Welcome to the fire. Please be upstanding for the infamous five who have ignited themselves into the psyche of all concerned… they are The Backyard Flames and they’ve come to rock your world. The band with the plan burnt their way through 2007 with a raw sound that has seen them performing in and around the capital, and have since been earning their stripes at various places (glamorous or otherwise) as only a proper band should. Happily honing their craft while travelling and playing around our green and pleasant land, these wonderkids have marked their territory on merit and only consider doing stadium gigs for fun. Now with new production, a new CD and even newer haircuts the early stages of bashing and crashing has evidently paid off. Colin (vocals and energy), Mark (lead guitar), Paul (rhythm guitar), Tone (drums) and Steve (bass and half-time talks) have induced a logical progression over the past year, which sees the most-likely lads getting better with every move they make. They all have different musical tastes but that’s what makes it work. You may hear influences by way of a nod of respect to the originators – they certainly didn’t get together to sound like someone else – and when the band decide to cover a record it will only be whatever they fancy saluting that day, as well as doing the chosen track some twisted justice. Getting the recognition their hard work deserves the London five-piece recently made history by being one of the last bands to perform at the legendary Astoria, and are currently hosting their own regular night at the Betsey Trotwood in Farringdon, inviting plenty of established and up-and-coming talent to the intimate goings-on. The Backyard Flames are the accidental heroes of their regeneration and it would be hard to pigeonhole their music, but they only ever try to be themselves. And regarding the various tastes in music, when the ideas and opinions do get thrown into the arena they get nurtured, loved, punched, kicked and generally torn to pieces… then a fresh conclusion with a bloody nose will emerge and succeed. I know you got soul – ’cause if you didn’t you wouldn’t be in here. And you wouldn’t have read this far. I thank you. For a full rundown of responsibilities and downloads, go to: www.thebackyardflames.co.uk and www.myspace.com/thebackyardflamesmusic