"This is a courage that I admire amongst musicians"

by Rachel Kenyon, Writer & Editor

  I wasn't usually a fan of heavy music or metal. That was until of course I heard music from Lockin. These guys came all the way from Leeds to have a chat and a brew with me on the airwaves and to be honest, I think I crushed their hard metal exterior and they are actually a pretty decent bunch of lads. Usually you'd expect smelly, dirty style individuals who may spit at your feet, but no! They spat outside instead, how considerate! Jokes aside, I found these guys great to chat to and they have broken to mould in my estimation of what true rock metal heads should be. They weren't angry or depressed to my knowledge, they just had a vast appreciation and passion for music and that is what they cared about. As band member Ben states with regard to his religious views; "I pray at the church of Metallica!"...I think this pretty much sums them up.

The three piece Dave (Singer and lead guitar, Ben (Bass) and Matt (Drums) started their plight in talks of what genre the band would actually play. Then, they sat back and thought "hey, we can play what the hell we want!" plus a token of fairness amongst each band member. In early 2008 when the guys got together, the idea was to take elements of each members main influences such as metal, punk and grunge, to create a truly unique sound, the only stipulation was that everyone in the band would have equal say and input, other than that there were no rules. Rules are for fools! The only fool being the one who took himself too seriously and a would-be audience who would pigeon-hole them into whatever category they deemed appropriate. LOCKIN never set out to be a 'metal' band, a 'punk' band or any other particular genre. They just set out to play! This is a courage that I admire amongst musicians and the audacity to ignore the apathy of other people and possessing the passion to just get on with it and create.

The band began to practice above a local pub and spent several months writing material before they played live, wanting to make sure that when LOCKIN first hit the stage they would make a BIG impression , and it seemed to have paid off. The band began gigging extensively until they had built a loyal fan-base. LOCKIN have always been respected for the quality of their live shows and 18 months after forming the band were offered the chance to support InMe in Wakefield, this propelled the band forward and massively increased their exposure.

Discussions soon began on recording their first EP, however with little/no money behind them which is often the case with unsigned bands, completing a good quality recording looked unlikely, until the band were offered the chance to record at a friend's studio and quickly accepted. Before the raw tracks were complete the band supported Hayseed Dixie on their UK tour- Dixie's vocalist, John Wheeler was so impressed with the band's sound that he offered to master the EP as soon as the tracks were done and the band couldn't believe their luck!

The band are now in the early stages of planning a UK tour for 2012 and they're are going to be a lot of gigs throughout 2011 in the UK and BEYOND so watch out folks, if you like new and original sounds, these guys are for you. Check them out at:

http://www.facebook.com/lockinofficial

http://www.myspace.com/lockinofficial

Tune in to my show every Wednesday from 8-10pm for band interviews and alternative music on www.boltonfm.com or 96.5 Bolton FM. Rach x