Interview by Geno McGahee
The classic rock sound of MILES AND THE CHAIN GANG has been earning the band quite a following as of late, leading to some notable shows and attendance from fans. The band has a lot of great plans in store, upcoming gigs and more to discuss in this exclusive interview with Scared Stiff…
GM: Hi Miles! Can you introduce Miles and The Chain Gang to the public?
We’re a band based in York. We write our own material, a lot of the songs were ones I wrote years ago, some are more recent. I like to think the songs are good and we play with a lot of energy and heart. It’s me (Miles), Tim Bruce (bass) and Billy Hickling (drums and percussion). We also have a fourth member, Alan Dawson (lead guitar), who joins us from time to time. But Alan’s based in Scotland so it’s not easy for rehearsals!
GM: How would you describe your band, your style, and your message?
I don’t know if we have a message. Maybe it is live now! Grab every moment and make the most of it. We’re an old fashioned rock band with bass, guitar, drums. There’s a bit of a new wave influence (The Pretenders, The Police) but also a touch of singer-songwriter (Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison) and a fair dose of soul.
GM: What got you into music in the beginning and what musicians/bands were your inspirations in the early days?
I’ve been playing for thirty years. We all have. The start for me was being a kid and being completely gripped by music. It just transported you to another place. Still does. I was lucky enough to be a kid in the early 1980s when there was a lot of brilliant pop music on the radio. I love all that early ’80s stuff, even the cheesy stuff, because the songs were so good. There were so many great songs coming out of the radio in the first four years of the ’80s. UB40 ‘Red Red Wine’, The Specials ‘Ghost Town’, Duran Duran ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’, Ultravox, ‘Vienna’. The Human League ‘Don’t You Want Me’. The Jam ‘Town Called Malice’ – plus loads more things. It was just a brilliant, brilliant time for pop music. We don’t use synthesisers but we do play a version of ‘Here Comes The Rain Again’ by The Eurythmics. Billy jammed along to The Police when he started drumming – another great band. Tim likes soul, funk, and disco. So there’s a real mixture of stuff.
GM: You are currently recording at the moment… Talk about your latest music. What should the public expect from this material?
We’re recording a track called ‘When It Comes To You’ which is a short, punchy pop song. It’s a hybrid of new wave, something slightly Beatles-y, and Van Morrison. I like it. It’s short and punchy. It’s all over in about two and half minutes. It should be out in the first few months of 2020. After that, I’d like us to record an album.
GM: What has been the best experience you’ve had being in the business since you began playing?
I used to go busking in Hull in the 1990s and I would play on a friday night. It was pretty hairy, a lot of young men would be out getting drunk, and somebody was bottled about four feet away from me one night, but those busking sessions were brilliant. People were just up for it. I’d get fifty quid in a couple of hours some nights. They always wanted ‘Wonderwall’, which I don’t like, but somebody would say ‘Give us the guitar’, and they would play the song, and their mates would throw coins in the guitar case. So I’d get paid for somebody else playing. Hilarious! Plus there was another busker there called Doog. He was a lot of fun to play with. I don’t think he’s with us anymore. I loved Doog. A one-off.
GM: And what has been the worst experience you’ve had?
The worst experience ever was a gig in about 1996 or 1997 at a pub in Colchester. I was playing with my mate Syd. We’d been in a couple of bands together, the first one in 1989. We were asked to stop playing by the landlord of this pub. It was truly hideous. We weren’t very confident and we didn’t have the right kit. I remember thinking ‘This isn’t working’. Syd’s girlfriend at the time, Lucy, stepped forward and clapped at the front, to try and rescue the atmosphere. It was truly hideous. Like a bad dream. But everybody has their ‘crap gig’ experience. It’s just a rite of passage, something you have to go through.
GM: With the changing mediums in the distribution of music, how difficult is it to make a living in the business these days?
It’s hard. Money from gigs seems to have gone down. But you know, you get on with it. I’d rather play that not play. I remember being at a music business seminar in London, years ago, and somebody on the panel said ‘Bands get £50 for playing. You really have to want to do it.’ That’s so true. It’s difficult to get something off the ground, especially in the beginning when nobody knows who you are. You have to work really hard. But as Gene Simmons (Kiss’ bass player) once said: ‘There is no substitute for hard work.’ I have a quote on my wall. It says. ‘There are no miracles. Only discipline.’ Or, as Bruce Cockburn put it ‘Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight.’ It’s so true. Just get out there and do it! There’s no point grumbling.
GM: You’re playing a great showcase in York in December after a successful show at the Yorkshire Grass Roots Music Awards lately, what should the audience expect from you and The Chain Gang at this show?
Basically it’s a Christmas party because it’s on December 22nd. There might be one or two Christmas things, and we’ll have a bit of a laugh. But we will play our hearts out as well. We always do. We’re joined by a couple of local bands, Sauce! play Iggy Pop-type stuff and King Courgette play bluegrass and their own songs. It should be great fun, and a good gig. We’ve worked hard this year and it will be nice way to let our hair down. Next year should be even better. I think this band has a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to getting our video for ‘When It Comes to You’ on line. Some of it will be filmed at the York gig in December.
Miles and The Chain Gang play The Crescent, York, December 22nd 2019, 8pm – 11pm.
* Gig marks end of first full year of activity for York-based four piece
* Frontman Miles is published poet and journalist
* Drummer Billy toured the world with ‘Stomp’ theatre show
* Original, lyrical songs with lots of heart and soul
* FFO: Springsteen, Van Morrison, The Pretenders, REM
Tickets for the December gig are £6 and the event starts at 8p.m. Find out more CLICK HERE.
