
And Oli, who grew up in Weston under Penyard, said he was thrilled with the way things have gone.
“We are starting to get somewhere at last,” he said.
“The tour was amazing, playing to around 2,000 people every night.
“We were a bit nervous about the reception we’d get as our audience tends to be a bit older than The Automatic’s, but it was great.”
Playing to riotous crowds and basking in media adulation - the band has performed on Dermot O’Leary’s Radio 2 show - is a far cry from school life in Gloucestershire, he explained.
“I used to play drums in the school jazz band,” he said.
“I was also in a few bands outside school, and we played at the George and stuff.
“But after I left Newent I didn’t really play very much until I met this bunch of lads at university.
“They said they needed a drummer and I said ‘okay, I’ll play drums’.”
After releasing sell-out single ‘Do Everything I Taught You’ in March of 2005 and follow-up ‘Oh Honey’, the five-piece were snapped up by major label, B-Unique.
Now, they are looking forward to releasing ‘On a Holiday’ on November 13 ahead of recording their debut album, with former Smiths and Blur producer Stephen Smith, for release early next year.
And the step up brought with it some nerves, said Oli, who sites the likes of Radiohead and David Bowie - “when he was good” - as influences.
“At the start there are five people making music for the love of it,” he said.
“Two-and-a-half or three years later there’s lots of people around us and we do feel a bit of pressure.
“But that’s not to say we don’t love it. There are millions of people around the world who would love to be in this position - and we’re here.”
* ‘On a Holiday’ is released on November 13. For more information log on to www.alterkicks.co.uk.
A FORMER county schoolboy is putting his education to good use as he sits on the verge of rock stardom.
But Oliver Hughes, who attended Newent Community School, is more likely to be counting the beats than the beads through his role as drummer with rising stars Alterkicks.
The band, formed at John Moores University in Liverpool, has just completed a nationwide tour with indie starlets The Automatic and is about to launch its first single on a major record label.
And Oli, who grew up in Weston under Penyard, said he was thrilled with the way things have gone.
“We are starting to get somewhere at last,” he said.
“The tour was amazing, playing to around 2,000 people every night.
“We were a bit nervous about the reception we’d get as our audience tends to be a bit older than The Automatic’s, but it was great.”
Playing to riotous crowds and basking in media adulation - the band has performed on Dermot O’Leary’s Radio 2 show - is a far cry from school life in Gloucestershire, he explained.
“I used to play drums in the school jazz band,” he said.
“I was also in a few bands outside school, and we played at the George and stuff.
“But after I left Newent I didn’t really play very much until I met this bunch of lads at university.
“They said they needed a drummer and I said ‘okay, I’ll play drums’.”
After releasing sell-out single ‘Do Everything I Taught You’ in March of 2005 and follow-up ‘Oh Honey’, the five-piece were snapped up by major label, B-Unique.
Now, they are looking forward to releasing ‘On a Holiday’ on November 13 ahead of recording their debut album, with former Smiths and Blur producer Stephen Smith, for release early next year.
And the step up brought with it some nerves, said Oli, who sites the likes of Radiohead and David Bowie - “when he was good” - as influences.
“At the start there are five people making music for the love of it,” he said.
“Two-and-a-half or three years later there’s lots of people around us and we do feel a bit of pressure.
“But that’s not to say we don’t love it. There are millions of people around the world who would love to be in this position - and we’re here.”
* ‘On a Holiday’ is released on November 13. For more information log on to www.alterkicks.co.uk.