Laces tie up huge support...

Photo: Dylan Mitchell

DIRTY LACES

SELLING out all the tickets for a first-ever gig is enough to give any new band a huge confidence boost, and that's certainly the case with cracking young Oldham indie outfit Dirty Laces.

The band - vocalist Charlie Jordan, guitarist Luke Dec, rhythm guitarist Jacob Simpson, bassist Tom Edwards and drummer Jack Walmsley - have only been together since January, but initial hard work in the practice room appears to be paying off already.

Strongly influenced by 'big bands' the Rolling Stones, Oasis, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and the Stooges, Dirty Laces played their first official gig at Gulliver's in Manchester's northern quarter last Friday week, and it couldn't have gone any better.

Simpson said: "We did a warm-up at the Zombie Shack in Manchester, but this had been our first real gig and we went over the ticket allocation.

Street

"It was good of course, and you don't want to turn anyone away, so everyone got in. Obviously close family and friends were there, but there was a lot of new people there.

"There was an Australian fella there who said he'd heard us online, and there were people just coming in from across the street.

"We also had a few people come in who said they'd heard good things about us on Twitter.

"It's good when it's just random people enjoying your music - it's not just your mums and your mates.

"There were people there who didn't have to say they enjoyed it, and after it we've been contacted about doing a couple more gigs.

"It was encouraging. It's early days, but now we just need to keep moving and improving what we're doing."

So good was that opening city gig, Dirty Laces are heading back to Gulliver's on October 7, as a delighted Simpson explained.

"We've been offered a gig by Scruff of the Neck, supporting a band called the Ruby Tuesdays," he said.

"Indigo Project are on there too, so following the experience we had the other Friday, it's not something we would be turning down.

"It's really good there, it's a great venue."

Dirty Laces - who have already released separate self-recorded singles 'Contagious', 'The Hypnotist', 'Between the lines' and 'In the way' to positive feedback - are determined to keep busy between now and Christmas.

"We've got quite a lot on our plates," said Edwards.

"We're also playing on the Vinyl Revival 20th anniversary gig in October at the Ruby Lounge, so that'll be good.

"We're also planning to record an EP in November.

"We don't want to do two double 'A' sides. We're going to try and craft something that is all about us.

"A lot of bands just do singles to try and make the Spotify playlists, but we want to make something that is pretty complete and sounds good.

"Hopefully people will listen to an EP and think that sounds pretty solid.

"You can go from one side of the spectrum to the other, and if it is an EP we do, all the tracks will be linked in some way or other.

"That might not be musically, but certainly lyrically.

"That's what we're going to aim for - what actually comes out might be totally different!

"We do try and plan things, and we've had Paul Robinson help us a lot.

"He's supported us with ideas, helping us seem more professional if you like.

"Paul and Ian, who helped record our earlier tracks, are like our manager and sound engineer, but on a much friendlier basis, which is very good for us."

Check out the excellent Dirty Laces tunes on the band's dedicated Twitter and Facebook pages.

Gig ticket links are also on there.