XFM – Manchester: February 2006

“It’s Fuckin’ Brilliant, I Feel Great!”

“For those about to rock, we salute you.” These are the words of the mighty AC/DC, but what the fuck do they have to do with Clint Boon or XFM? Well, when they asked Tony Wilson why Manchester needed XFM he stated, “A number of years ago my phone rang, it was a local radio station, they asked if they could get a bit more information on a band of mine called Joey Division, who they heard had been doing really well recently.” Nuff said!

Clint Boon was one of the main chaps in the Inspiral Carpets, one of many notable Manchester bands. It’s even rumoured that Clint taught Noel Gallagher all he knows, he even says “Noel said so…” so it must be true. The Inspirals were just one of those bands, never really massive, but paved the way for so much more. The band never really sold enough records to enable Clint to feel he was ‘made for life,’ so he sits down and starts by telling me that he liked the MD recorder I was using and that he had used an mp3 recording device to do Paul Weller (interview!) and that it just was not up to scratch. And then again when he interviewed Skin, so we chat about compression, squelch and a whole host of technical bollocks and of course his legendary Clint Boon’s Disco Rescue at Manchester’s ‘South.’ Clint is a well known club DJ around the area; he’s diversified a lot since being in a band.

I start by asking him what happened after the Inspiral Carpets split. “Well,” says Clint, “I’ve been fascinated by Radio since I was a kid. In the 60’s that was the only way to hear new music, then in the mid 70’s John Peel turned me on to so many new bands. So during my time with the Inspiral Carpets I was on the ‘other’ side of the mic, being the interviewee, not the other way round. I always used to listen to how I sounded and I think I got to perfect my craft without really knowing it.”

“In 1995 I was going to the Reading Festival and I got a call from Jane Morris at BBC Radio Wales, and one of their presenters, Adam Walton could not make the gig, so she asked me if I fancied it. So I interviewed Bluetones, Shed Severn, Echo and the Bunnymen, and a load more. While I was there Janice Long came and introduced herself and told me she was planning an RSL in Liverpool called Crash FM, and would I be interested. My first question was ‘What the fuck is an RSL?’ So we ended up at this community college in Liverpool with a makeshift studio. I have this photo of myself in the studio with CDs piled on top of school books, it’s one of my favourite photo’s ever.”

I remind Clint that this is where we first met, I had the ‘Rock’ show on Crash FM and I remember meeting and listening to him. Clint then continues, “So after that I just got involved with anything I could: Regen Radio, Space Radio, just kept my hand in all the time. Then I got offered the ‘Stand In’ job for Terry Christian when he was away on 105 Century FM, which was massive, real Radio with a good audience figure. Then when the Inspirals got back together in 2003 I was interviewed by Tom Robinson for 6 Music and he complimented me and asked me to cover for him for two weeks while he was away… So working at the BBC filled one ambition of mine, but I still had one left, to work for XFM! And I got a call from XFM London asking me to add my support for a bid for a Manchester Licence, and if they won, would I present a show. I could not say NO! this was November 2004, then out of the blue I got a call from The Revolution, which is a small Manchester station, that was just not that good, but I helped turn it around. XFM encouraged me to do it as it would keep my skills tip-top. After a year there I’m now ready to jump ship and take everything to a new level - Premier league Radio. It’s all come together really quick, once I came in to XFM and spoke to them, it became obvious that the right slot for me would be the ‘Evening’ show, Manchester’s own ‘Music Response’ it’s a perfect combination.”

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Clint is Manchester - through and through, “It is the most important Music City in the world, he states emphatically. He’s hard to disagree with, even though I do… “The travesty is that there has never been a Radio Station that celebrated Manchester’s musical heritage, in the early and late 80’s when Joy Division, New Orderand The Stone Roses kicked everything off. Then through the Happy Mondays into the mid 90’s, with Oasis and beyond into the 21st century, there has been so little, so once I heard about XFM, I was sold. It’s not all about the ‘old guard’ it’s about the right here, right now which means it will be the return of Primal Scream, the new Artic Monkeys record and some unsigned band that will sell a million this time next year - the old meets the new - and people are ready. This station will celebrate where we are from and where we are going to go, the best records on the planet are going to be heard right here, and from day one it’s got to be bangin’.”

Clint’s passion remains with the unsigned bands “Fuck yes!” he says. “The idea of playing a record that is just two days old is awesome, the buzz from that is immense, especially if within six months the industry is falling over itself to sign the band, there is a whole new generation ready to explode, a 21st century ‘Madchester.’ The clubbing scene in Manchester will form an important side, they will feed each other, a rock and roll breeding ground. Also, I want to resurrect ‘Boony Tunes’ which is my own label, and just because I am getting so many great unsigned bands. I’ve always loved music and I’ve been dead lucky, but I have now got not only the chance to change my life, but to change the lives of so many others,.” Just as someone did with the Inspirals, which is just ‘Fuckin’ Brilliant, I feel great’ Which is where we came in…

So we head downstairs into the darkest depths of Laser House where they are busy building the new XFM studios which are not yet ready. But we do find one that we can take some pictures of Clint in, and even I can feel the excitement with computer boxes, CDs, stuff all over the place.

I catch up before I leave for a few words with Head Of Music Mike Walsh who tells me, “This city has never had a real radio alternative and for a city of its musical importance, that cannot be right, so we will right that wrong. The local media has never been the champion which is just not right. It would not happen in Toronto, New York, Paris, Barcelona, in fact anywhere else (Liverpool?), it’s a huge imbalance. How many other musical cities of such importance have been ignored so much from within? It’s not just about what has gone, if you’re a kid in this city and you are going to pick up a guitar, an organ or a set of decks, there will be an outlet for you; this is a platform for airplay, expression, feedback, reaction, all the things you need as a musician.”

“The daytime to nightime ratio will differ then?”, I ask. “Yes” confirms Mike . “The daytime will be more in line of our version of commercial indie alternative music, but after 7pm it will be more about expression and new music. It’s about numbers in the day and reputation at night, there will be an element of ‘Networking’ which means that we will take Ian Camfield’s Rock Show, and John Kennedy who is XFM’s heir apparent to John Peel, very eclectic, but he can be very obscure (i.e. he plays just as much shite as great music, but like Peel, that is the attraction) and the ‘Remix’ show with Eddie T.M. (which is my fave show on UK radio, even better than Zane Lowe!) but as things go they are great shows to have.”

I leave Mike and Clint and give massive thanks to Gem for setting the whole thing up. I head out on the highway safe in the knowledge that it’s getting very real and on March 15th 2006, XFM Manchester will launch…

For Those About To Rock, We Salute You!

Jj – 2006.