'It feels great' - Oldham's own Inspiral Carpets get ready to take on the world again

There appears to be a definite ‘all for one and one for all’ mindset inside the Inspiral Carpets camp as the Madchester legends prepare to head out to play well over 30 gigs again this year.

The Oldham heroes - led by mainstays Clint Boon, Graham Lambert and front man Stephen Holt - have tweaked their line-up ahead of a Spring UK tour.

Former Rainkings, Chameleons Vox and DubSex drummer Kev Clark has been drafted in to replace the tragically now departed Craig Gill, while massively popular locally-based talent Jake Fletcher will take over on bass guitar due to Martyn Walsh’s unavailability.

Many Inspirals fans feared they may have seen the last live shows following Craig’s passing, but the band are back and the clamour for show tickets has been huge - some gigs have already sold out.

All five current Inspiral Carpets can’t wait to get back on stage again, having put heart and soul into rehearsals and preparations for what is sure to be another exciting comeback.

Founding band member Graham told the Chronicle: “It’s been eight years since we toured, and when you’ve been away quite a while like that it does seem to automatically create demand.

“It’s probably exceeded my expectations, though, and that has led to other festival offers, like Victorious in Portsmouth and the Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington.

“So there are some quite tasty festival appearances in the pipeline.

“There’s a network of people who put on festivals and gigs, and once word got out last year that we were going on tour, and people know on social media that something is stirring, people come through with offers.

“It’s been tight squeezing some of the shows in due to band members’ other commitments but, outside of family life of course, it’s got to be our number one thing to be doing and you’ve got to be into it.

“Everyone who’s signed up for this year, though, be it Kev, Jake, me, Clint or Stephen, we all know what we need to do and what will be needed when the intro tape starts running in Northampton on what will probably be a wet Thursday night in the Spring.”

Of course there was plenty of soul-searching inside the Carpets camp, but the two new recruits look to have fitted into the breach seamlessly.

“We have been rehearsing on and off since last August,” revealed Graham.

“There was no-one who could come in and be better than Craig, but Kev has studied the records, and he knew Craig well too, they were good friends.

“He’s of a good mindset though and he can do what Craig did.

“Therefore he’s fitted in superbly, while Jake on bass is already a well-established musician as many people know.

“He’s a great guy, he’s very funny, a cracking lad, so it’s been great all round.

“With him being local too, it’s been superb.

“It feels great in rehearsals, and that’s probably because it sounds exactly right.

“Myself, Clint and Stephen could only do it if it felt right.

“If it wasn’t good, we just wouldn’t do it and that would affect the legacy of the band.

“It’s got to sound right, and we’re more than happy.

“We’re probably at a stage now where we could do a gig this weekend, but there is about another seven or eight rehearsals before the first gig of the tour - we’re all excited, it’s good.”

The Carpets are even off Down Under to play half-a-dozen gigs in Australia and New Zealand in late July and August.

Graham can’t wait for that two-and-a-half week jaunt - particularly as the band never got to play New Zealand, even during their 90s heyday.

Australia is a place cricket fanatic Graham will never forget, however.

He added: “We were in discussions with the Australian and New Zealand promoters back in 2015, but with other commitments we could never seem to fit in a three-week slot where we could go to these places, and then Craig sadly passed away.

“However, once the promoter got wind that we were doing some shows again, he was back on at us
again.

“I asked him to throw some offers at us, and now it’s sorted.

“It’s actually 30 years ago since we last went to Australia, and I remember it was our summer here and winter in Australia.

“England were playing cricket against Australia over here, but I was in Australia so I ended up staying up watching it through the night in the hotel over there.

“I’m really looking forward to going back there, and I’ve never even been to New Zealand so I can’t wait, it’ll be fantastic.”

Ticket links for all gigs this year are on the Carpets’ official website - www.inspiralcarpets.com

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.