The Rainband’s time to shine (From Lancashire Telegraph)

The Rainband’s time to shine

10:30am Friday 15th February 2013 in What's on: Music By Tony Dewhurst, Features Writer

ONE of Manchester’s mostly highly rated new bands – The Rainband – are ready to kick up a storm in 2013.

Fresh from a Christmas homecoming gig at The Ritz and a sell-out tour, they make their first visit to Clitheroe’s Grand Theatre next Saturday.

Endorsed by city music legends Peter Hook and Johnny Marr, the band hit the national headlines last year, releasing a charity single, Rise Again, in tribute to the late Italian motorcyclist Marco Simoncelli, who died in a race in Malaysia.

It was a mighty gesture from the Manchester four-piece who raised £20,000 for the Marco Simoncelli Foundation.

Lead singer, Martin Finnigan, explained: “I’m a huge Manchester City fan and Marco died on the day that City beat United 6-1.

“I came back from the match thinking people would be doing the conga in the street because City had hammered United, but my nephews, who love Moto GP, were all in tears because Marco had been killed.

“So we wrote the song and played a gig at Silverstone race track as a tribute to Marco who was a really special human being.”

The Rainband travelled to Italy to meet the Simoncelli family, donating the profits from the single to the late rider’s foundation.

The Rainband’s influences run deep, combining sun-kissed melodies with a harder, gritty edged live sound.

Their growing reputation has seen them support Simple Minds, The Charlatans and Ocean Colour Scene.

Support comes from Accrington Mod act The Shade, whose lead singer Callum Grimshaw is the son of Chris Grimshaw, voted Accrington Stanley’s greatest ever footballer by supporters.

The Shade release their debut album in April and guitarist Nathan Griffiths said: “We draw from a lot of influences, blues, punk, and soul and although we are still learning our trade, we have built up a good following of fans in Lancashire so it is a really exciting time.

“We are playing a big Mod festival in Brighton called Under the Arches.”

• The Rainband and The Shade, Clitheroe Grand, Saturday, February 23. Details from 01200 421599.

Comments are closed on this article.