Music profile: Group One - The Moore the Merrier

He broke out of the mould of 70s punk with his Huddersfield mod band The Killermeters.

And next week lead guitarist Mick Moore will take to the stage to cause more mayhem at a charity gig with some of the town’s other musical stalwarts.

We talked to Mick and the other members, Richard Heeley and Matt Washington of Shambolic, Linzi Nicholson (ex-Ocean Mosaic), Kev ‘Elvis’ James (ex-Ocean Mosaic, Frogs of War, Funkhed and Lyre) and Steve Beever (Nu Popes), who go by the moniker of Group One.

SO how did Mick manage to convince you all to do the gig?

Richard - He drugged me and wouldn’t let me out of the plywood coffin unless I complied with his evil scheme

Kev - I haven’t been completely convinced as yet!

HOW long have you been practising, what brings you together and how did you decide what to play?

Richard - They were random drunken choices, thinned down by complete inability to play them.

Linzi - Yeah, the gig was certainly turning into Woodstock before we had to get tough on the set list. It’s been great to get back playing again with a purpose.

Guitarist Mick Moore of The Killermeters

Mick - I really fancied doing a covers gig which I’ve done three or four times before. I started putting a list of songs together in the new year of some of my favourite tunes I wanted to have a crack at. They totalled about 40 ... But we managed to whittle it down to 20. Linzi and me then started jamming those tunes before deciding to look for musicians to come and bail us out. I managed to find the rest of the band from the finest drinking establishments and supermarket checkout queues in Huddersfield. I saw Shambolic at their 20th anniversary gig and thought they were great, maybe I could borrow a couple of them guys too. We’ve been jamming as a six-piece for the last three months with stand-in drummers and singers helping us out because trying to get six folk together has nearly sent my phone into meltdown. I’m looking forward to my daughter Jenny O’Sullivan playing at the gig too.

ANY artistic differences so far?

Richard (lead singer and guitarist in Shambolic) - I didn’t realise a bass had 4 strings!

Mick - I’d put this list together but it was by no means cast in stone. However, I had to draw the line when Duran Duran was mentioned, but don’t tell the others!

WHY have you chosen the Welcome Centre as the beneficiary of this gig?

Richard – Their work is invaluable

Mick - The Killermeters were part of a great line-up of bands that took part in the ‘Clag Beast - A Night to Remember’ benefit gig back in 2010. It was in memory of Craig ‘Clag Beast’ Wood, a drummer in the late 1980s/90s band We All Fall Down. Later he fell on hard times, sadly died and that gig was in aid of the Welcome Centre back then and I wanted to offer the same backing again.

Linzi - The majority of us are only one pay cheque away from a crisis. You never know what’s around the corner and the Welcome Centre provide invaluable support for people in real need in Huddersfield.

I’VE heard people are travelling from far and wide to come to this special gig. Why?

Mick - The Killermeters and Champagne Supernova have always had big support. Our Meters’ drummer Steve Dutton also plays in Champagne Supernova and they’re celebrating their 20th anniversary this year and wanted to jump on board to celebrate it. The Meters always enjoy having a run out on home soil. I’ve heard Jason from Huddersfield Scooter Club has invited people from Nottingham up, and I’ve got mates coming over from York, Wigan, the Wirral and even as far as a building site in Gomersal! I’m really looking forward to playing some of my favourite songs from the past 30 years with Group One.

YOU’RE all veterans of the Huddersfield music scene. What’s your take on its current state and what does it need more of now, if anything, in your opinions?

Richard - It’s the usual thing ... It needs people to turn up and enjoy.

Mick - The music scene is very healthy. There’s tons of diverse stuff out there. Tropical Contact, who supported us, the Meters, at the Parish a few months back, were fantastic. There are great venues from the Parish to the Picturedrome but the town centre still misses a sizeable venue that Huddersfield Poly had.

Linzi - I think the live music scene across Huddersfield is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. Mikey Baird at the Parish is really putting the Huddersfield music scene back into the national conscience. And take, for instance Nu Popes. They are an outstanding collective of musicians from this town. Peter Carr at the Picturedrome continues to book top class acts, with bands often requesting to play at his venue like Wilko Johnson did. Folk should also check out and support bands which their local pubs put on, like Daz does at The Foresters, Crosland Moor. Show some support, in a use it or lose it, kind of way.

AND for those of you in Shambolic and the Killermeters, what are you up to next?

Richard - We’re currently half way through recording a new album.

Mick - Well, like Shambolic, we’re currently three-quarters of a way through recording an album which started off as a single then became an EP, but will eventually become a full album.

DO you still get the same buzz playing live as when you first started out?

Mick - Yes, it’s another reason for doing this gig. Meters gigs are often infrequent because we’re busy recording the album. It’s not just the buzz of being on stage, it’s the whole band thing – from loading the van to getting the soundcheck right. It’s an adventure into the unknown sometimes. You just don’t know what to expect or what’s going to happen. Turning up in a strange town with your band keeps everyone on their toes. Some of the best times I’ve had are gigging.

WHAT are you looking forward to most about the night?

Mick - Seeing all the fellow like-minded nutcases of Huddersfield getting together for a cracking night out.

Linzi - If people have as much fun on the night as we are having playing as band together, then it’s going to be one brilliant night to remember.