THE Dead 60s like to make a statement. Their name, for instance - a deliberate poke in the eye to anyone still slavishly following the trail laid out by the Beatles half a century ago.
“Our name was about what we saw growing up,” explains bass player Charlie Turner. “All these Liverpool bands, and when you ask them what their music is like they go ‘we’re dead 60s, la’. We didn’t want to be like that.”
Their debut album was packed with spooky ska sounds, and it was, well, like nothing Liverpool had produced before.
They had rejected the Liverpool fad for all things new wave, eschewing jangly guitars in favour of reggae, ska and punk - The Clash, The Specials and Talking Heads.
The four-piece from south Liverpool (Charlie is joined by singer Matt McManamon, Ben Gordon on guitar/organ and Bryan Johnson on drums) were quickly signed to Mossley Hill-based indie label Deltasonic, where they became stablemates with The Coral and The Zutons.
Fast forward two years and The Dead 60s have come back stronger than ever, but with a very different sound. They’ve recorded a sensational new album, Time To Take Sides, in New York at Noise Studio, with New Order and The Strokes producer David Kahne.
“It’s exciting for us to play the new songs,” says Matt. “We’ve developed a lot since we started out. I suppose the early stuff was a statement, but now we’re concentrating more on songs.”
The album isn’t out until January, but the lads are giving audiences a sneak preview at a free gig at Probe Records on Slater Street on September 11.
“It’s the first time people will have heard the new stuff, so we’re really looking forward to seeing how it goes down,” says Charlie.
“We love playing live,” adds Matt. “Rehearsing and recording are great, but nothing beats the thrill of being in front of an audience.”
The Dead 60s will be playing at Probe Records on September 11 at 5pm. For more information see www.myspace.com/thedead60s.