Playing Wembley Stadium or the Royal Albert Hall is the goal of some bands.

But for Ooberman, their burning ambition is to get a gig at Buttershaw Lane Working Men's Club.

The five-piece are on the verge of becoming one of pop music's hottest properties after being picked up by the Independiente record label which was set up in the wake of the demise of Go! Discs.

The band was originally formed by ex-Buttershaw Upper School pupils Danny Popplewell and brothers Steve and Andy Flett.

"The next time we play it will probably be a support tour to coincide with the first single off the album," said vocalist Danny.

"We've never played in Bradford. When we used to practise in Andy's garden shed it was just near Buttershaw Lane Working Men's Club. Andy's dad used to go there and he used to say we should play there but we were too frightened. We thought one day we would have to go back and play there.

"Back in those days we used to write songs together and play together in the shed but we never had a drummer and we never played any gigs."

Although Ooberman are now based in Liverpool, their new seven-track EP Shorley Wall - released on the Tugboat label before the Independiente deal comes into effect - owes much to their reminiscences of being brought up in Bradford.

One song, Why Did My Igloo Collapse?, recalls childhood games in the snow.

"In Woodside, as kids, we used to buy binliners and go sledging on them," said Danny.

"And I used socks for gloves because I was poor. We also used to throw snowballs at the 508 bus but that's not in the song. The last 20 seconds is my proudest musical moment on the EP."

Ooberman first hit the limelight when they impressed Chris Morrison, manager of chart-topping Britpop band Blur, with their demo tape and had their first single released on Blur guitarist Graham Coxon's own label Transcopic.

They were also named Best Newcomers in Liverpool, an accolade previously won by chart stars Space.

Ooberman's influences include the Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel and Super Furry Animals. But some of their tracks sound like nothing else on earth.

Ooberman are due to record their debut album in the New Year and have been receiving plenty of publicity in the national music Press. But Danny, Steve and Andy are unlikely to lose touch with their Bradford roots.

"It's definitely a bit of a kick to see us in the Telegraph & Argus," said Danny.

And what about that name?

According the Danny, it was inspired by the German idea of the Ubermensch and was intended to be ironic.

"It just seemed comical because we're all short and weak. It just made it seem as if we were some kind of supermen," he said.

Simon Ashberry

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