Artist description WINK - driving pop rock with melodies and brains. Storming France even as we speak. Fiercly independant they do their own thing no matter what it takes. They've refused approaches by labels who don't share their ethos. To the band it's important that they keep control of every facet of their music. As songwriter mick puts it "a producer is someone who tells you what you can't do - a recording engineer asks you what you want him to do next'. So far WINK have stuck to working with recording engineers! Politics raises it's head in almost every song with critiques of racism, the wearing of fur, bullfighting etc. There's also a strong vein of love, and lost love songs from the emotional black hole that forms mick's psyche. Fundamentally a guitar band, WINK are unashamed of their 'POP' tag. After all, anyone who's ever sung along to Nirvana will know that pop has a long and honourable history.

Music Style Indie Pop

Musical Influences Billy Bragg, Pixies, Immaculate Fools, Cure,

Similar Artists Just ourselves - give it a listen ! Tell us what you think. Nicely !

Artist History Formed in '96 the original WINK exploded in '97 after a nasty rash of 'musical differences' and a problem over reliability in the rehearsal department. The current line up emerged from a series of adverts and auditions among local musicians and has turned out to be very stable. Gigging from the word go in local bars, the band soon started to go further afield with a summer tour of the French West coast in 2001. That followed the release of their first album 'Radio for the Deaf'. Fifteen tracks recorded in a local studio. Several other CD appearances on compilations were followed by more gigging and some regional and national airplay. Lots of interest from Belgium, where the song 'Disease' has been heavily aired on radio. Opened for the UK's 'The Electric Soft Parade' in Summer 2002 and currently planning a UK tour in Jan 2003 on the strength of interest generated over there.

Group Members Dougal Weeks on Lead guitar and vocals. Vincent Delage on Bass. Bruno Vallade on Drums. mick on rythm guitar, vocals and songwriting.

Instruments Two guitars, bass, drums, two vocals.

Albums Radio for the Deaf (homecooked - wink 002)

Press Reviews Press Release - UK Tour January 2003 "Unsigned and proud of it" is the way WINK see their status as one of France's best kept indie pop secrets. With their fiercely independant philosophy comes a bag of carefully crafted and uncompromising songs. Despite being courted by several labels they've yet to find the right partners in crime. No rush though, they're happy to keep doing their own thing their own way. They've been doing it that way for five years now. Gradually building their reputation as a class live act. Recently supporting in France the UK's next big things 'The Electric Soft Parade' they're now planning to export their brand of slow burningly explosive indie pop to the land of it's ancestors. They also do that rare thing in French pop - they write and sing in comprehensible E English! Live gigs tend to start off with their first single the 'poppy ' Won't Feel' but as the gig begins to flare up the darker, wilder side of WINK takes over and before long they start to oscillate wildly between the moving and the just plain insisting. By the end it's generally loud and fast and very hot! The WINK lineup is Doug - Lead guitar/vocals, Mico - Rythm guitar/vocals/songwriting, Bruno Drums/percussion and Vincent - bass. Tour dates for the UK 2003 ......... (Confirmed) Saturday Januarythe 25th The Terminus, Hailsham, East Sussex Friday February the 31st The Studio, Hartlepool, Co Durham (Negotiating) Dates in Sunderland, Brighton, Leicester and London Check our website for updates.....

Additional Info Always ready to talk to radios - press etc. Will happily associate themselves with the right charities. Like to work and not be greedy.

Location Angouleme, Charente - France

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