+ LOWLINE + THE UNDERCLASS

Twisted Wheel’s songs portray the unhinged characters from Manchester street life and they are currently wowing gig goers all across our city and winning rave reviews in the NME. Crazier still, these characters might just be living around the corner from your own doorstep.

"I write about what I know," insists Jonny Brown, singer, between sips of beer in Oldham Street venue Dry Bar. "I'm basically writing about what's on my doorstep. Where I can come from, you can just walk into a pub and meet these nutters. Sheila the dealer, Henry the antiques man... they're all real people. So many bands these days write about themselves and try to present this perception of how cool they are. With my songwriting, I take inspiration from Manchester and the people you meet. I can just walk into a pub and listen to someone's life story. I'm interested in stories and people's lives. Real life excites me so much." 

That much is definitely true. Spend more than ten minutes in the company of Jonny Brown and you'll feel like you've taken ten shots of espresso, and all washed down with a litre of Red Bull. Whilst his Twisted Wheel band mates - Adam Clarke on drums, and Rick Lees on bass - are all collected calm, Jonny is, in his own words, a bit like a "Tazmanian devil". He's like a human alarm bell going off; fidgeting, shifting, observing, texting, digesting his surroundings and wondering where the next song inspiration will come from next. 

Jonny Brown might be restless, but at only 21 years of age, he's achieved a fair bit already. Eagle-eyed CityLife readers may know him better as the former lead guitarist of the band The Children. For three years, the Tameside-based band set Manchester alight with their hedonistic, mod-ska anthems, and even supported Paul Weller for two dates at the Apollo venue. But all that hedonism eventually took its toll. At the ripe of old age of 21, Jonny Brown was thinking his partying days were over.

Armed with an acoustic guitar and his new listening inspirations (Johnny Cash, Tim Buckley, Bob Dylan - in particular, his 1965 opus Bringing It All Back Home), the 2007 Jonny Brown waved goodbye to the madness of The Children and retooled himself as a Manc street poet - like a mad hybrid of The Buzzcocks, Joe Strummer and TV's Shameless. The madness is still there; only it's more understated, and located in the melodies, words and macabre descriptions of Manchester street life. Post-Arctic Monkeys, there might be many indie bands who profess to be 'writing about their roots', but Jonny Brown is the real deal - a natural north-west storyteller who writes vivid vignettes which drip with atmosphere and veracity. 

Most importantly, Jonny cares very much for his songwriting subjects and doesn't feel the need to over-egg the drama. His standout song, 'Big Issue' is all about, "some mad homeless guy pecking my head outside Sinclair’s Oyster Bar". Meanwhile, crowd favourite 'Strife' introduces you to some unhinged characters from Jonny's local community such as the famous 'Sheila the dealer' and 'Henry the antiques collector'. It's a lurid depiction of Manchester and its shady characters to rank alongside the best work of The Fall's Mark E Smith.

Despite only being in existence since February 2007, their relentless gigging and MySpace site have kept Twisted Wheel, well, wheeling along quite nicely. They also run their own club night called Hop Skip Junk in Oldham, where you can regularly see 400 or so Twisted Wheel fans chant along to every song lyric.

And that's undoubtedly what makes Jonny Brown something of a true everyman poet - these songs ARE meant for everyone. And the more it seems, the merrier.  

"I love being on stage," enthuses Jonny. "At the last gig we did in Oldham, I literally didn't have to sing 'cos all the audience were doing it for me. That's what I hate about so many indie bands - they all pretend they don't want to be successful. That's rubbish! I'd like to perform in front of 2 million people if I could! And I'd like to meet them all individually and say thanks for coming."

January 2008 saw Twisted Wheel sign to Colombia Records. The band are currently working on new material and are due to release their debut single ‘She’s A Weapon’ in mid-April. During the small space of time that the band have been together, they have supported some massively famous bands, including Ian Brown, The Happy Mondays, The View, The Coral and The Buzzcocks. They are currently on tour with Reverend and The Makers.

Twisted Wheel will be performing live at Manchester Club Academy on Friday 9th May.