Mad for it!

The Madding Crowd - looking forward to returning to Jackson's Pit

BEN Corry, guitar/vocalist with ace Failsworth rock n' roll outfit The Madding Crowd, can hardly wait for his band's starring appearance at June 11's latest 'Oldham Rocks' showcase night at Jackson's Pit.

The Madding Crowd - guitar brothers Ben and Dominic Corry, bassist cousin Claud Corry and recently-recruited drummer Sav Patel - have been installed as chief support to the Rainkings, Steve Holt's late 80/early 90s indie stars who have reformed and - as exclusively revealed last month on this page - are playing their first live gig in well over two decades right here in their home town.

The Madding Crowd themselves have been out on the circuit for some six years now, but the June 11 Oldham date will offer a crucial exposure boost as the third 'Oldham Rocks' night is already heading for a sell-out.

Front-man Ben Corry said: "The 'Oldham Rocks' gig will be a massive thing for us. The fact that the Rainkings haven't gigged for so long just adds to the intrigue.

"It's amazing how Steve Holt has done two huge cycles now, first with the Inspirals and now with the Rainkings, and it is going to be a huge event now.

"Tickets are flying out we're told, and for us as a band it's a real coup, while the gig overall is a big coup for the town.

"It's really nice for us too, because Jackson's Pit is the place where we played our first-ever gig in 2010, and now we've not played there for around three years.

"I think the last time we played there was supporting Mick Quinn's (ex-Supergrass) DB Band.

"It's going to feel like a bit of a homecoming for us and the Rainkings I guess. It's going to be a great night for us to be involved with."

Punters are in for a treat on June 11.

The Madding Crowd are a tight, multi-influenced band who have been around long enough to have previously released three highly acclaimed EPs, with another five-track offering currently being worked on by popular producer Chris Oliver.

Gigs are booked in for Sheffield, Liverpool, Glasgow, Oldham of course, and possibly London.

Asked to describe the sound of The Madding Crowd, Ben added: "Every song veers in a different direction really. There's elements of rockabilly in there, a bit of metal, some prog, punk and even psychedelia and glam.

"Myself and Dom do a lot of the writing together and we do work on an instinctive basis.

"We'll sit and play around together and whatever comes out, comes out, but we feel that helps the organics in that each song is so different.

"Some of our songs are poppy, some are heavy and very long, while some are quite short and punky.

"It's a whole mix of different things, though, from across the whole of the rock n' roll spectrum I guess."

Certainly it appears their sound has been lifted significantly since London sticks man Patel was drafted into the band last year.

"It almost feels like we're in a new band to be honest," added Ben.

"Since Sav's come in there has been a new approach.

"The gigs are going really well and attendances have been good.

"There is a kind of kinetic energy at the shows, and people seem to be passionate about what we're doing."

Check out The Madding Crowd page on Facebook, where you'll find ticket links to the June 11 'Oldham Rocks' night.