Ballroom

Bio:

Lead vocalist Gary Prosser meets bassist Michael Secker (25), a cat in a hat, at Uni in Manchester and they overcame their personal hatred of each other to make music. Gary once appeared on Blue Peter dressed as a pear for a ballet routine and quite simply deserves the abuse. The first album he ever bought was the Dulux theme by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for Christ's sake! Michael on the other hand was famed for downing a bottle of gin and whipping off his coat to dance to Saturday Night Fever in the student union every Friday. Honestly, Manchester should be grateful this became a London thing. Anyway back to the point - their intrepid band gets noticed but it's only when they move to London and take on Michael's twin brother Tim as guitarist and through an ad in the Maker, took on Nick Hill as drummer, (23). Incidentally the Secker twins used to hate each other too but in the true spirit of The Sound of Music were brought together for their love of heavy metal, or however you'd describe Saxon. There's yet to be a fist thrown between Gary and Michael on stage, but as Gary - teeth gritted - murmurs, "If eyes had fists..." Michael, says Gary, can be moody, like the moodiest song of the Moody Blues. But not Knights in White Satin. Gary used to pride himself on his increasing unpredictability and ability to attract girls to walk on stage and present him with lilies. That was until a girlfriend walked on mid-set and threatened him with a paternity suit. He's a different man now: "I didn't know her, but the Kid's lovely," Tim is content to throw the odd rock stance and his hair out of his eyes while Nick - whose greatest achievement ironically seems to have been to have drifted through life with nobody having punched him repeatedly about the head; he modelled Levi's stone - washed jeans - dreams of eating food. All food. Except dog food. Apart from Bonio. They could have become the laser Warriors during a drunken Sunday afternoon game of quick-name -the-band had the simple name ballroom not been throw into the fray. Loved for its elegance and grandeur and because laser Warriors was quite simply arse. Ballroom topped the headed paper when they signed to Mother records 18 months ago without performing live. Strange, because 100 gigs on their live set has become one of the strongest elements of their act. Everyone knew the name but nothing of the sound but ballroom quickly justified their signing with the seductive but sumptuous limited edition seven inch vinyl The Rise of the Catwalk Queen (Sept. 1996) and then silent singers(March 1997), a track which oozes panache and aflame. Then the real attention found them last June with the rock epic Take it. Attention from the likes of the Chart Show, Videotech et al, and your more respectable music weeklies. Then just as it had happened, they went off the rails like any self - respecting rock stars and just enjoyed spending their money while they took time over writing the songs which have now caused such a buzz. Songs that needed honing in the studio and plied with lyrics written as they were recorded. Tracks like the passionate roller coaster Beauty Sleep, about not being able to lie next to the one who shares your bed tonight, and the spooky soulsearcher Someone Like You, about not being able to cope with spitting up. Heartfelt, but relevant. The running theme? Not getting what you want. Looking up to your idols and imitating them but standing no chance of emulating their success. The danger of becoming one of those people who walk into a club like they own it. Armchair critic music. It's eternal. It's elegant. It's romantic. It's grand. Like a Ballroom. Encounters with an insomniac ghost at their recording studio which followed Nick around his bedroom and an incident writing off the owner's Land rover by rolling it on a drink - fuelled late night rabbit shoot are also to blame for delays. And then there's Gary's forays into modelling with his twin brother(who isn't in the band because that would be asking for it) which sees him currently adorning the poster billboards in Levi's denim jacket adverts. Normal service has been resumed. The music is the priority. The buzz? er the priority. The Buzz? Right now the 1000 copy limited edition seven - inch vinyl Bionic released last month enters at number 2 ahead of Spiritualised, Dandy Warhols and the Audience on the Student Radio Network and was played very few nights by Lamacq on Radio One's Evening Session. The urgency? Avoiding the dole. (thanks to universal.com) ..

Member Since:

April 12, 2006

Members:

Gary Prosser - Vocals / Piano Michael Secker - Bass Tim Secker - Guitar Ben Kirson - Guitar Nick Hill - Drums

Record Label:

mother