A Northern Town

Follow You Around

Nah-Nah

Burn Out

Woodside from Alsager in the UK, officially formed in late 1997 after Tom Lovatt and Ben Carter had decided to write and record an album before the school year finished the following July. By August 1998 Woodside's debut album, 'Living Room Dream' was finally finished with help from a few friends; Sarah Clapperton (formally Phillips) on drums, Dave Longman (vocals) Vicky Smith (vocals) and Neil Hammond (guitar).

Although the album didn't sell 1 copy (they were given away) the experience was amazing especially as it was self produced in its entirety by Tom, his 4 track machine and bits of paper to hold the failing faders into place.

In the following years Woodside recorded sporadically due to Tom being at university and Ben living here there and everywhere, but when they were together they were honing their craft.

During 2001, Woodside wrote and recorded 'Seven Chimes' a 5 track EP which signalled a definite change of direction in the song writing. This helped lay the foundations for what would be the band's high point.

'A Northern Town' was written during the summer of 2002 and eventually recorded by Barney Smith at Greenway Studios for the pricely sum of £100, a fortune to 2 unemployed musicians at the time, during November and December of that year. During this time, Woodside played a short local tour of abut 10 gigs promoting the EP which eventually ended with playing the Night & Day Cafe in Manchester. This was to be Woodside's final gig for almost a decade. Also at this time 'A Northern Town' was released in HMV in Manchester selling at lest 5 whole copies, although the band didn't see a single penny.

Ten years later, Ben called Tom and asked for his thoughts on a 10 year anniversary gig at the annual Alsager Music Festival to which Tom hastily agreed. The 10 song set was reworked from the originals to give them a fresh sound and the rehearsal went well, even though they didn't start rehearsing until 2 weeks before the festival.

Tom was in fine form throughout the packed Greenway tent and the band played a cracking set to a fantastic crowd with each song being more raucously greeted than the last.

It was with great sadness that on 31st May 2014, Tom died of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).

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