New album a Brit of all right

BIG hit . . . The Transmitters

AS well as generally wowing the live circuit as extensively as ever this year, ace mod-influenced outfit the Transmitters are hoping that forthcoming album 'Britopia' will truly put the band on the map.

The Transmitters ­- Tameside frontman Dave Lees, guitarist Martin Bailey, drummer Danny Short and bassist Tony Dallas ­- have seen their army of fans grow steadily over the past couple of years.

Mixed

Their exciting guitar-driven original tunes and dead-on-the-money mod cover versions are always a big hit, so after a handful of previous EP and single releases, it's now time for a full album to follow in the autumn once between 10 and 13 tracks have been recorded and mixed at Steve 'Smiley' Barnard's Sunshine corner set-up down in Hampshire.

Guitarist Bailey said: "We're still fine-tuning the format and so on, and that includes us considering a small run of vinyl sales too. We're all really excited about it, particularly when we think about the demand for it.

"We've already released two EPs and two singles, but people seem to want more. They want a full album's worth of tunes, so we just thought 'let's give it to them'."

So where did the name 'Britopia' originate from?

Bailey explained: "Everyone knows the state of the country, and we're just getting this feeling of George Orwell and the way that it's being run.

Concept

"We just started knocking about a few songs and they've got a bit of a similar feel. It's almost feeling like it's turning into a concept album in a way.

"That's not on purpose, it's just the way we've come to agree which songs will go on the album.

"Some are a couple of years old, but we've revisited them and revamped them, and they're sounding really good.

"We got this idea of a dystopian vibe if you like, and once Danny's words and my music came together, we just thought 'hold on, Britannia, dystopia, put the two together and you've got another word - Britopia'."

There's going to be a special guest appearance on the album project, in terms of an eagerly-anticipated insert from actor Gary Shail, of 'Quadrophenia' and 'Metal Mickey' fame.

That sounds like it's not to be missed.

Bailey revealed: "We arranged to meet Gary in London and I just thought 'the word Britopia just lends itself to this idea of a cockney, spoken-voice type vocalist.

"I contacted him again after that day and asked if he fancied laying something down, and he got back saying he'd love to.

"He turned up to the studio, one take and it was fantastic.

"He looked at the words, read them, said it was very Dylan Thomas, and just recorded his bit - fantastic. We've taken his vocal track now and it's just in the right place - people have got to hear it to believe it."

The Transmitters are certainly going places this year - check out the band's up-to-date gig listings on the dedicated Facebook page - and the cost of that is being helped along by the pleasing increase in merchandise sales (including T-shirts and beer mats).

"At one point we were mithering people, asking can we do this gig, can we do that one?," added Bailey.

"But now people are ringing us. Meanwhile there's nothing better than seeing a sea of heads when you're up on stage, and then when you look further, the T-shirts. That's fantastic.

"You might not recognise the person at these gigs, but it's such a privilege to know that someone has liked your music so much, they've bought a T-shirt. That's really good for us."

Watch out for the Transmitters' album launch later in the year, and they will definitely be playing a live show near you soon.

The lads are playing at Manchester City's huge Etihad Stadium as they form part of the spectacular Great North-West Truck Show across the weekend of July 15-16.