Six years after they hung up their instruments, Stourbridge's '90s hitmakers Ned's Atomic Dustbin are back - by popular demand - again!
"Sam, the owner of JB's gave me a call last year to say he was doing a gig at Dudley Castle to celebrate 30 years of the club, and he asked if there was any chance we could get up and do a few Ned's songs," recalls singer Jonn Penney of their last comeback.
"I said it'd be really nice, but didn't think we could do it, but we did, and what was s'posed to be a little cameo thing in front of a few people turned into 5,000 people!"
Shocked by their enthusiastic reception, Jonn still insisted it would be a one-off performance, but their fans demanded more.
"We said it was a nice one off thing, we'd never do that again, but this year the phone started ringing again, and it was the summer holidays, so why not? If people want us, we'll go and do it!"
Jonn, plus bassist Alex Griffin and drummer Dan Worton reunited along with Andy and Martin from Jonn's previous band, Groundswell, for another series of dates earlier this summer, including The Longest Day in Nottingham with fellow Midlanders The Wonderstuff.
"The NME said it had to be the worst ticket of the year," laughs Jonn of the August Bank Holiday gig which also included New Model Army, "but Bryan Adams played the night before and pulled about 6,500 people and we got 8,000, so it was all right!"
They'll also be returning to JB's in Dudley for two shows this weekend (Fri 21/ Sat 22 Sept 2001) and promise to thrill fans with a mix classics and obscurities.
"There should be a few little gems in there that people wouldn't expect, like Terminally Groovy, from the first EP. That's so early that I have to bite my lip when I sing the lyrics and remind myself that I was only 19 when I wrote it."
Famed for their energetic live performances and double bass guitar line-up, Ned's made a major impact on the UK indie scene in the late '80s with such hits as Kill Your Television.
Signing to a major label, they continued to score chart hits for several years, but never quite made it into the Top 10 league.
"We split in August '95," the singer recalls from his Stourbridge home. "Our number was up. We had a big push behind us to make us into the next U2. We had decent success all over the world - but not great success - and pushing a band around the world costs money. We'd had a good run. So we decided to jack it in while we were ahead!"
After his second band, Groundswell, failed to make an impact, Jonn decided to call it a day, and is now studying multi-media communication at Uni' in Wolverhampton.
"The way things are moving forward, your TV will be your video, CD player, PC, everything, and that interested me," he says of his decision to return to full time education. "Web design, multi-media applications, sound & video production - I've found it very interested and haven't had a brain explosion just yet!"
And although Jonn confesses to penning new songs in private, he's remains pensive about future plans for the NAD's.
"If people want us, they'll ask us, and if we want to do it, we'll do it. But at this point in time the last ever Ned's show might well be the Astoria in London on 29 September. There may be more next year," he says, highlighting the lure of nostalgia. "But let's leave it hanging, see what happens, so there's no pressure...." .
Dave Freak