You don’t have to look far to find how many great unsigned up and coming bands there are in the Northwest, playing in music venues weekly around City Centres.
Occasionally, a band appears on the scene who are unheard of one minute, and a name to be watching out for the next. One such band are The Sprats. The four lads, Bradley Ellor (Vocals/Frontman) Alex Mcardle (Lead Guitar) Connor Watson-Reid (Keyboard and Synth) and Jak Stansfield (Drums) all met at high school and have been mates ever since. But it was in 2020, when the world was in and out of lockdowns, the four decided to start a band.
They had no name, and no obvious sound, but by regularly jamming together, a sound and style was created, and The Sprats were formed. Obvious influences came from bands such as Nothing But Thieves, Royal Blood and Kasabian, but once you’ve heard their music, they only really sound like one band, and that is The Sprats.
They are a gang of lads who all look, sound, and interact like they belong in a band together, and their stage presence, musical sound, and first class on and off stage banter make them one of the most loveable bands on the scene. It was only last year The Sprats began to perform live, and within a year they have supported bands such as The Fratellis and The Bluetones, plus played at numerous gigs in their own right, including at iconic venues such as Manchester Academy and The Deaf Institute.
A recent review called their music ‘energetic, chaotic, catchy, punky, fun’ which is the perfect way to describe the band’s releases so far, which include ‘Why Would I With You’, ‘Let’s Sail’, and latest release ‘Mr Big Man’. The Sprats are planning to release a set of singles throughout the year, leading up to an EP. The next single, “Craze”, comes out in June, and has been described as more of a melodic song, compared to the usual punk rock feel. It’s a song the band say they are really proud of and are excited for fans to hear.
In the near future, The Sprats will be performing live on my Monday night show on Tameside Radio and will also be announced as a band of the week on Tameside Radio’s ‘Local Music Spotlight’, but before then they will be playing a headline gig at Manchester’s Retro Bar on Tuesday 30th May, promoted by Northern Parasol. For anyone who loves new music or wants to discover a band who could quickly become your new favourite, or perhaps wants something good to do on a Tuesday night, I really recommend going to this gig. Support comes from Stone Mile and The Lighter Thieves, and tickets can be bought in advance from Fatsoma. The Sprats can be found on all of the usual social media channels and streaming sites and are definitely a band to watch out for. If you are at their headline gig on 30th May at Retro Bar in Manchester, I'll see you there!
