Things just haven't quite gone for Paradise Lost.

But, like that brand of Irish stout, they're not bitter.

The band, who are based in Bradford and Halifax, were hotly tipped last year to cross over from being phenomenally successful in the alternative rock stakes to mainstream contenders.

But their 1999 album Host got a mixed reception and the five-piece are no nearer being household names.

But like the troopers they are, Paradise Lost are hard at work writing their next album, which EMI want to release in September.

"It's a ridiculously tight schedule," grimaced guitarist Greg Mackintosh, who is joined in the band's line-up by vocalist Nick Holmes, drummer Lee Morris, bassist Steve Edmondson and guitarist Aaron Aedy.

"When it comes to getting into the charts, a lot of it is being in the right place at the right time," said Nick.

"We've never had any breaks. In America we've always been unlucky with record labels. There have been loads of bottomless promises."

He denied that the band had deliberately courted mainstream success with the more accessible sound of Host.

"We've always changed our sound and the next album will be something different again. With someone like Iron Maiden you pretty much know what you're going to get but we will always change. Our fans are not expecting the next one to be same. What we do is just how we feel at the time."

Next week sees Paradise Lost back on what they regard as home territory. Their gig at Rio's in Woodhead Road, Bradford, is one of a brace of live performances - the other is at the LA2 club in London - which are their first since last June.

Although the band members have their roots in both Bradford and Halifax, it is the former which they regard as their true spiritual home.

"We've never played in Halifax. There's nowhere there that you can play except perhaps the Victoria Theatre. Terrorvision played there once but that was ages ago," said Greg.

Paradise Lost rehearse in Bradford, which at least has Rio's. But the band still bemoan the city's lack of decent venues, especially compared to the recent past.

"The best gig ever was Metallica at St George's Hall in 1986. We all went and it was £4.50 to get in, I seem to remember," said drummer Lee.

Nick, however, believes the lack of good gigs is a sign of the times rather than a problem that's peculiar to Bradford.

"With the age of computers a lot of kids would rather sit at home and play video games. It's better for promoters to put on a lot of big bands on the same bill and get a cross-section of different people," he said.

"If it means swallowing your pride and going to smaller venues, then you just have to do it."

Simon Ashberry

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.