from gig practice. But Joe’s not watching a DVD or having a pint with his mates. He’s gardening. For his parents.
Now when I was Joe’s age (at seventeen, he’s the youngest member of Milburn), I wasn’t in a band. I didn’t have a record deal,
a press officer or screaming fans. There was, come to think of it, very little to interrupt my intensive loafing schedule... and
despite an abundance of free time, I’m pretty sure you’d never have caught me lending Mum a helping hand with the begonias.
It seems Joe Carnell is A Good Kid.
He’s also, judging by the place waiting for him at the University of Cambridge (to read History), a pretty clever kid to boot.
Does he worry that, standing as he is on the crossroads of academia and glamorous indie rock ‘n’ roll, he might make the
wrong choice and that either school or the band might suffer? "Not really. I’m prepared to go wherever life takes me."
Besides, it sounds like the folk at school are being pretty understanding. "The Head of Arts let us use his office to rehearse
the other day."
He sounds genuinely grateful, but in reality Joe and the other boys from Milburn – Louis Carnall (Joe’s older brother), Tom
Rowley on guitars and Joe Green on drums - have tuned up in more auspicious venues, having played the Garage in Highbury
(beloved of Pete Doherty) and twice sold out Sheffield’s Boardwalk. Their website (www.milburnmusic.com) shows there are
plenty more gigs on the way.
I ask why it seems the North of England is producing more than its fair share of promising new musicians at the moment. “To
be honest, I think it’s no coincidence,” replies Joe. “Kids in the North see stuff on TV, bands like Razorlight and The
Libertines, held up as if it’s the be-all-and-end-all. It’s good music, but little of it is truly outstanding. I think that gives people
the confidence to say ‘You know what? Maybe I could do that.’ And that’s what kids in Sheffield have done and will continue to
do.” He regrets that, in the past, the Sheffield music scene has been largely overlooked by the rest of the country. There is,
of course, one notable exception in the shape of Britpop innovators Pulp, although their last album was in 2001, and we go on
to agree that Jarvis’ recent appearance on Stars In Their Eyes as Rolf Harris may have unravelled his previous good works.
With an older brother also in the band, I wonder if Joe’s parents are musicians too. “Actually, my dad is a manager at an
electrical company and mum works in insurance. They’re not at all creative musically, but they’ve got decent taste.” Decent
and hereditary; for Joe credits Mr & Mrs Carnalls’ The Jam and The Kinks LPs with broadening Milburn’s musical horizons.
Asked whether ubiquitous fellow Northerners The Kaiser Chiefs have provided a more contemporary influence on the boys,
he is diplomatic: “Don’t get me wrong, I totally respect what those guys have done and the level of success they’ve had. I’m
just not personally a fan of their music.”
His favourite bands at the moment are Sunderland four piece, The Futureheads and Milburn’s contemporaries, The Arctic
Monkeys, but it seems that as a songwriter, inspiration is just as likely to come from “a book I’ve read, a film I’ve seen – or
real life." Asked to elaborate, he tells the story behind album track, “Send In The Boys” - a hostage incident on his own
suburban street. “It was bizarre. The road was cordoned off and there were four or five riot vans. There was a mental patient
hiding in the cellar. It got me imagining the dynamics of the situation.” It’s a smashing song and an example of what Milburn
do best – a snapshot of the normal and not-so-normal business of growing up in Sheffield today and maybe it’s a snapshot
best taken from the herbaceous border....
Interview by Mark Smith
Special thanks to Milburn and Sarah at Quite Great.
It is my firm belief that British music is presently at it’s most exciting and exhilarating. Since The Libertines shook indie music
viciously by the throat a few years back, there has been an inexorable surge of young bands reviving the spirit of Rock n’ Roll
with as much passion and integrity as anyone before them. The bands that, probably as you read this, are creeping out of
obscurity and plying their visceral craft on stages up and down the country, are creating such a buzz and cult following, that it
is practically impossible not to be seduced and enchanted by the scene they command.
With these thoughts, it was tonight that my assumptions on the British music scene were cemented….by a group of
teenagers no less! Upon entering Nottingham’s ‘Old Angel’, with its theme of grimy punk glamour, the intensity of Milburn’s cult
following is on view for all to see. Pushing past hordes of immaculately groomed indie boys and girls, the rickety floor of the
‘Angel’ trembles as the jerky rumblings of opening track ‘Send In The Boys’ resonate from the tiny stage, and slices straight
through the eager revellers dancing as if their lives depend on it. Immediately followed by the ‘Cheshire Cat Smile’, you begin
to understand the diversity of Milburn’s musical influences, this track in particular, harking back to the glory days of Morrissey
and The Smiths.
Lead singer Joe Carnall, along with his brother Louis on guitar and backing vocals, is the sort of level-headed, and endearingly
Norther, front man, refreshing in what seems to be a band culture primarily interested in ‘haircuts and Converse All-Stars’.
Essentially supported by frantic drummer, Joe Green, and the Graham Coxon-like Tom Rowley, you are presented with a unit
of musicians who are well rehearsed, and if there’s any justice, anything but a flash in the pan.
John quips with the crowd all night long, easily blending in with the largely teenage audience, and doesn’t seem the least bit
phased when the stage is stormed during the frenetic second track of the evening. Heads nod, girls scream, and bodies begin
to surf towards the exhilarating sound that streams from the tiny, beer soaked stage. But Milburn’s leading quality is,
unarguably, the high level of professionalism they exude as a band. One forgets that this is a group of young men barely out of
college, because what is produced can only be hailed as some of the most electrifying live music I’ve had the pleasure of
hearing for quite some time. Throughout the entire set there is barely a dropped note or strained smile from the guys…they
REALLY love what they do!
When ploughing through songs such as ‘Lipstick Lickin’’ and ‘Storm In A Teacup’, Milburn genuinely exhibit as much passion,
and charisma, to rival any of their contemporaries, such as The Futureheads and Maximo Park, with perhaps a little more
exposure and touring. It’s clear from the people in attendance tonight, that the band already have a loyal following, many of
whom belt out song lyrics with as much force as lead vocalist, Joe.
Playing for just over thirty minutes, Milburn leave the Nottingham crowd enthused and clearly satisfied. I myself, admittedly,
arrived at tonight’s venue with a sense of apprehension, perhaps music snobbery, at the thought of a group of Sheffield teens
being held in such high esteem. Well, I was proven wrong. Milburn, in short, were fantastic. These guys WILL be moving onto
bigger things, catch them while you can….next stop Brixton Academy?
Summary? In the words of Roger Daltry; “The kids are alright!…”
Review by Matt Smithurst
unless otherwise stated
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