The Silver Factory

Indietracks interview #7: The Silver Factory

The Silver Factory began in Leicester in 2008 in the head of Fran Feely. Fran decided to start a musical project which embraced some of his musical heroes from the eighties, such as The Stone Roses, The Field Mice, The Sea Urchins and other groups from the C86 movement, but at the same time, reflected his passion for some other bands from the sixties like The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las, and The Byrds. Marc Johnston joined the band as singer, followed by bassist Luke Headland, drummer Paul Hobbs and guitarist Matt Vinall. Fran joined us for a quick interview ahead of their appearance at Indietracks this year... 

Hi Fran, tell us a little bit about The Silver Factory - how do you all know each other?

I have known Marc the singer for about 15 years as one of my best friends. I met the other members through music finder site ads.

How would you describe your songs? 

Catchy jangle pop with a darker undercurrent. 

You've signed to Elefant records and you're playing in Spain in May. How did the Elefant connection come about and why did you pick that label?

I was a big fan of Camera Obscura and sent a demo to Elefant records. At the same time Shindig Magazine’s Jon Mills contacted the label with our self funded video and they really liked it and us. We signed July 2011 in Madrid, and we’re playing a Spanish festival and also Club Elefant in Madrid in May.

Please tell us a bit about the upcoming mini-LP If Words Could Kill? 

The mini LP will be released on 10” vinyl as a limited edition of 500 copies with a download voucher. There will be two videos for the release; the first video will be out April 30 and the second video will be out on May 21 alongside the physical release of the 10” in the UK. Outside the UK the 10” will be out between April 30 and May 21. We’re very proud of the songs and the production. It really gels well as a mini LP.

You've all been in various bands before (Fran and Peter were in The Psychotic Reaction, Marc was in The Junipers, Luke was in The Carnabys). Do you approach being in a band differently now compared to when you formed your very first bands? 

Yes. You learn how to agree and enjoy the most important things which is making good music and enjoying the process.

You're a Leicester band, so surely you've popped over to Indietracks before? What are you looking forward to this time? 

We love the festival and me and my girlfriend attend every year. It's a real buzz to be playing. I am really looking forward to seeing Veronica Falls and The Vaselines to name a few of a great line up.

You list The Stone Roses as one of your musical heroes. How do you feel about this year's reunion? Are you going to the shows? 

I managed to get tickets for Heaton Park on the Friday within two minutes of them going on sale. It became on obsession at work to ensure I got tickets... my bosses understood which was lucky. We are all fans of the band and all share the opinion that it is a great thing. The age of the band or the reasons for the reunion is not important. They wrote great songs and they still look cool so good on them! It is going to be the highlight of the year watching this great band perform again. We are also excited to hearing their new tunes too!

Thanks Fran, see you at Indietracks.