Mansun...

Apart from the brilliant article, tracking Mansun's uinque history, written by Lauren Murphy for Issue Number one, British Awareness also featured an exclusive interview with Stove King, also conducted by Lauren. This page features that interview, and some photos from the first cover stars!!

Lauren : In early interviews, some members of Mansun mentioned that you had formed the band to get you out of Chester. Is this the sole reason for you persuing a career in music?

Stove : Sort of. Um, it was just something to do really. There was this rehearsal studio near Liverpool that we would go to every Sunday and play together. We all worked during the week, so it was just a reason to get out of it.

L : If you were not given the chance to be in Mansun, do you think that you would have learnt bass anyway?

S : Probably not. I only knew the very basics. It was mainly to be part of it all, to play in a band. I think it's been pretty good though.

L : Paul has described 'Attack Of The Grey Lantern' as an ambitious album - lyrically and especially musically. Were you surprised by the high quality of the album when you heard it played back to you?

S : To tell you the truth I haven't really had the chance to sit back and listen to it yet. I don't think it would be a surprise as we knew where we were going. We didn't waste any time when we were recording."

L : What do you want people to take, or get out of your album?

S : Um, enjoyment really. You want people to listen to your album and enjoy it like you enjoy your favourite band' music.

L : The album has a sound quite different to your first EP's. Did you plan the change in your sound, or did you find it developed itself, while you were in the studio?

S : Well you see, we released four or five EP's before we put out anything solid. They were all very rough recordings and done quickly. We used them to learn how to learn our instruments, and get use to recording. We were still sort of learning when we released them. We took more time with the album, we were also better musicians by the time we recorded the album.

L : How do you feel personally when on stage with the rest of the band?

S : Great, I love the touring the most. It's an incredible feeling when you're on stage in front of all these people. As a band we communicate a lot on stage. We're always talking. There's a great atmosphere.

L : Do you enjoy the crowds' reaction? Do they help you do a better live set?

S : Do they help us? Yeah, it's just sort of... (thinks to himself) Maybe before we go on, the lights go down, crowds making noises, we walk on. That does it for me really. We start the gig and it's great, little bit of tension before you go on which is always good. Nah, it's just great to get out in front of crowds. They want to see you and you wnat to play for them. I love it, it's great!

L : What does the atmosphere compare like at the festivals to your own gigs?

S : They're brilliant! We've actually gone to a few festivals. We haven't headlined a festival yet though. The slots we've had have been good. All the bands go up on stage and play, it's great. Thousands of people there cheering, it's really good. I love it!

L : What was your impression of the Australian leg of your 'World Tour'?

S : Great! We were all a bit jet lagged, so we were all a bit tired. But yeah, we still enjoyed it.