A new march of the mods?

OLDHAM could well be on the verge of witnessing another mod revival – and multi-talented guitar/vocalist Matt Cummings would love to play a big part in it.

Royton-based Cummings may only be a 17-year-old college student, but he’s the confident, sharp-dressing front-man of up-and-coming band 5ft Fez, and the very thought of a mod revival excites him.

Trademark Fred Perry t-shirts, bowling shoes and a Harrington jacket have already given the game away to a large extent, so when asked if he described himself as one of the new wave of young mods who seem to be cropping up in towns and cities across the UK, the response was predictable from Cummings.

“Yes, I’d say I was,” beamed the former Radclyffe School pupil, who has been wowing local audiences since before his age reached double figures.

“It’s been something that was drummed into me by my dad, really. He was a mod back in the 80s.

“We just enjoy playing and we just want to build up our following as best we can by carrying on gigging.

“Hopefully there’ll be some more big support slots, we can get on the bigger venues and stages, and the fan base will build naturally.”

The buzz surrounding 5ft Fez is increasing.

The infectious young three-strong outfit — which also features bassist Ross Fearns (16) and drummer Joe Leach (15) — have played in front of Squeeze legend Glenn Tilbrook in London this year, as well as firing in great, energy-fuelled sets during support slots for Dennis Greaves’ “Nine Below Zero” and Bruce Foxton’s “From the Jam” revival outfit.

The boys have a busy gig diary — they next play at Royton’s White Hart on Friday, August 8 —with the highlight being a place on the Ribble Valley Mod Weekender in September, a show headlines by late 70s/early 80s giants Secret Affair.

Listen to the full interview at the Oldham Chronicle's Soundcloud.

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