VIDEO: Burnley band The Strange are making a name for themselves

While Simon Cowell and his conveyor belt of mainstream blandness continues to litter the charts though, original music is fighting its corner – and Burnley’s The Strange are ready to go the distance.

Their unique sound, an explosive mix of punk and grunge, has flourished in recent months and with gigs starting to pile up, including a slot at the Beat-Herder Festival in July, guitarist Matt Seel said the band is anticipating a busy few months.

“We enjoy gigging and want to get out there as much as possible,” he said. “We play a lot around Manchester and Preston and obviously in Burnley. We played the Sanctuary the other week but that’s really the only place around here that puts on original music. They’re keen on us there and we like playing there so I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot more with them.

“We’re hoping to move outside the North-West and take our sound further afield now as well though.”

Matt is joined in the band by Sam Hartley (vocals, guitar), Elias Hartley (bass) and Tyler Hanley (drums).

Together they’ve already put together a number of EPs and are now setting their sights on a full-length album.

“Working on an album is one of our priorities this year, definitely,” said Matt. “We have around 17 songs at the minute but because a lot of them are around the two minute 30 seconds mark we’ll need to build up a few more.

“We’re always working on new stuff. We like playing it live because it means the people who see us a lot get to see something different as well. It’s not just for them though, it’s for us as well. It stops us from stagnating.”

The band have been honing their skills at the recently opened Shift Studios and Wayne Walsh, who’s running things there, said: “If I was to compare them to other bands I’d say they were like a cross between The Doors, Nirvana and Babyshambles and that’s got to be a winning combination.

“With continued dedication, passion and perseverance we could see this local band as one amongst a few (or many) that could transform the music industry – so let’s all get behind them!”

Further details can be found at their Facebook page www.facebook.com/wearethestrange.

Anybody also wanting to take a closer look at The Shift Studios can do so by visiting www.theshiftstudios.com.