Section 60 interview

We talk to Chris Perkins from Section 60 about the band's new single and their love of Sheffield United.

We talk to Chris Perkins from Section 60 about the band's new single and their love for all things Sheffield United ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final against Charlton

When asked whether the band would be playing for United's 125th anniversary celebrations, Chris Perkins replied, "If we do play in the car park or in a bin at the ground, we don't mind as long as it's in the grounds of Bramall Lane." For Section 60, supporting the Blades goes hand in hand with their music. From CD sleeves to music videos, the guys feel obliged to spread the word. If you're a fan of northern bands and in particular 'The Verve', then you're in for a treat. With the new single 'Champion of the Underdog' earning some rave reviews, it's set to be a big year for the five-piece guitar band from the Steel City. We caught up with Chris after the recent release of their new single. Firstly, how did the band form and what made you choose the name? The band formed because of a laugh at first. We were sat in my mate Addy's flat; he'd started learning how to play the guitar and I'd split up with my missus at the time, so I was dossing down on their settee. We started writing songs together, having a laugh every night and I thought I'd get a bass guitar. Then we got in with another lad called Smit who is now our lead guitarist; we went down to the practice rooms and it went from there. We all realised, we can actually do this! I packed in the bass guitar and then we needed someone to sing, so I thought I'd have a go. There's always been us three and then other people have come and gone, but we've got a steady five now. The name 'Section 60' comes from the stop and search procedure by the police and it happens a lot at football. I thought it was a good name because it will relate to us as football fans and it was something a bit different. Listening to your songs, there is a broad range of sounds. Where do you get your inspiration from? We can go from getting really into it with a rock 'n' roll song and then we can drop it down and do a ballad type song. We have our own sound now, which we built up over time and you can always tell it's us. We are very heavily influenced by northern bands. We all love the Stone Roses, but a band from Manchester called Puressence has been a huge influence on our music. People say to us that we sound like Oasis but we think we sound much more like The Verve. I think saying we sound like Oasis is a cop out and it's easy for anyone to say because of the way we dress. I think we just look like we go to football matches. Sheffield has always been a great music city. What kind of following do you receive in the Steel City? The following in Sheffield has always been absolutely brilliant. For a local band like us to be getting 300, 400 or even 500 people coming to watch is a lot for a band in our situation. We really have a solid fan base now in Sheffield and we get a good following in Manchester because of our management company over there. Wherever we go we get a lot of feedback. We did a gig in Liverpool last year and the crowd were bang in to us. I can stand up in front of a crowd in Sheffield and feel confident because I know that crowd is here to see us. But when you're in someone's backyard and you have them in the palm of your hand at the end of your half an hour set, there's no better feeling. Boxer Adam Etches has a star role in the video for 'Champions of the Underdog'. How did that come about? If you've seen the single cover we've got 16 images of underdogs like Rocky Balboa, Gandhi, a tortoise and Sheffield United. For the video we got the idea that a boxer would go really well. I've got to take my hat off to Adam because we approached him and there wasn't any money discussed or anything. He is this up-and-coming boxer, he's got a great following and he's a proper nice kid. Me and Addy went to meet him and were really impressed with him as a person. He was a proper professional all day when we shot the video and I haven't got enough good words to say about Adam. You guys are massive Sheffield United fans. What made you a Blade originally and what are your first memories of supporting the club? I used to live in the maisonettes at Norfolk Park and I could see Bramall Lane from my bedroom window. My dad was a Blade and it's normally a father-son thing but it was never like that with us. The first person to take me to a match and several after that was my grandmother. I was seven when I went to my first match and it never leaves you. Then I got a bit older and started going with my mates. I went to the Peterborough game the other day and there's no feeling like it. I took my girlfriend to game and she hasn't been since because she says I'm crackers when I go. When your team scores you do things you would never normally do in normal life, you think, am I actually dancing like this...because I never dance! You mentioned the Sheffield United emblem on your CD sleeve. Are there any other ways you represent the club on stage or musically? We always mention the club in interviews because it's a massive part of our lives. We were Sheffield United supporters and loved the club before we were ever in a band. Don't get me wrong, music is a massive thing with us but Sheffield United has always been there. In videos we've done like 'Dream Factory' there is always little hints of United. With every cover we've ever done you can see something to do