The Bishops @ Dry Bar, Manchester

• 4th Feb 2009

The Bishops
Plus The Suns

Tuesday 3rd March 2009
Dry Bar
28 Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JN
Tickets £5 adv.

When the Bishops first emerged onto the scene in 2002, they were a vision in black and white. A Hives-esque retro-flavoured power trio in Winklepickers and Mod fashions.

With their second album For Now, released on W2 Records on 9th March, they have a new sound and a new look. Returning as a more contemporary-sounding act, taking in new influences including rootsy blues and broadening their strict guitar, bass and drums sound, The Bishops include horns, harmonica, piano and slide guitar in their set up.

“We like being involved in today, not yesterday!” says Mike Bishop, who cites Last Shadow Puppets as a great influence on The Bishops’ new album. “I truly don’t feel that we are purely a retro band and we wanted to prove it.”

Preceding the album is the single, If You Leave Today, released on 16th February. It is an infectiously breezy romp with an insistent bass line and lyric about love, loss and uncertainty. The B-side By Your Side has, in the words of the band, “a bluesy riff running through it, and a serpent-like groove.”

Heralding from London, The Bishops have been together for seven years during which a steady development and growth of the bands unique sound has emerged. The band are fronted by twins Mike Bishop (vocals, guitar) and Pete Bishop (vocals, bass) and completed by Scotsman Chris McConville (drums). This power trio is the perfect vehicle for those tight twin harmonies and even tighter trousers.

Having played hundreds of gigs internationally over the last few years, their 'electric, effective, dizzily exciting' live show has seen the band tour and play in twelve different countries. Catch them at the Dry Bar in Manchester while you can!