Three Feet High And Rising - The Yards

Chris Helme has been having a very strange morning. As well as 20 other interviews, a random man from his past, a fellow identifying himself as "Ady from Leeds", has rung him. A confused Helme doesn’t really follow and believes that this bloke is trying to interview him. Gigwise will try not to cause any more of a kerfuffle.

However, I inadvertently suggest that the frontman of The Yards may be slightly nervous, apprehensive even, in the lead up to the release of the their debut album. “I hadn’t really given it much thought but thanks for planting that seed, I’m just gonna be a nervous wreck from now on�. Nice one! Got off to a good start there then. I redeem myself by promising not to ask him too much about his former band The Seahorses and I get a literal cheer for that little gem.

As it happens, former The Seahorses member Helme does find the advancing date of The Yards self-titled album “a bit scary�. He adds “I’m excited about it as well though. It’s the first time I’ve done anything that’s gonna be in the shops since The Seahorses, so I am really looking forward to it�.

The Yards, a five-piece phoenix that emerged from the flames of The Seahorses split in 1999, have been busy ever since their formation in 2002 working on a distinctive sound that showcases Chris’s poetic and heartfelt song-writing with 60’s influenced psychedelia. Bassist Stu Fletcher, Guitarist Chris Farrell, Keyboardist Jon Hargreaves and Drummer John Miller all add their bits accordingly and all have input into The Yards song writing processes.

After not having a record deal for a large portion of their existence as a group, Chris fears that he probably “tried too hard� after The Seahorses split. But with this new project, simply playing the songs that he and the band liked and following musical influences from all over the shop, it was easier “as soon as we stopped trying to please everybody, things started coming together� explains Chris.

Their home produced first album, released on April 18th, demonstrates these elements and a lot more. Despite the vocals of the album being recorded in his pantry at home after getting a bit of cabin fever in the studio, the evolution of the album was an enjoyable job for Helme and his cohorts. The rest of the album was cut away from domestic food stores in a studio in York owned by former Shed Seven Drummer Alan Leach.

The lead single, ‘The Devil Is Alive and Well In DC’ (a topical and political title that nods towards Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ and Radio head’s ‘Hail To The Thief‘) will be released on a download only basis from April 11th. Chris Helme doesn’t hold much hope for the single getting much airplay either here or in the USA due to its political content. The lyrics are hard and direct enough to cause bruises. ‘All you Texans stand in line/with your blue electric sky/just a boy out for some fun/got my Stetson, got my gun’. I wonder just who he could be referring to. It is because of this presumed lack of airplay that it will only be available as a download rather than “forking out a load of money to get it pressed up.� He continues “I‘m not under any illusions that it‘s gonna get played on Radio 1 and go straight in the Top 10. It would be nice if it did but we aren’t under any pressure�.

The single was written shortly after the world-changing events of September 11th, prompting Chris to acknowledge his place in the world through his music. “I don’t want to start harping on ‘cos musicians should keep out of politics but it was something I needed to get off my chest at the time. I think that that these matters affect everybody, just as George W. Bush affects everybody“ says the 34 year-old Yorkshireman.

“I don’t like the way the world is going, and if this is what my little boy can expect to grow up to, then I think that we all need to stand up�. The little boy that Helme mentions is his five-year old son who has just started school, so now Chris can “set the ball rolling�.

As well as making children, Chris has been establishing himself as an eminent solo performer, playing at venues all over the UK but seeking sanctuary and partial-residency at the pride of the North Yorkshire Moors, the Blakey Ridge venue. “It can get a bit lonely on stage alone but I get a bit more freedom at the same time. I wasn’t allowed to do any solo stuff while I was with The Seahorses but now I can run the band and the solo thing parallel to each other.� He is still continuing with his solo work alongside The Yards, but for now, his group is taking priority.

The last time Chris Helme was in a group, it was during the latter part of the Brit-Pop era of the late 90’s. Now he is reappearing at a time when Brit-Rock depicts everything cool both here and in the States, could he be accused of jumping on the Indie bandwagon? “Not really ‘cos we don’t sound anything like any of those bands and we don’t look like we are sponsored by Shockwaves either. If anything, we are consciously trying not to sound like an 80’s pop band.�

“This revival, like most revivals, always happen 20 years after the original. Right now it’s the 80’s and I hated the 80’s the first time round. There are certain bands (he mentions no names despite probing) that are playing the music I hated in the 80’s during my formative years and it reminds me of a time I don’t really wanna go back to� he adds.

Helme does however like The Souldad Brothers who play garage/blues. He likes them because of their “raw� ability to play their instruments and enjoy it. Hick singers the Kings of Leon are also a favourite as “they seem too good to be true�. The fact that Helme’s sister-in-law has toured with the Followill boys on tour as a photographer may also have earned them a few Brownie points.

As the album hit’s the shops, The Yards will play two launch gigs at in London at Rendition on 20th April and on home turf in York at the Post Office Club on 22nd April. They will the embark on a full tour of the UK in May with intentions of heading towards “as many festivals as possible� over the summer. “I did the festivals with The Seahorses and I want to do it with this. I didn’t feel very comfortable in The Seahorses but I do in The Yards, so I want to do it all again�. A nice change of scenery from recording in a pantry I suppose.