with United. Sheffield United have just announced plans for their 125th anniversary and have talked about including live bands in the celebrations. Would you consider performing? Definitely, if they approached us we would jump at the chance. I was asked in an interview once 'where would you like to play the most?' and I said Bramall Lane. I love Bruce Springsteen and he is the only ever person that has played there. If we do play in the car park or in a bin at the ground, we don't mind as long as it's in the grounds of Bramall Lane. Who is your Sheffield United hero? I don't even have to think about it - Glyn Hodges. On his day he was such a gifted player and what I liked about him most was that he was a character. I was asked to pick my five-a-side team of United players and I picked: Brian Deane, Mel Rees in net, Vas Borbokis, Glynn Hodges and my defender was Paul Stancliffe. I got a lot of stick for that because my mates were saying it should have been Paul McGrath. What are your first impressions of Nigel Clough and do you see the club sticking with him long-term? What I love about Clough is his passion. When David Weir was at the club he had his arms crossed and it must have got to the point where he thought he was out of his depth. I think with Clough it's in his blood and it feels more like United again now. It reminds me of the days under Dave Bassett and it feels like there is a real togetherness. The players seem to want to play for the manager now and we've gone on an eight-match winning run. What I like about the players is that they are playing for each other and getting stuck in. I think players like Jamie Murphy and Ryan Flynn are coming into their own after taking a long time to settle in. They're proper wingers and I love wingers. I played on the wing when I was a kid and I loved getting the ball into the box and taking a defender on. Do you reckon Sheffield United are ready for a promotion push next season or will it require some reinforcements? I think we've got one of the best squads in the division. It was proven the other night against Peterborough; you looked at the team sheet and we were worried about how many changes they'd made. Those players that came in did a great job. Terry Kennedy came in and had a great game. Chris Porter normally winds me up but recently he really knows where the net is and he can't half take a penalty. I would never pick Porter but he is playing out of his skin and I've been chanting his name in the stand.
What's been your best matchday experience as a Blade? The game that I always remember is when we beat Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough 3-1 and Bobby Davison got two goals. I had never seen them play Wednesday before that season. Another one that sticks out is knocking Manchester United out the FA Cup when Hodges lobbed Peter Schmeichel. When there was the potential for a Steel City FA Cup quarter-final a lot of outsiders thought it would be great for the city. Did you view it that way or were you rooting for Charlton? No, I was rooting for Charlton. I don't want to play Wednesday. If you speak to any true United or Wednesday fan, we didn't want to play them and they didn't want to play us. I think the media just built it up. Derby days are stressful and not enjoyable; you're tense for days and weeks before the game. My mate said to me it's one of those games that if you lose then you go home and kick your dog. I get stressed out enough; I don't need that stress as well. How do you rate their chances in the FA Cup quarter-final against Charlton and beyond? I think we have a great chance against Charlton. The way we are playing they won't fear Charlton one little bit and I really do fancy us. I think they'll be 26,27 thousand Blades in there and everyone will be behind them. If we were to get to the semi-final then we have a chance of playing a side like Hull or Sunderland and that's the tie you want. For them to get to the semi-final with the season we have had - what a massive achievement that would be. It would be a big day out for everybody and just thinking about it is making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Sheffield United's kick off time with Charlton on Sunday is 12noon. There's been uproar from certain sections of support with no trains getting from London to Sheffield in time for the match. What are your views? I think the police have put so much pressure on it because of what happened in the Forest game when fans ran onto the pitch. They are hoping to get the fans in the ground as early as possible and have it over and done with. They haven't thought about the away fans whatsoever. I was told the other day that the first train into Sheffield gets in at 12:07 and I think that's just a disgrace. Football fans seem to be treated like second-class citizens and it really annoys me. Hull and Sunderland isn't a big distance apart and their match is a later kick-off. I really do think it has come down to police pressure and that's my opinion. To me the FA Cup is bigger than the Champions League because it has such a tradition and so much history. There are all these great players when it's the Champions League but to me football is about more than that. Football is about more than Ronaldo doing 10 stepovers before he scores. It's about people and communities - that's football. To me that's what the FA Cup is all about. Watch the brilliant new single video 'Champions Of The Underdog', featuring Sheffield boxer Adam "The Bomber" Etches, at Shoot Matchday http://www.shootmatchday.com/section60/