ALFA 9

ALBUM 'THEN WE BEGIN'Our debut album was described in Clash magazine as. "A fully realised and hugely ambitious debut which succeeds on every level"!! Released on CD, LP & digital



BIOGRAPHYOK, so it's mid-2006 and any group looking to be
a part of the Brit-rock resurgence better have all the
necessary ingredients: tinny, post-Libertines guitar sound?
Check! Stage-school, say-nothing interview technique?
Check! Zero knowledge of anything that happened in the
years B.C (Before Cassablancas)? Check!
Time, then, for a group blessed with a musical depth
and lyrical imagination way beyond such fashion-led
fodder.
Meet Alfa 9 (singer-guitarist: Phil Mason, Ali Heath-vocals/bass,
Leon Jones-guitar, Jamie Gordon-keyboards, Andy Shaw-drums).
Formed in Newcastle-Under-Lyme eighteen months ago,
this photogenic quintet are the latest in a long line
of musicians who tap into the British equivalent of
'cosmic americana'.
Inspired initially by The Stone Roses, Shack, and Verve's
debut album 'A Storm In Heaven' they have
traced their influences to the source, embracing everything
from 'Dark Side Of the Moon' to the West
Coast Pop Art Experimental band en route. The name,
meanwhile, was indirectly inspired by literary great
William Burroughs.
"I was reading about what Burroughs and Brion
Gyson got up to in Paris" explains singer Phil
(dark, bit of a catch, looks like a star-gazing Carl
Barat).
"They experimented with dream machines, which are
these revolving lights which when looked at for long enough
produce alpha-wave activity in the brain, leading to other-worldy
visions. "
So far, so esoteric. But Alfa 9 aren't here
to wallow in a fug of narcotics whilst the world drifts
by their window. There's a grainy realism to their
lyrics prompted by an adolescence where excitement came
and went with whoever played the Wolverhampton Little
Civic.
"I think the lyrics are a reflection of where
we grew up" continues Ali.
"It's pretty fucking grim where we're
from, and you're not encouraged to do anything
different" adds Keith Moon-a-like drummer Andy.



"We'd rather reflect that in the music than
make it too obvious. Suede's 'Dog Man Star'
is a good example: it's a dark record but you
still feel like you're stepping into a different
universe."
Indeed. Whilst their peers sledgehammer home the horrors
of city centres deserted but for whirring CCTV's,
Alfa 9 achieve the same effect via a mellifluous menace.
Duly snapped up by the management company responsible
for psych-godfathers Echo & the Bunnymen, the band
signed to Blow Up records for debut single 'For
Your Bones' (released Dec 2005). A haunting slice
of psych-pop, it coincided with a spate of gigs where
the band could show-off both their Floyd-like live extravaganza
and get to grips with Service Station cuisine.
"Gigs are one-offs" enthuses Ali.
"There's a communal aspect to them where
you can get lost in the music. Better still, you learn
something every time."
The lessons learned at over a hundred gigs have been
channelled into debut album 'Then We Begin'
(released August 7th). Recorded over six weeks at The
Charlatans Big Mushroom studios, it is, quite simply,
a gem. Full of euphoric surges, cool dignity and a scope
to shame the guitar-pop scenesters clogging up the charts,
it is as expansive as Secret Machines but as neo-folky
as Dungen. If the meticulously layered instrumentation,
and glacial pop tunes don't move you, songs like
new single 'Deadman' suggest chart occupation
is imminent.
"Deadman' is such a good song" enthuses
Phil.
"It sounds beautiful in one sense, but if you
look a little more closely at it, there's darkness
in there too.".
'Give Me Your Heart Again', meanwhile, could
be the Coral at their peak, with the playground surrealism
traded in for a more worldly-wise mindset. There are
traces of sweaty old rock music, but 'Then We
Begin' always ends up sounding thoroughly modern.
Don't dip in, is the subtext, dive into the depths
of the past and see what you can find. As Phil says:
"Dust off your headphones and make up your own
mind."
These astral arbiters of faith, dope and clarity will
be playing live near you soon.
Alfa 9: watch the skies.by Paul Moody - July 2006
NEWS LIVE DATES ANNOUNCEDThe band break their long silence with the announcement that they will play 2 live shows at the beginning of April in Stoke on Trent then Newcastle under Lyme. See 'Upcoming Shows' section for details.
RELEASES
Single 'Deadman' released 31st July 2006
Album 'Then We Begin' released 7th August
2006
Deadman - 31st July
7" - BU038
CD - BU038CD
DL - BU038DD
DL - BU038DDE
Then We Begin - 7th August
LP - BU034LP
CD - BU034CD
DL - BU034DD
Previous single (Dec 2005) For Your Bones 7" and download single
Label - Blow Up Records - Catalogue No BU033
VIDEO
Alfa 9 at Korova - Liverpool



Add to My Profile
Deadman



Add to My Profilewww.alfa9.co.uk