Introducing: The Incredible Magpie Band

From Wakefield, a Liam Gallagher-endorsed synthesis of skiffle, early US rock ‘n’ roll and Brit invasion sounds…

YOUR NAME: Lee Knowles.
BAND NAME: The Incredible Magpie Band.
WHAT DO YOU DO/PLAY? Lead singer/songwriter and I play the acoustic guitar.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TOGETHER AS A BAND?
We’ve been together as a band for around two years, probably been gigging for one and a half years but we’ve all know each other for a lot longer – we’re from the same town, Normanton, which is in Wakefield.  All of us were in different bands before we started this band so our bands gigged together, helped each other out, pinched equipment off each other etc.

GIVE US 3 REASONS WHY WE SHOULD TRACK DOWN, LISTEN AND DISCOVER YOUR MUSIC?
1. There is no one else out there that sound like us.
2. We’re real people playing real instruments and we have really good songs.
3. Cause I said so!

WHERE DO YOU SOUND BEST – FESTIVAL, CLUB, BEDROOM – OR SOMEWHERE ELSE?
We’ve been described as perfect festival music and the music definitely has a lot of sunshine in it, but I think it sounds equally as good in a club or bedroom. That’s what we set out to do from the start, to try and write great songs, songs that aren’t reliant on anything except the song itself.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST …
RECORD? Out of Space (The Prodigy).
CD? Definitely Maybe (Oasis).
DOWNLOAD? My first one is going to be The incredible Magpie Band, double a-side, This Chose Me/Money on the 15th of September 2014.

SO, WHEN IT ALL GOES RIGHT AND YOU’VE GOT A MANSION AND A SUPERMODEL GIRL/BOYFRIEND, WHAT WILL BE YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INDULGENCE?
Don’t think the wife would be too keen on a supermodel moving in with us, but I’d certainly be happy with the mansion, a few nice cars, swimming pool, a private jet, a pet tiger and a small island somewhere in the Caribbean! But to be honest, I’m not that materialistic and the only things I dream about buying for myself are guitars! I’ve a list as long as my arm!

SO, WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG AND YOU’VE ACRIMONIOUSLY BROKEN UP CITING HUGE MUSICAL DIFFERENCES, WHAT DO YOU FALL BACK ON?
Nothing! There is no plan B, this is it! We don’t have anything to fall back on, except what other people have, a 9-5 job. Being in this band is not a career choice for us, it’s our life. It’s what we do and who we are and we put our hearts and souls into it. We’re not just seeing how it works out for a couple of months and then move on to something else, we’ll all be doing this until we die in one form or another, together or apart.

PLEASE CITE SOME INTER-BAND MUSICAL DIFFERENCES …
We all sort of like the same bands with a few exceptions  We’ve all got a similar vision of where we want to go and what we want to sound like.

WHO ARE YORKSHIRE’S FINEST IN CULTURE, SPORT AND MUSIC?
Yorkshire is full of culture, but who is the best at it I’m not sure? Sport, some of us are Leeds United fans and some are Wakefield Trinity fans, so I’ll have to say those two. For me the best band ever to come out of Yorkshire is The Music. It’s a shame they have ended things, they should have been massive! Sheffield has had some great bands too.

NAME YOUR SUPERGROUP – WHO’S PLAYING WHAT AND WHO’S ON VOCALS?
This is a tricky question, I could give you a hundred different combinations but here’s the one I’d choose today: Drums: Zak Starkey, Bass: Paul McCartney, Rhythm guitar: Keith Richards, Lead guitar: Eric Clapton (Cream era), Vocals/acoustic: John Lennon.

GO SEE THIS FILM: 300 ( The 300 Spartans) especially the bit where he kicks the Persian messenger down the pit!
GO READ THIS BOOK: Twisting My Melon, Shaun Ryder.
GREAT LOST BAND/ARTIST: The La’s.
WOULDN’T BE CAUGHT DEAD SUPPORTING: McBusted.
LONDON, L.A OR LEEDS? L.A , purely for the reason I haven’t been – but I love Leeds and London!

AND FINALLY … AS YOU LEAVE THE STAGE, WHAT ARE YOUR PARTING WORDS.
We are the Incredible Magpie Band, goodnight!

For more info visit: facebook.com/TheIncredibleMagpieBand