A new roots/indie unit making their debut at the Christian fests are Lancashire's Never On A Monday. They spoke to Tim Walker.

Never On A Monday

One of the latest bands to swell the ranks of British CCM's burgeoning folk/indie-rock scene are Never On A Monday. This energetic four-piece hail from the wilds of Lancashire, a fertile spawning-ground for gifted and individual Christian artists (how about Sam Hill, Marc Catley and the much missed Geoff Mann, just for starters?); from their name and debut full length album 'This Far', I'd say the tradition is already in safe hands.

Never On A Monday's members all hail from around the Preston area, being members of local churches. Andy Atherton (acoustic guitar/mandolin/vocals) and band spokesman Jonathan Pickles (drums/percussion) attend Poulton's URC, whilst lead guitarist Mick Mcvey and bassist Pete Austin's home is Blackpool Christian Fellowship. (Just as an aside, Jonathan plays a part in continuing another healthy tradition, that of Cross Rhythms contributors playing in Christian bands.)

Formed only in July last year, NOAM have wasted no time in getting down to business -already they have numerous gigs and two demo recordings under their belt and have recently supported Eden Burning, who seem to have taken on the mantle of "apprentice-master" to most of the folk-rock bands who have emerged these last few years. Indeed, according to Jonathan NOAM's first gig was an EB support, at the University Of Central Lancashire in October 1994.

"We all feel very much that a musical ministry is God's will for us all," says Jonathan, "and testimony to this was the speed and ease with which the band was formed." Certainly, things have happened quickly for the quartet - in December NOAM won a local "battle of the bands", with their song "The Road". The prize was a day's free studio recording, in which they taped two songs for This Far'; the eight others were recorded at another studio, the same one the band used for 'Eggs, Bacon And Other Strange Substances', their first EP.

Stylistically, 'This Far' occupies a similar musical territory to latterday Eden Burning, albeit a little further towards indie-rock. On record Andy adds occasional synthesiser embellishments to the songs, which helps add a touch of individuality to the overall sound. I was particularly keen on the "unplugged chair mix" of "The Flame", which closes the album. Jonathan filled me in on the story behind the track: "We were at the end of the sessions and realised we were one song short for the album. The only instruments lying around were a mandolin and one acoustic guitar, so we decided to tape a quick acoustic version of "The Flame", which was on our first demo, all round one mike. That's me you can hear playing the chair!"

This Far' will be available by the time you read this; if the cassette sales are encouraging a CD release may follow. The cover illustration comes courtesy of bassist Pete, who happens to be an art student in his spare minutes away from the band. Nice to see an all-band approach to the project, not to mention that it leaves more from the album's budget to go on studio time...

Gig-wise, Never On A Monday follow in the footsteps of previous bands of their ilk, in that they play a lot to secular audiences. I asked Jonathan what venues they've got ahead of them this summer. "By the time this article is printed we will have played at the Hothouse, which is the MAYO London Weekend's musical event at Battersea Park, in London. As well as other gigs, this summer we're playing at the JAM festival in Reading, the DARE festival in Lincoln, the Cross Rhythms SW festival and a Harvest festival in Durham." Quite a full schedule, all in all, and the band are clearly prepared to travel beyond their native haunts, subject to a small admission in their publicity sheet: "Their 1970s camper van will make it to most destinations worldwide, with much care and a lot of prayer!"

So, if you find yourself in the vicinity of the above venues this summer, don't miss the opportunity to catch this promising new roots-rock outfit. Oh, I can't resist it any more. Jonathan, where DID you get the name? "Well, Andy and his wife used to run the local Guides group, who used to meet on a Monday. So that used to rule out that day of the week for band activities, hence the name. Not very rock'n'roll, I'm afraid..."