Simon Ashberry speaks to Bradford's very own 'supergroup'.

They may be an as yet unfamiliar name, but US are far from newcomers.

In some ways, they are the nearest thing Bradford has ever had to a supergroup.

Drummer Ricky Howard was formerly with Bradford rockers Loud and has also worked with the likes of Killing Joke, Sister of Mercy and Duran Duran's Andy Taylor; vocalist Rob Moore has done session work since his days with Happiness Ad; and bass player Steve Willow played for Bradford band Architect, as did guitarist Tim Walker.

The band are based at Tim's Voltage Studios in Snowden Street, Bradford, and have already made quite an impression at the handful of gigs they have played so far.

"I was in Architect with Steve and I have known Rob and Ricky for quite a while," said Tim. "They'd been doing some acoustic stuff and they did some demos down here which I thought were really good."

Tim was also in Harlequyn with Mark Yates - who went on to join Terrorvision - and has done engineering work for Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride. He had been dabbling in dance music but jumped at the chance to form US.

"I had always wanted to be in a band with Rob and Ricky. I thought they were great songwriters and singers. When the opportunity came I said 'yes' straight away.

"As soon as we got together things clicked. We all get along together well and everyone has respect for each other," he said.

Having your own rehearsal and recording studio has its advantages. Tim is able to put extra time and effort into producing the songs, so he thinks their recordings are far better than most demos and are good enough to be released in their own right. It also led to the idea for the group's name.

"I have a sheet in the office where I write down the names of the band who are booked in and whenever we were playing I just put down 'US'," said Tim. "When it came to thinking up a name it became inevitable that's what we would be called."

Formed in January, the four-piece already have a full album's worth of material recorded. CD demos have been sent out to and there is already interest from two or three record companies.

Tim has his own Voltage Records label which he could use to release the album but hopes US will be signed for an album deal.

In the meantime, the band have two imminent live dates. They will be playing at the Ring o' Bells in Queensbury on August 20 and the Blue Pig, Fagley, on August 25.

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