Birmingham unsigned band The Carousels to support Shaun Ryder's Black Grape
The Carousels may be feeling like they're in a spin after the Birmingham band were named as the support act for Black Grape next month.
The unsigned band have been named as the main support artist for the Salford group best-known for being fronted by former Happy Mondays vocalist Shaun Ryder.
The gig takes place at rising Digbeth venue The Mill on March 29, and The Carousels are now drumming up interest so they can have their own army of fans mixing in with Ryder's at the show.
"It was our drummer's girlfriend who sent me a link asking for suggestions for a support act for Black Grape at The Mill," says lead singer and guitarist Jeff Best - a pilot at Birmingham Airport when not a rock'n'roll star. "I checked my availability and sent an email off to the link straight away.
"I didn’t really expect to hear back since these things pop up from time to time and it's a game of chance. I did, however, get a reply the following morning from the contact from the MJR Group. It was a concert promoter asking if we had 30 minutes of original music.
"He looked at our website and offered us the gig if we wanted it."
He checked with the rest of the band - drummer Gavin Davies, bassist Nivan Smith and guitarist Phil Wilkes – and they were all free. So they snapped the opportunity up.
"Phil is certainly made up with the booking. He said that ‘it’s got to be the biggest gig ever for me’. Phil and his mates were obsessed with Shaun Ryder and the Happy Mondays when they left school so it’s a bit surreal for him.
"For me it’s just strange to be sharing the stage with a band like Black Grape and Shaun - I was in my early 20s when Britpop was huge - bands like The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Oasis, The Verve, Primal Scream etc. That's when I wrote some of my songs which I will be singing at the gig. So in a way they are from that era, which is why I think maybe they will work with the Black Grape crowd."
Black Grape have released three albums - two in the 90s and 2017's Pop Voodoo - and are known for hits such as Reverend Black Grape, In The Name Of The Father and England's Irie.
Tickets for the Black Grape gig, with The Carousels providing able support, are priced at £27.50 and available here. More information on The Carousels can be found on their website. They are also on Facebook @BritpopCarousels.
