The Clones - Run of The Mill or reaching for the stars

If you’ve taken any notice of the Preston music scene over the past few months, you cannot have failed to hear the name ‘The Clones’ banded about all over the City.

Whether it’s good or bad news you’ve been passed by your contemporaries, a compliment or a condemning, it is undeniable that these four lads are sending waves through the region’s fast evolving music scene. Strange, for a band that has no reviews, pictures or websites to advertise its existence:

“Yeah, we like to let our sort of music do the talking itself.”

The back of toilet doors

As clichéd and sarcastic as this response appears, Listen Up cannot help but think that Billy Clone, now singer and rhythm guitarist, believes precisely what he says. The bands’ name can be seen all over town, be it on pub chalkboards, telegraph poles or the back of toilet doors:

“In honesty”, Billy continues, “It’s not an intentional thing, we’ve just been concentrating on the music and playing live. It’s convenient though, because our singer recently left, so it would all need changing. I have shifted to singer and we’ve brought in Ashley on bass.

“Hopefully we’ll get a website up and running soon, we know someone who can run it for us, and we’re looking to get a three track CD recorded over the next few weeks.”

'Local retro-rock loony boys"

The Clones describe their music as ‘60’s/70’s pop-rock
with a punk direction,’ incorporating influences such as The Sonics and David Bowie, and although they have yet to record any material, outsiders are already dreaming up quirky descriptions of the band based on their live performance. These descriptions read like a list of worst-ever band names, being depicted as anything from ‘an old time cockney having a bad day,’ to ‘local retro rock loony boys.’

The unpredictable four-piece have had to work to earn their fan base of friends and local music fans, having turned people off in the past due to
their gang mentality.

Youthful eccentric

Sitting round a table in The Adelphi, Listen Up gets the distinct feeling that The Clones do not so much spend life in each others’ pockets, but are certainly a tight unit. Drummer Dan, a youthful eccentric, sits opposite. He is visually cautious of the journalistic interloper within the group yet donates the odd comment and threatens to drop an Oscar Wilde quote at any moment. Ashley, the new bassist, lacks the typically rock ‘n’ roll looks of the rest of the band and remains unspoken but settled through most of the interview.

Dave Clone also sits in relative silence, ironically looking every bit the main character from Almost Famous, yet Listen Up cannot shake the suspicion that he is the main driving force of the band. Singer, Billy, by far the most open and chatty of the group mentions how the band has had to rebuild their reputation over the past year:

“A lot of people used to hate us. There was a gig in the Adelphi a while ago when we all went on really drunk and played badly; we lost a lot of respect for that.

“Things have improved a lot since we stopped playing Strettles though. We are looking to get a live set together soon and hopefully get gigging around Sheffield and Manchester.”

Arrogant streak

The Clones play on April 22 at The Mill for their quarter-final
of The Battle of the Bands and although quietly confident,
they do not seem too carried away with the prospect of a semi-final place.

“It’s all just for the experience really; we’re only just starting out so it’s good practice.” States Billy, only to be interrupted by Dan, who proves that the band do have an arrogant streak, and it could be what propels them to the next level on the road to recognition:

“We’re confident, The Baker Street Irregulars sound good though, but we’re not up against them yet. They’re the only band in it I would be happy to lose to.”

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

Photography: Dan Jeoffroy