The band featured quite possibly the most confident frontman (except a certain Gallagher brother) on the label who was often compared to Rod Stewart (which is not a bad thing if you forget about Rod's output in the 80's and 90's).

We'll start with a message from Alex who's currently in the studio recording.

There's a few things I`d like to say about Creation and being on the label.

First of all "Creation" was the Industry, there was no other label to match it in the 80`s and 90`s. The amount of diverse music that was around the label was just incredible. Here is this wee scots man (Alan McGee) who comes down to London and just blows everyone away with it. You could cut the Jealousy with a knife with all the other so called Independents.

The only thing I didn`t like about the Creation thing at the end was the politics involved! You ended up "you can`t say this or you can`t do that!" sortof attitude.

But over all I loved it. If it wasn`t For Alan McGee or Andy Bell I wouldn`t be here sitting talking to you.

Thanks Guy`s!

Alex Lowe

Now we'll take you back to the bands first major interview with the NME in March 1997. The band weren't to release their first single for nearly two months after this interview, however, as you'll read the band were in a very confident mood at the time.

"YEAH... I mean what we're headed for is maximum heaviosity, no doubt about it".

Andy Bell, golden-haired fallen angel and one-time disciple of all things mod as guitarist with Ride, is sitting in a pub on Primrose Hill figuring out how to explain the greatness of his new band - HURRICANE - to the world.

It can't be easy. After all, having recruited bassist Will Pepper from the remnants of legendary sleaze-freaks Thee Hypnotics, singer Alex from the wrong end of Glasgow (according to the biog, anyway) and cherubic drummer Gareth Farmer from the crowd at his last solo gig at the Borderline, he's all set for world domination, global colonisation and a forthcoming tour supporting Mega City Fourites 3 Colours Red.

"Yeah, I mean we've got to do a few rock'n'roll tours, because we've hit an amazing chemistry, and we've got to build on that. I mean heavy rock is a blind alley, because before you know it you're doing 20-minute guitar solos. With Hurricane we're pretty open. The way we sound now it's, y'know... punchy."

"We don't even bother rehearsing, we just don't need to."

The band nod eagerly. They know they're on to something great because, having done just six warm-up dates, they've already had fans following them all the way from Bath to see them in Sheffield. Andy can't contain himself.

"That's why we're so excited, because we've known from the very first rehearsal that everything's clicked straight into place. We don't even bother rehearsing, we just don't need to. What happens is, we go on one by one and start playing the riffs. We just hang on to one chord until Alex feels like coming onstage and singing. It's all in the feel of things..."

"Yeah," adds Will, "we're still in that honeymoon period, y'know, we're still on that instinctive level of just enjoying playing live..."

Before we can sample such pleasures for ourselves comes the single 'Step Into My World'. Guitars chime and explode in equal measure. A belting Rod-esque vocal gets supplied by Alex. Andy gets to do a solo. The overall effect is much like a heavyweight Ride pulverising 'Live Forever'. But great with it. Isn't Andy pissed off that in the time he's been away (he pulls a face whenever there's any mention of his old band or his 'down time' pre-Hurricane) a lot of people have come along and used the same influences?

"We're not a rock'n'roll band," corrects Andy, "we're the rock'n'roll band!"

"Not really, because I know we can do it better. I see loads of people messing around with the great stuff and I don't worry, 'cos every now and then an amazing record comes out of it. I'll give you an example: Tattva'. That is an incredible record, but they don't understand where it comes from. They just had one too many curries..."

Will the deluge of bands using the same influences not make Hurricane's life just a little more difficult though?

"No, not at all. People are born to do what they do and I was born to do this, to be in this band, to be a guitar player. We just want it too badly. I want the mansion, I want the RoIls-Royce, I want the helicopter pad, but that's not my motivation. I just want to be in a great band, and when people hear us they'll know that we are, they won't have to think about it..."

"We're just a rock'n'roll band!" exclaims Alex by way of clarification as a reverential silence falls.

"We're not a rock'n'roll band," corrects Andy, "we're the rock'n'roll band!"

Consider yourself warned...

Links

Alex Lowe's Website