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Brakes

Brakes from the norm

How is life in Brakes at the moment?

"Right this moment, I am throwing underpants, socks, t-shirts, books and CDs into a bag out of which I鈥檒l live for the next month and a half. I have 20 minutes before I go and I can鈥檛 find my woolen hat. I think it鈥檒l be cold. More generally, life in Brakes is a joy. We鈥檝e got a fresh wind behind us."

The Beatific Visions is quite a grand title. Do you think the album lives up to it?

"The title is a play on how the concept God is being used as an excuse to inflict inhuman acts on humans at the moment. The songs all reflect this is some way."

There's such a wide variety of tunes packed into the album, which is your favourite?

"I can鈥檛 pick a favourite - I love them equally. Each song."

The Beatific Visions is even more spiky than Give Blood. Is this a trend you'll be following?

"Like Robert Frost pointed out in The Road Less Travelled, following trends leads to a dull life. We don鈥檛 have a set of rules for what is or is not a Brakes tune, which leaves us free to make whatever songs move us."

I've got to ask: Porcupine or Pineapple?

"Ouch."

There's a lot of social and political comment in your work, do you see yourselves as a political band?

Brakes

"No, I see us as a human band, but I also see that we are going through one of the most politically sensitive eras in living memory, and that our work reflects this. I don't think art can exist outside of the social situation it was created in, and the political upheaval in our current society is too overwhelming to ignore."

You tour an awful lot, what do you think to life on the road?

"The road is more interesting than the city."

You've just been up here in Manchester and you鈥檙e back again soon. What did you think of the city?

"It seems like it鈥檚 about time Manchester reaffirmed its reputation as music capital of England, there are some very good bands coming out of your city."