I had the CD, the Mercedes LP that I had picked up from some little dusty record shop somewhere, now I had heard that there was a second single on the way called 'here I am'
I didn't really know who Mercedes were, but their music made an impact on me.
They had it all, the rough edge of early Radiohead, and a sort of ragged female singer sound that only rock princess PJ Harvey is usually found blasting out. Originally from Hartlepool, I was amazed to find that such musical talent was floating around this area.  | | Mark |
Curious of their path to fame, I went to view their latest gig at Trinity Gardens, Stockton as part of the Riverside festival, and afterwards grab a nifty interview with singer, Sharon to try and get some inside info of this uniquely sounding band
. "Fantastic set, how did you find that venue?" "It was really cool, It had good sounds, especially for a tent!" "You all come from the North East originally, however you did move to London for some time. Why did you move back when you were in such an important place for music?" "Yeah, I did enjoy London, that is when we toured with Coldplay. I am glad we moved back here because then everything just seemed to snowball. After 5 or 6 years in London, I had to move back, because it got to the point where you had to decide."
"Was it too big in London?"
 | | Sharon |
"I enjoy the North East, it sounds odd, but I feel taller here, because unlike London, here, it is a little concentrated network that is a lot more relaxing." "Touring with Coldplay is pretty cool, any other claim to fames?" "I have been on Jools Holland with Bowie and Oasis. That was cool." "Although you do have a unique sound, would you say you had any influences?" "Oh yeah! Radiohead, Elvis, the whole band has this common music taste
we are all Radiohead fans! I find myself not into female singers though." "Not even PJ Harvey!?" "Ok, I do like her!" "Talking about influences, would you say the North East has had an influence on your music?" "The Industry and what happens around here probably comes through, but we have never written a "North East lyric" if you know what I mean. We are not about the North East." "Does any member of the band have a bigger role in choosing the songs, or making decisions?" "I usually come up with an idea, and everyone has an input and works round it. We are just one big happy family!" "I see you are with the local record label, FTWL, how did you decide to sign up to that label?" "Well actually, Mark read it in the paper about it, and we rang up. We went for a demo, we wanted to do it more as a hobby after London. Just relax. But after the first single is released, there is no stopping!" "One last question, that has been bugging me
Why the name Mercedes?" "It is from a James Joyce Novel. In it, the character always tries to escape, spiritually. And Mercedes is always there to help, I suppose its his ideal woman!" I will be catching up with Mercedes on the 22nd August, when they play at the launch show of their forthcoming single 'Here I am' at the Studio, Hartlepool. | 
