Recreation bidding to spread the word

Recreation bidding to spread the word

THEY might be the youngest band on the Oldham block at present as the eldest member is 16, but the Recreation are “buzzing” to be part of the town’s current exciting scene.

The Recreation only formed in October, 2013, and the raucous indie outfit is only six months into its current line-up of front-man and guitarist Owen Baldwin (16, from Royton and Crompton School), guitarist Tom Atkinson (15, Royton and Crompton), drummer George Porter (16, Hollingworth Academy) and bassist Sam Sumner (15, Saddleworth).

However, with a focus on churning out only original material, and having played roughly 20 showcase gigs at Manchester’s higher-profile venues so far, a tough road upwards is pretty much guaranteed.

The Recreation are fiercely proud of their roots, though, and being just one of a host of exciting young bands from the town is clearly something that provides plenty of inspiration.

Guitarist Atkinson said: “The whole scene in Oldham is growing isn’t it? Certainly a lot more than in other areas.

“There’s a kind of fresh feel about it all because it’s new. There’s so many bands in town to listen to. It’s time we all listened to ourselves in a way, and that appears to be happening in Oldham.”

The band admit it’s not easy finding your way in the current hectic scene, but despite their tender ages, the Recreation are already trying to look well into the future.

Drummer Porter added: “Because we play our own material I suppose that’s why we’re not really suited to doing pub gigs.

“But we want to get ourselves a van. We want to go everywhere and play to be honest. There are only so many places you can play in and around Manchester.

“We’re already thinking about trying to spread our sound across the UK.

“It’s a funny one really. People talk a lot about a band’s online presence, but word of mouth still works in my opinion.

“After our recent gig at the Ruby Lounge we picked up a few new followers who bought tickets for a later show.”

The Recreation have enjoyed one single day of recording, which produced the tracks “What I’ve found”, “I’m alive” and “Yours today”, but the lads are keen to secure further studio time soon, when they can afford it.

Front-man Baldwin said: “We do need to get recording some of our more recent material.

“It is awkward because playing the venues in Manchester isn’t as well paid as doing a pub gig, and we’re not that well off, so there’s stuff to consider.

“We’ll need to do a few pubs, but we do enjoy playing our own material. You’ve just got to get the balance right I guess.”

Making progress on a Simon Cowell tv show might earn the Recreation a few quid, but the idea of appearing on ‘X-Factor” or “Britain’s Got Talent” clearly isn’t part of the masterplan.

“It’s the wrong kind of attention if you ask us. It’s a load of rubbish,” added Atkinson. “It’s definitely not the sort of scene we’d like to get into. From our perspective it’s a definite ‘no’.