Inspirals take their foot off the gas — for now

TAKING things easier: the Inspirals’ Steve Holt (left) and Graham Lambert

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OLDHAM indie legends the Inspiral Carpets are taking things easier this year following a whistle-stop end to 2014.

There are still gig and festival dates in the Carpets’ diary and more studio time beckons later in 2015. December will also see them on the road as guests for 1990s favourites Shed 7 on a near sold-out, 15-date nationwide tour.

But as Carpets’ vocalist Steve Holt told me, he and keyboards man Clint Boon, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassist Martyn Walsh and drummer Craig Gill are looking forward to some reflection time after their dramatic re-emergence last year.

Holt said: “We thought we’d have a quieter year this year due to 2014 being so busy and full-on with the recording and the tour in December.

“Also taking a bit of a break will give the album time to settle in, to breathe if you like. We might go in and do some more recording later in the year.

“There’s no plans at the moment, but we have discussed making another album with our label possibly next year. We’ve got a few ideas, maybe to bring a one-off single out.”

Holt and his Carpets colleagues were delighted with the November-released self-titled album of new material and January’s single, “Let You Down”, which was superbly received.

Holt added: “Fans and the press enjoyed the album, we got some brilliant reviews, but it didn’t sell as well as we’d hoped, to be honest. We thought it would do much better than number 63.

“We toured the album in December and again people loved it. Venues were selling out, the tunes went down well so we were really happy.”

Despite the sales disappointment there remains a clamour to see the Inspirals live.

This year might be quieter, but as well as the December tour they are set to play Hebden Bridge and Carlisle in May and at May 23’s Gigantic Indie All-Dayer at Manchester’s Academy. They also play the Apollo Festival in York in June and the Shiiine Weekender in Minehead in November.

“People are definitely still interested in the Inspirals,” added Holt. “We’re still being invited back to do things and play gigs and festivals. There’s still an appetite to hear us play live, and for me that’s great.”

Scoots, Boots and vinyl

SATURDAY, April 18, is set to be a momentous day for Oldham music lovers as the town’s only record store opens its doors.

Yorkshire Street’s independent clothing and footwear boutique, Scoots, Suits and Boots, will be celebrating its first anniversary in the Independent Quarter by opening the vinyl outlet.

Company director Mick Harwood said: “We will be launching our new record store brand to coincide not just with the first anniversary of the shop opening, but also as part of the celebration of National Record Store Day.”

The new store will operate as a shop-within-a-shop at Scoots, Suits and Boots, and will primarily sell second-hand vinyl.

An excited Mick added: “We are continually looking at ways of making the shopping experience better for our customers, and to be honest the record store is a bit of a no brainer for us.

“We already have an eclectic mix of records, ranging from Sixties mod bands, through the punk and mod revival years and on through the post-punk era, and even quite a bit of heavy rock.

“We know that our selection of soul and ska records are going to go down well, and that’s the key for us —- we know what vinyl our customers want to buy.”

Town folk have to go way back to be able to remember any independent record shops. Oldham was once well served by Javelin Records, Golden Disc and Discland.

Harwood added: “ The record shops in Oldham were a regular haunt for me and many other teenagers through the seventies and eighties. It was part of our social life. I want to bring that back to Oldham