So as we entered the twilight years of Britpop circa 97-98 we got given a handful of bands who had different influences than the rest!. Mainstream were one of the bands who were influenced by prog rock and the Shoegaze movement of the early 90's.
Some would call it "Shoegaze" and others would call it "Groove rock" but no matter what you called it you had to shake your soul when you listened to Mainstreams debut album. Starting out in 1994 but not releasing a demo till 1996 Mainstream was offered a record deal after only a handful of gigs. Playing like the early Verve songs but with more production and vibe the stage was set for these London boys to make it big. I've always been a sucker for the sound of a Hammond organ pumping out of a Leslie speaker and Mainstream would please me no ends with their frantic bass lines and the sweet sound of the Hammond swirling in the back ground. These boys had groove and lots of soul which poured out of every track on their debut. With tracks like "Stranded", "Privilege" and of course the excellent "Step right up" they had a sound of their own and to this day they are one of the bands i just wished i had seen live.
But as with most of the bands that emerged at the end of Britpop they only released a handful of singles and 1 album. I always loved the verve but i thought Mainstream were streets ahead even though they were mearly youngsters.
another one of my favourite bands. That debut album was just EPIC good. The singer is in a band called "The Truths" now....not nearly as good. They reunited for a gig a couple of years ago in London as well. cheers---Syed Druglord
ReplyDelete