Rockers take root

BRIGHT future . . . Carnation (Picture by James Senior)

NOW down to just three in number, Failsworth indie hopefuls Carnation are confident their current line-up is the one that will prove to be a big hit on the local music scene.

The band ­- currently bassist/vocalist Saul Backhouse, lead guitarist Cameron Nolan and drummer Oscar Mangini ­- formed initially more than two years ago.

For such young lads, the band have played some high-profile gigs in and around Manchester, including two support slots for Bruce Foxton's brilliant 'From the Jam' at the Gorilla in the city centre and the Sale Waterside Arts Centre.

Successful

They are also fresh from rocking out Bier Keller Live right here in Oldham.

Carnation have also recorded a successful first and only single ­- "Time Waster".

Now, however, the band are settling nicely into their three-strong set-up and the future looks bright.

Nolan said: "This is ideal now because musically, it just feels like we're all on the same level.

"The three of us now have all got a really good connection. 'Time Waster' was recorded when Charlie was still in the band, before this current line-up, but we've always felt we were moving over to the point where we're at now.

"Certainly the point we're at now is a lot different from where we were when we recorded 'Time Waster' ­- it's like a completely different band."

Boasting a wide range of influences including mod, rock and old school R&B, Carnation, who practise at the popular Brunswick mill in Ancoats, feel as though they're ready to make the step up again now following a number of line-up changes, and plans appear exciting.

"We are ready to record again now, and that's what we want to do," added Nolan.

"I wake up thinking about music, I go to bed thinking about music, even when I'm at work I'm thinking about songs we've written. Hopefully all that pays off in the end."

Any future recording could well take place at the Access to Music college site in central Manchester.

That's where "Time Waster" was recorded and the Carnation lads were impressed.

Backhouse said: "That was a great experience because the guys there were so full-on.

"At every other place we'd been to, people seemed a bit half-hearted, as though they weren't really bothered about us. One of the guys we saw couldn't mix a cake. This was the only place we really felt was any good."

And what about their show at Bier Keller Live?

The crowd maybe wasn't the biggest, but overall the night left a huge impression on the band.

"Musically it was really good, we enjoyed it because the sound system is brilliant," added Backhouse.

"The people there were really accommodating, it was just a nice gaff."