I was recently joined on my afternoon show on Tameside Radio by Simon Nelson, founding member of The Milltown Brothers, who despite being one of the most underrated bands of the late 80's and early 90's, were still without a doubt an integral part of the Northern music scene in Britain at the time. The band were formed in Colne, Lancashire, and in 1989 released their first independent EP entitled 'Coming From The Mill'.
By 1990 The Milltown Brothers were being tipped to be one of the next big bands and had released 'Which Way Should I Jump', which reached the chats in both the UK and USA. In 1991, the band released 'Slinky', the iconic album which NME would name as one of the albums of the year, and Q Magazine awarded five stars in their review. The next single to be released was 'Here I Stand', which would go on to be used as the theme for BBC drama 'All Quiet On The Preston Front'.
A second album, 'Valve', was released, and during this time the band were playing to huge crowds in the UK and USA, both in their own right and alongside bands such as The Las, The Wonderstuff, Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins. In 1993 they headlined Manchester Academy and were supported by The Real People and a new upcoming band from Manchester named Oasis. After this the band had a break for a few years, before returning with albums 'Rubberband' in 2004, 'Long Road' in 2015, and 'Stockholm' in 2020.
The Milltown Brothers remain an influential band, and this year will see the band, consisting of Simon Nelson, Matt Nelson, James Fraser, Nian Brindle and Barney Williams (who also now tours with original Animal's drummer John Steel in 'The Animals and Friends), play an almost hometown gig at St Marys Chamber in Rawtenstall tomorrow night (Friday 3rd May), before appearing at several other gigs and festivals including at the Shiiine On Festival in Minehead later in the year.
The Milltown Brothers burst onto the scene at the back end of the 'Manchester' scene of the late 80's and also the early days of the 'Britpop' era, and they fitted nicely into both. It's so good to see them looking to the future, and with selected gigs booked in, and talk of new music later in the year, The Milltown Brothers and their music look and sound as great as ever.
To listen back to my interview with the band's Simon Nelson, search for 'The Milltown Brothers with Dave Sweetmore' on YouTube.
