Rock 'n' roll is not all glamour - just ask Ripcord.

The four-piece have secured a five-album recording deal and hope to be among the rising stars of 1999.

But getting to the stage where they are ready to launch their career properly has been a long slog.

"Less strong-willed people would have given up before now," said drummer Bob Smith.

"We have had a hard time but we believed in ourselves. I always remember that first practice that we ever had. That spurred us on."

Ripcord first got together as long ago as 1994 - further confirmation, if nothing else, that there's no such thing as an overnight success.

Bob, bassist Simon Newby and guitarist Bryan Cooper on guitar, are all from Heckmondwike and went to the same school. They completed their line-up when they recruited Baildon-based vocalist Hayden Berry but have endured a frustrating time trying to land a recording contract before finally signing to Amos, a new label set up by the Sire company which launched the careers of stars such as Madonna.

The name has already caused the band one or two headaches, not least because of people wrongly spelling it "Ripchord." But the lads are happy with it since they feel it does not predispose listener as to what kind of music they make.

"It didn't mean anything. It was such a neutral name that we thought we could turn it into a bit more of a statement," said Hayden.

In fact, it's hard to pin Ripcord down to describing what they play. Suffice it to say that they all have very different influences - and personalities.

"We don't all listen to the same music," said Hayden.

"I do like the idea that people can't predict what our next song is going to be. We've never ever tried to constrain what we do or sound like anyone else.

"We're quite different people and our record company is trying to get us going in the same direction. We're a lot more coherent as a band now."

But although it's hard to get Ripcord to namecheck specific influences, when pushed, they grudgingly talk of their admiration for the swagger and panache of bands like Suede.

"We come across as if we're slightly more stylish than most other," said Hayden.

Ripcord have already been into Woodlands studio in Castleford to record their first three singles, which are due to be released early in 1999.

The A-sides lined up are the tracks Lolita, Girl of Queer Devices and When We're Young were and the first of them is likely to be out in February or March.

"The singles are interesting enough to turn people's heads," said Hayden.

After the success of Bradford bands like Embrace and Terrorvision, Ripcord could be among the critics' fave raves by this time next year.

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