Nick Loughlin talks to the men from Manchester, Inspiral Carpets, who are still undecided about the future despite earning a good reception after a seven-years visit to the musical wilderness.

WHEN The Inspiral Carpets walk off the Newcastle University stage on December 11, it could be the last time they are seen together. Out of the Manchester scene came floppy hats, baggy jeans, The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays.

There was also the Inspirals - who have long outlived any of the other fashions from the early 1990s. After drifting apart and from the scene in 1994, the effervescent Carpets were revived this year.

A spring tour was followed by a greatest hits package and a summer of festival appearances. They enjoyed it so much they are doing it all again next month.

And then what? "We really don't know,'' said bass player Martyn Walsh. "We have spoken about it, but we are just taking it bit by bit and then we will see.

"What we have done this year has taken us all back a bit. It has gone from nothing to growing bigger and bigger and bigger. What we will do after December I don't know. We will sit down together and take stock.

"It won't be a rash decision, but as long as we are having fun - and we are now - then we could carry on.''

Welcomed it would be, but going into next year presents other questions; where do they go from there? The old material has been re-packaged and re-released. New singles and albums would have to follow.

Martyn added: "As for new material, there are so many questions to answer - we don't have a record deal for a start and if we are going to give it a go can we do it at a level which will take us beyond what has gone on before.

"We enjoy it on stage and the tour gave us a real buzz.''

The biggest buzz of all, however, came at Scotland's T In The Park festival - "That was the best ever," said Martyn. "It was proper emotional.

"We played Glasgow Academy which was great, but then came T In The Park and it was another level. It was a really, really well organised festival - beer and music, how it should be.''

The Inspirals' last North-East appearance came at the Orange Evolution Festival on the Newcastle Quayside in May and if T In The Park was a high, perhaps that was a low.

And Martyn, Clint Boon, Tom Hingley, Graham Lambert and Craig Gill are hoping for a better outcome this time around.

"It was OK, but we were cut short,'' he recalled. "We would have played a lot longer, but there had been some technical problems all day.

"That meant everyone was playing catch-up all day and then because we were last on, our set was cut off in it's prime!

"But when we did play, we were well received by the crowd. It was disappointing because we were due to play Newcastle as part of the tour and for one reason or another it never happened.''

After seven years in the musical wilderness, they returned in March this year on tour. Trepidation? Don't believe a word of it.

"There was a buzz there straight away,'' said Martyn. "We started playing Joe and that was it, we were off. Most of us had stayed in the industry in one way or another, so the musicians in us all was still there.

"It was enjoyable and I think we now play better than ever as a band. If we hadn't had that long break then we wouldn't be here today playing together.

"People who came to the last tour enjoyed themselves and so did we. It would have been easy just to rehearse and then go out on tour, but we owe it to ourselves and our fans to do it better.''

* Inspiral Carpets play York Barbican on December 2 and Newcastle University on December 11. Tickets and details can be found at www.inspiralcarpets.com

Published: 30/10/2003