‘It just feels like it’s all sort of really happening for music here in Manchester’
Five students at Salford University have formed an indie band that takes a lot of inspiration from the Manchester music scene
There was a time when rising Manchester indie band The Monamees were once called The Fuzz. But, thankfully, the five-piece decided to change their name to something that has a very local inspiration behind it, even if it does take its roots from France.
The five-piece group, made up of Salford University students Ben Cornes, Luke Taylor, Sam Erian, Max Collet and Josh Lamb, only joined forces earlier this year during the summer when Manchester’s music scene took centre stage around the world thanks to the mammoth Oasis reunion tour.
And behind the scenes, their manager is Paul Gallagher – the co-owner of the Definitely Maybe bar in the Northern Quarter dedicated to the legendary Manchester band and where a number of fan parties were held during the band’s Heaton Park shows back in July. It’s also home to a mural of the Gallagher brothers, unveiled earlier this year by the one and only Clint Boon.
With Oasis therefore clearly already engrained in their DNA, The Monamees hope that they will eventually stand up alongside them, as well as their heroes The Who, The Stone Roses and The Courteeners. And having seen the ‘epic’ Oasis shows for themselves at the likes of Wembley and Mexico, the band have watched superstardom in action – and they now want a slice of it.
The band got their name after lead singer Ben read an article where Liam Fray, from The Courteeners, discussed a book he liked(Image: Rose Jones/Instagram: @rosejonesphotos)
Frontman Ben, 19, first met manager Paul whilst playing at the original Definitely Maybe bar in his hometown of Bolton four years ago. Keeping in close contact over the years, he’s given Ben a platform to showcase his skills on the stage, and is now helping introduce the world to The Monamees.
“We got put together in a group at University for a module,” vocalist Ben, 19, tells the M.E.N. “We just carried it on, really. I knew Sam from primary school. We’ve been writing songs together for a few years now but we’ve started to take it more seriously now and formed a band.”
Whilst not all of the members hail from Greater Manchester, The Monamees say they take their inspiration from the local music scene and believe there’s a real energy in the city which is helping them not only find their audience, but giving them a level of cultural success to aim towards.
“Obviously, being in Manchester, all the great bands are from around here,” Ben says. “I think it’s quite inspiring to be around it all, there’s a lot of people to look up to. There’s a lot of support for local talent here, it makes you think you might actually be able to do it properly.”
The band said that they have found a sense of community and support for their music in Manchester
Bassist Max, originally from London, adds: “It’s quite a big thing coming to a place where a lot of the bands I listened to growing up have come from, but it just feels like it’s all sort of really happening for music here in Manchester. It’s just a good atmosphere. In London, I feel like it can be really difficult to make a name for yourself. It’s a lot bigger and there’s just a lot going on. Whereas in Manchester, I’ve definitely felt there’s a bit more of a community and scene for student bands.”
And then comes the question of how the band got their name. It’s a simple explanation, they insist. Ben explains: “I was reading an article with Liam Fray and he mentioned this book that was mostly in French, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll give that a try’. I didn’t end up finishing the book, but obviously Mon Amie is French for My Friend and it just kept popping up.
“We put the words together and spelt it differently like the Courteeners did with the name of the Cortina car, and we just thought it looked good written down. So, we’ve just taken that on. It was much better than The Fuzz, which was one of our first names!”
The Monamee will play their first headline show at The Eagle Inn on Monday (December 8)(Image: Rose Jones/Instagram: @rosejonesphotos)
The band only played their first ever gigs recently, including a show with Plastic Plant and The Riviera’s at Manchester’s AATMA venue last month. Now, they will play their debut headline show on Monday (December 8) at The Eagle Inn in Salford with support from Monday Talk.
“We’ve got quite a lot of songs already – some are better than others,” Ben laughs. “It’s pretty exciting, you know. Obviously, we’re been inspired by a lot of bands, I like a lot of stuff from the 60s like The Who and Paul Weller, but then there’s also Oasis, the Courteeners, Stone Roses. We’re a classic indie band. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel – it’s just catchy songs.”
And, going forward, the band said their plan is to continue writing and recording music, and lining up more gigs – with some special shows already in the works being teased for the very near future.
“As a band, we’ve started to get it now,” keyboardist Sam says. “We’ve figured out the dynamic between us and we’ve managed to fit into it nicely. There’s always stuff going on in Manchester in terms of music, the music scene is pretty active and we’re really keen to be a part of it all.”
The Monamees will play The Eagle Inn in Salford on Monday (December 8). You can get tickets here. You can also follow them on Instagram here.