Rivertairs ready to rip it up

AS the burgeoning Oldham music scene continues to spawn some incredibly exciting talent, Diggle-based outfit the Rivertairs are the latest band who appear destined for a hectic 2015.

Guitar/vocalists Tom Rothery (25, from Saddleworth) and Dan ‘Sheep’ Smith (27, from Waterhead), bassist Mark ‘Rev’ Revill (27, from Waterhead) and drummer Danny Whitelegg (24, from Failsworth) have been together since early 2013.

However, in that relatively short space of time they have enjoyed a number of high-profile gigs and a well-received three-track demo EP, followed now by their debut single release — “Jack” — which is accompanied by an amazing video which is starting to receive some rave reviews.

Filmed in Lock-91 in Deansgate Locks, Manchester, the video features the cold-blooded subject of the song, the notorious London serial killer Jack the Ripper (played by Tony Bolton), with actors and actresses in period dress, sourced from Manchester’s Royal Exchange costume hire.

It was guitar/vocalist Smith who came up with the idea for the song courtesy of his taste in rather spooky literature.

He said: “I was reading the ‘From Hell’ graphic novel, as you do, and I just got this melody in my head

“It was like a stabbing sort of sound, backed by this melody, and I just thought ‘I want to write about Jack the Ripper and about his stalking of creatures of the night’.

“The lyrics are a bit tongue in cheek, though, and even a bit daft, but we put a chorus together, then a verse, and so on.

“It did come together really quickly, though.

“We love the video. Matt Jones did a brilliant job. There was a general idea for it before-hand, but we didn’t have a story-board as such, just key points written down.

“A lot of ideas just came on the day, we filmed it over a 10-hour period, and we had a great time.

“There had been quite a lot of stress in the weeks leading up to filming, but that one day, everything came together.”

With “Jack” now available to download through iTunes, Spotify and Google Play, plans are already afoot for the Rivertairs’ next release.

In the meantime, check out the band’s Facebook page and the official website at www.rivertairs.com.
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