Manchester is proud home to an incredible number of music stars: Oasis, Cleopatra, Lisa Stansfield, Rowetta or The Bee Gees (to name a few!). Nico was living in town for almost eight years. You can say that very step and every corner here has a story to tell. Sadly, many people seem to be overtaken by nostalgia and forget the fact that music in Manchester never stops (we ARE the 24 hours party people, thank you very much) and new acts are always around if you want to discover something truly amazing. Today`s Mancunian scene is shaped by the acts like The Red Stains, Just Banco or Nikki & The Waves.
But let`s just say you want the classical rock group that is almost synonymous with Manchester: strong guitars, catchy melodies, a little bit of psychedelia, alternative and maybe even disco to the mix. You say it – we`ve got it.
Remember the name: Y-Key Operators. A truly unique five piece that have been gracing local and national music venues since 2017, but you may have missed them due to pandemic and selective music press coverage. I already ranted enough times that the Manc scene needs some proper visibility, so I don’t really want to repeat myself. We keep writing those blogs to make sure that there is some trace of the jaw dropping talent in town.
Y-Key Operators consist of Woz Griffiths (vox), James “Jimbo” Freeman (guitars), Malc Burke (keyboards), Nathan Potts (drums) and Ray Bowles (bass). They are seasoned veterans of Northern music scenes, people who are hugely active in their communities and artists. My first encounter with the band was through meeting Malc Burke – an incredible photographer in his own right. The Operator`s drummer Nathan Potts is involved in Beep Baseball. A word from a Polish American here for those who are not that familiar with different forms of baseball. Beep Baseball is quite popular in the US. We have a league (NBBA operating for the last 47 years), over 200 teams across the country, nationals and World Series. Beep is highly inclusive and can be enjoyed by both people with visual impairments and regular players.
If the fact that members of Y-Key Operators have excellent taste in sports doesn’t melt your hearts, then try listening to the band`s new single “Stay at Home”. You will not only be a stan right away, but you will also demand an entire album from them. And you will be stocking up on merch.
I love when songs grab you from the first seconds and don’t let go. “Stay at Home” has this insanely driven keyboard motif that makes you feel like you are running. It`s probably a dream track to do a 10K to, it will keep you well ahead of the crowds and bursting with energy. From the very beginning you can`t decide what genre you are hearing: is it Brit pop, or post punk or are you suddenly raving at Hacienda. Truth be told, Y-Key Operators are fluent at genre-hopping. They seem to possess an ability to take elements from so many backgrounds and make it their own. There are influences here from Joy Division, The Charlatans, The Fall and Chameleons, but it is all so masterfully entwined that at the end you just will admit there is no way to squeeze this band into one consistent box. I am very tempted to use alternative/underground dance as the closest term to describe “Stay at Home”, but then some music purist will throw electroclash or new rave at me. And they will be right! Oh, Y-Key Operators you make it so challenging for us music writers, I am in awe of you!
“Stay at Home” is loaded with positivity. The way the lines of “we believe in you” are delivered is enough to brighten your day and raise your self-esteem. Listening to this song soon will be on NHS prescription for those who feel down and out. Music as a cure is an old concept but somehow very relevant in the post pandemic world.
BBC 6 Music Mark Ratcliffe once described Y-Key Operators as “a good band, well worth a follow” and I must agree with the sentiment. You don’t have to be a mega celebrity to have a real impact on people around you and your locality. Seeing how invested the band are in their communities, I could hazard a guess that they may have more influence on Manchester these days than Gallagher Brothers. So next time you are wandering the NQ in search of a pub crawl, how about dropping to one of the music venues and see if you can catch some bands that may change your life? Our existence doesn’t revolve around getting pissed. It’s much better to attend a gig.
“Stay at Home” was produced by the band alongside Paul Holmes (The Moods) at the Black Triangle Studios and mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Kate Perry, Depeche Mode)
You can follow the bank online:
https://www.ykeyoperators.com/
https://www.facebook.com/YKeyOperators/
https://twitter.com/ykeyoperators
https://www.instagram.com/ykeyoperators/
https://www.youtube.com/ykeyoperators
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4L9bo9Bxe1fP84rVsHDuRw
You may also want to check out Malc Burke photo pages:
https://www.malcburkephotography.com/
https://www.facebook.com/malcburkephotography/
https://www.instagram.com/malcburkephotography
Indieterria 