Little Man Tate

Jon Windle – vocals, guitar
Maz – guitar, vocals
Ben Surtees – bass
Dan Fields – guitar

The Sheffield quartet do a rather natty line in subversive pop songs about text sex, cross-dressing footballers and ménage et trios. Nice work if you can get it. Little Man Tate are named after a dodgy Jodie Foster movie which most people haven’t seen. Why remains a mystery, only the boys know and they’re not telling.

Jon and Maz have been friends for so long neither one can remember how long they’ve known each other. The duo performed their first gig aged 12 in a church hall in Crookes. Ben was the next to join what was to eventually become Little Man Tate after Dan took up the vacant drummer stall.

Gigging sporadically in Sheffield since 2003, LMT have predictably been tagged as part of the extended Arctic Monkeys lineage. While the music isn’t a million miles apart from Alex Turner’s lot – check out the indie rumblings of ‘Man I Hate Your Band’, ‘Court Report’ and debut single, ‘The Agent’ - LMT have an onstage swagger which underpins their mischievous songs.

LMT don’t like to talk about their past musical resume – it’s shite according to them – but they’ve earned their musical stripes since the summer of 2005. They’ve had their equipment nicked – “plectrums and all” – so many times now that worrying about matching the chart success of The Arctic Monkeys is no longer a preoccupation – they’re confident enough to do things their own way.

In truth, LMT share far more similarities with Milburn, another Sheffield band, in the way they’ve wilfully leaked songs on to the internet and steadily built up a small but obsessive fanbase. Sell out gigs at the city’s The Grapes cemented their live reputation, winning Zane Lowe’s Fresh Meat competition on Radio 1 in January 2006 did them no harm either. The LMT lads are honest in their approach and influences – it’s The Charlatans, The Stone Roses, Pulp, Inspiral Carpets all over. Classic English pop rock with stylish turns of phrase and a wicked sense of humour to match is what LMT are about.

There’s been only one official release by 2006, ‘The Agent’, which promises great things for the future. Like the other songs currently doing the rounds on the internet, ‘Hello Miss Lovely’, ‘House Party At Boothy’s’ and ‘Down On Marie’, LMT exude charisma and a childlike enthusiasm for playing live. In their own words, they live to be live, and for a full appreciation of who LMT are, Gigwise strongly recommends you do.

Discography:

The Agent – 2006