CAROLINE INNES talks to emerging Padiham-based band, Pretend Girlfriend about their successes in 2004 and ambitions for the New Year. . .

ONE of Pretend Girlfriend's latest tracks is entitled Live in hope -- and that is exactly what the four-piece group have been doing for the last 12 months.

That and working tirelessly to perfect their sound, promote their material and play at as many gigs as possible throughout 2004. Lead singer and guitarist Martin Simm, from Padiham, said: "We pride ourselves on being a very honest band lyrically and so write about things that we experience -- basically what is going on in our and other people's lives.

"Whether that is about hating your job or yob culture, it is based around what is going on in everyone's lives.

"Live In Hope is about us and other people aspiring for their goals and that has been what the last year has been about."

The band, also consisting of Paul Smith, 28, Noel Duffy, 25 and Danny Spink, 22, have been together since 2001.

All with full-time jobs, they practise twice a week at rented rehearsal room in Hapton, but admit they were not serious about a musical career until they signed a management deal with A3H promotions last January.

Rhythm guitarist Paul Smith said: "We are just too laid-back. Getting a management deal gave us the encouragement to set goals which were to play as many gigs as possible to get our sound really tight -- even if that meant playing to an audience of 15 in a freezing marquee.

"Really 2004 was a good year for us and we played some fantastic gigs at Rockworld in Manchester and at the Keirby Hotel in Burnley, where 200 of our friends and fans came along for support.

"It was a fantastic night, especially because we were playing to a home crowd."

Although Martin is the main songwriter of the group, all members add their own style and ideas to tracks. Their sound is "somewhere in between the guitar-based style of Coldplay and more metal bands" and Martin believes there is a Pretend Girlfriend-sized niche in the music industry that they can fill. He said: "There is a gap out there that has been left by the likes of Oasis and the Stereophonics and they are people we enjoy listening to.

"We really like the Sex Pistols and the Rolling Stones and want to bring back real lyric-based songs that you just don't seem to get any more."

Already the band say they have been noticed by Blackburn band The Burn, who headlined a gig that they played at and have since joined the audience at various gigs.

Radio station 2BR has also taken an interest in the group, regularly playing their songs on air.

Martin added: "The New Year is going to be exciting.

"We have demo CDs ready to approach record companies and plan to self-release our first album.

"We plan to play lots more gigs around East Lancashire and are looking for support slots with other bands so we can increase our fan base. But the main thing is that we are all enjoying performing these days. Our stagecraft has improved so much and we really feel like a band."

Their website is up and running and is attracting interest from some far-flung places.

"We chose the name Pretend Girlfriend so that the website would get lots of interest but we never expected to get hits from around the world," Paul said.

"We have the ability to see where the people who visit it are from and 41 per cent come from Saudi Arabia.

"They seem to open the site, look at us staring back at them and decide it isn't quite what they wanted. I don't think we will be getting many fans from the Middle East!"

For latest band news visi www.pretendgirlfriend.com.

The band will be playing at the Cellar Bar, Blackburn, on Saturday, January 29 and at the Late Rooms, Manchester, on Sunday, February 6 . For more information call 07952319667.