MEN OF MOMENT ECHOING POLITICS OF THE LEFT

RECENTLY SIGNED BAND COMBINE RHETORIC AND GUITAR RIFFS TO PRODUCE PERFECT PROTEST SONGS

deadly lyrical ammunition on a number of high-profile targets, from politicians to multinational companies with dubious tax-paying policies.

“The idea for that song was inspired by Woody Guthrie,” Roberts explains. “It’s this idea of how a protest song isn’t a true protest song unless you name people specifically. So that song is me in full rant mode: all these MPs and corporations I don’t like.”

Man & The Echo’s frustrations have been boiling over for some time now.

Resolving to “make a clean break” after previous bands fizzled out due to lack of focus, Man & The Echo, from the outset, was a more coherently assembled machine.

Roberts’ song lyrics were influenced by author Ernest Hemingway and the acclaimed treatise of English landscapes Edgelands; whilst the band’s collective fondness for Bacharach and The Smiths is reflected in their sparkling pop nous.

Early critical response to Man & The Echo has, predictably, focussed on their leftist politics, but Roberts is firm in his protestations that, “it’s more about perspective than politics. In this country, if you’re working class, you’re supposed to like football and drinking. But life isn’t so black and white. Our songs look at things from that perspective.”

Man & The Echo’s biggest injection of focus, however, surely came from that aforementioned signing to 1965 Records.

The London-based indie label, run by James Endeacott (the A&R man who famously discovered The Libertines), re-launched earlier this year with Man & The Echo as their newest signings.

“We basically chewed his ear off for three months till he came to Warrington to see us,” smiles Forshaw.

“He’s a great bloke to work with: it’s all about the music for him, ‘cause he’s not gonna make a load of money from the label. It’s a real labour of love.”

The same could be said, of course, of Man & The Echo’s own creative endeavours.

Since playing a storming set at Glastonbury, on the Billy Bragg-curated Leftfield stage (“He phoned me personally to ask us to do it,” Roberts beams), they’ve been holed up in their Warrington HQ, completing a debut album that promises to be one of 2016’s standout records. And, whilst all too aware of British music’s constant appetite for righteous young guitar renegades, Man & The Echo firmly refuse to dabble in any Van McCann-style chestbeating rhetoric.

“It’s not really our style to be making statements about conquering the world,” Roberts says.

“I’m not really interested in making records for big stadium crowds to fling pints of beer about to.

“I’d rather make 12 weird kids dance when our music comes on in an indie club.” Man & The Echo play Night and Day Cafe on Saturday August 15.