01Profile
A Charlie Cole Photo
Charlie Cole
Musician — Stockport
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
Charlie Cole, from Stockport.
What do you do?
I’m a full time musician.
Describe your style in three words?
Daring but smart.
How would you describe the sound of your band, Kashmere?
Kind of like indie rock. Hopefully it sounds unique, it does to us.
Who do you look up to as your British music icons?
For each member of the band it’s completely different, but for me, people like Oasis, Paul Weller or newer people like Hidden Charms. There are loads.
How did you all meet?
I basically got robbed from another band. I knew Joe for a while before I joined, he's the lead singer, just from going out in Manchester. I got asked to be in the band in a weird kind of way to be honest. They came and watched my band as my old band were supposed to be supporting his band, and I’d just run out of data on my phone but he had just replied to me asking me to be in his band. I was in Pop Boutique in Manchester cos I was early for work, and he just walked in and he asked why I hadn’t written back. It was meant to be.
What have you been up to lately?
We recorded Porcelain, which was launched with BBC Introducing. We’ll be going out in the summer for festivals, Kendal Calling, When In Manchester and whatever else happens...
When did you start to play the guitar?
I picked up a guitar when I was about 12, got some lessons and taught myself.
Who do you look to as your guitar heroes?
When I first started, Slash, Guns n Roses… what unbelievable guitarists, When you get older, you realise the simple stuff is great too. Someone like Serge from Kasabian isn’t the best guitarist in the world, but the stuff he can do - he does it perfectly. When you look at people like BB King, another unbelievable guitarist. I take inspiration from people from them all, they all do different things.
Best gig you’ve ever been to?
It has to be the first gig I ever went to, a Kasabian warm up gig at the Apollo. It was just before they bought out West Rider, they did a little warm up with about 4 or 5 venues. They’d just released Fire, it’s an absolute anthem now so to hear that at the absolute start when I’d only heard it a few times was amazing.
The year after, when then they did the proper tour, everyone was chanting their songs all the way back to Piccadilly. They’ve been voted so many times the best live band, unbelievable.
02Playlist
04Playlist Notes
What was the first record you played on repeat?
The Jam – ‘Town Called Malice’. My Dad was a scooter boy so I was brought up on this.
You grew up listening to your dad’s music?
Pretty much; Northern Soul, post mod sounding stuff - Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You’, ‘House For Sale‘ and other Northern Soul songs. Loads of the Jam and Weller, ‘Broken Stones’ is one of my all-time favourites, lyrically too.
My mum was into 90s indie so that’s where I got into Oasis, and all that Manchester Britpop stuff, a bit of Acid House as well.
Do you still listen to the stuff you grew up with?
Maybe not the songs, but the artists definitely. There are always songs that you never get bored of.
Is there a song you wish you’d written?
Definitely 'Broken Stones' by Paul Weller. They definitely come up with the best lyrics. You can see there’s a story, but without making it complicated, you can understand it as it’s just everyday stuff. He keeps it real. He was obviously one of the first people do to love songs in punk, he knows what he’s good at and just does it.
What’s your favourite lyric?
It’s not a particular lyric, but 'The Drugs Don’t Work' by The Verve, that whole song is just one of those tunes that will probably be around forever. The whole of that song is so meaningful.
Is there one song that defines the teenage you? (You are still a teenager!)
I’ll come back to you on that one in a few years…. Probably, ‘In My Room’ by The Last Shadow Puppets.
Who do you listen to every day? Is there anyone we wouldn’t expect you to like?
Yeah, my friend at uni, he’s one of those people who will listen to anything. On his Spotify, he was listening to a song by Drake and it’s actually a great song.
I used to only listen to a certain type of music, but this playlist is full of Wham, Abba, Blondie…
Any music tips for 2017?
Hidden Charms, the lads out of Vida they’re really good Scottish band. They’re tipped to be something quite big.
There are so many breakthroughs this year.
03Interview
Name, where are you from?
Charlie Cole, from Stockport.
What do you do?
I’m a full time musician.
Describe your style in three words?
Daring but smart.
How would you describe the sound of your band, Kashmere?
Kind of like indie rock. Hopefully it sounds unique, it does to us.
Who do you look up to as your British music icons?
For each member of the band it’s completely different, but for me, people like Oasis, Paul Weller or newer people like Hidden Charms. There are loads.
How did you all meet?
I basically got robbed from another band. I knew Joe for a while before I joined, he's the lead singer, just from going out in Manchester. I got asked to be in the band in a weird kind of way to be honest. They came and watched my band as my old band were supposed to be supporting his band, and I’d just run out of data on my phone but he had just replied to me asking me to be in his band. I was in Pop Boutique in Manchester cos I was early for work, and he just walked in and he asked why I hadn’t written back. It was meant to be.
What have you been up to lately?
We recorded Porcelain, which was launched with BBC Introducing. We’ll be going out in the summer for festivals, Kendal Calling, When In Manchester and whatever else happens...
When did you start to play the guitar?
I picked up a guitar when I was about 12, got some lessons and taught myself.
Who do you look to as your guitar heroes?
When I first started, Slash, Guns n Roses… what unbelievable guitarists, When you get older, you realise the simple stuff is great too. Someone like Serge from Kasabian isn’t the best guitarist in the world, but the stuff he can do - he does it perfectly. When you look at people like BB King, another unbelievable guitarist. I take inspiration from people from them all, they all do different things.
Best gig you’ve ever been to?
It has to be the first gig I ever went to, a Kasabian warm up gig at the Apollo. It was just before they bought out West Rider, they did a little warm up with about 4 or 5 venues. They’d just released Fire, it’s an absolute anthem now so to hear that at the absolute start when I’d only heard it a few times was amazing.
The year after, when then they did the proper tour, everyone was chanting their songs all the way back to Piccadilly. They’ve been voted so many times the best live band, unbelievable.
04Playlist Notes
What was the first record you played on repeat?
The Jam – ‘Town Called Malice’. My Dad was a scooter boy so I was brought up on this.
You grew up listening to your dad’s music?
Pretty much; Northern Soul, post mod sounding stuff - Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You’, ‘House For Sale‘ and other Northern Soul songs. Loads of the Jam and Weller, ‘Broken Stones’ is one of my all-time favourites, lyrically too.
My mum was into 90s indie so that’s where I got into Oasis, and all that Manchester Britpop stuff, a bit of Acid House as well.
Do you still listen to the stuff you grew up with?
Maybe not the songs, but the artists definitely. There are always songs that you never get bored of.
Is there a song you wish you’d written?
Definitely 'Broken Stones' by Paul Weller. They definitely come up with the best lyrics. You can see there’s a story, but without making it complicated, you can understand it as it’s just everyday stuff. He keeps it real. He was obviously one of the first people do to love songs in punk, he knows what he’s good at and just does it.
What’s your favourite lyric?
It’s not a particular lyric, but 'The Drugs Don’t Work' by The Verve, that whole song is just one of those tunes that will probably be around forever. The whole of that song is so meaningful.
Is there one song that defines the teenage you? (You are still a teenager!)
I’ll come back to you on that one in a few years…. Probably, ‘In My Room’ by The Last Shadow Puppets.
Who do you listen to every day? Is there anyone we wouldn’t expect you to like?
Yeah, my friend at uni, he’s one of those people who will listen to anything. On his Spotify, he was listening to a song by Drake and it’s actually a great song.
I used to only listen to a certain type of music, but this playlist is full of Wham, Abba, Blondie…
Any music tips for 2017?
Hidden Charms, the lads out of Vida they’re really good Scottish band. They’re tipped to be something quite big.
There are so many breakthroughs this year.