The Coral to play The Underground in Hanley

Jan 5 2011 by Will Harris, Crewe Chronicle

Liverpool band The Coral make an appearance at The Underground in Hanley next week.

The five-piece has been in existence for more than a decade, having arrived at the start of the century, almost immediately marking themselves out as mavericks.

They met at Hilbre High School in West Kirby on the Wirral Peninsula. The six friends would meet at each others’ houses and the school music room where they would watch films, listen to music and play guitars.

After leaving school they went on to jobs and university before quitting both to take up the band full time.

The band started as prominent members of the Liverpool music scene, playing many gigs around the city.

They caught the ear with an original mixture of ska, pop, punk and blues, all tied up with insanely catchy melodies.

Now, The Coral have consolidated their critical and commercial acclaim with five Top 10 albums and a slew of hit singles, including their most recent offering Butterfly House, which has been talked about since the band’s studio sessions at the end of last year.

Their distinctive musical style has strongly influenced many other of the Liverpool-based label's acts, including The Zutons, The Dead 60s and The Rascals.

The gig at The Underground will be a special acoustic show sure to feature many of their most popular tracks such as Dreaming Of You, Don’t Think You’re The First, Pass It On and In The Morning.

The Coral play on Friday. Doors open at 8pm and tickets are £15. To book, phone 0844 412 4642 or visit www. myspace.com/theundergroundstoke.