Six By Seven have had it rough over the past few years. Critically acclaimed yet never quite converting it into record sales, it's an all too typical story plaguing many of Nottingham's music acts. 

During the past three years the band has had a particularly painful habit of losing things; a bassist, a guitarist and most unfortunately a record deal.  But in true Nottingham graft style, the band are undeterred. Now a threesome, with James Flower on Hammond organ, keyboards and saxophone, Chris Davis on drums and the other Chris (Chris Olley) on bass, guitar and vocals the band are back on their feet.

Sticking a finger up to the record industry they have set up their own label, and have started selling records out of Chris O's cellar. They've named the label, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning after the gritty urban novel and film of the same name. Famously set in a Raleigh dominated Nottingham the film stars the anti-hero of the "Free British Cinema" movement, Albert Finney, and is set up as an angry young man rant against it all, making quite the fitting title for a record label born out of need and pure determination against the run of play. And also, as Chris told me on an uncharacteristically mild November night before the band's recent Rescue Rooms gig, "it's a great film and we wanted to name the record label something to do with Nottingham."

The label is run almost single handed, it seems, by Chris with only a computer and a mobile phone, from the depths of a Nottingham basement and he disagrees with some of the band's critics who, he says, have written Six By Seven off.

"People think that the band is on its knees, and you know, whenever you read the reviews it's like, they've lost their record deal, but really you lose a record deal and you gain something else. We have total control over our music now. We've just sold nine thousand records from the basement of my house! I mean if you can sell nine thousand of anything you're doing alright."

Such an optimistic attitude might surprise some of those that have read the band's reviews over the years. One reviewer in the NME recently wrote that the band have made a career out of being, terminally miserable. I put this to Chris and asked him straight...

"Am I terminally miserable? ...errm? I don't think so. Do I come across that way? I think what's happened over the years is that I have been typecast in that role really and because we are a band that..."

At this point the interview was briefly interrupted by a passing friend of Chris's and the answer to my question was unwittingly answered:

Chris's unnamed friend: "So are you ready?"
Chris: (unconvincing) "Yeah!"
Friend: "Haha, you're not really up for it then?"
Chris: "Err... I don't like playing Nottingham really."
Friend: "Why? Is it `cause you know too many people (laughing)?"
Chris: "Well... you look out into the audience and everyone is like... (pulls a face) Every band, every local band, is down there trying to see if we can slip up."

It's all in good humour, but you can see why the band have got the miserable reputation! I gave Chris the chance to explain further when the interview continued and pressed him as to why he doesn't like playing in Nottingham.

"I'll tell you what's odd,when we go to other places we get more people coming to see us than we do in Nottingham. I find that weird. It's a bit weird that we can go to Exeter and twice as many people come to se us. Or Cardiff or Glasgow or Birmingham. The crowd is always bigger than in Nottingham."

I offered the possible reason that it's the "local band effect". The "oh they'll be back. They live here, we'll see them next time," sort of thing...

Chris looked visibly happier, relieved that at long last a possible reason had been worked out. A note of surprise crept into his voice, when he replied, "It could be that, yeah!"

The band played their first ever gig in 1997 in the Old Angel in Nottingham and Chris despite his reservations about playing in Nottingham is proud of his connections to the city,

"This is a great city. This is a great place to live. We've always tried to try to talk up Nottingham. There are not many bands that come from here and we've always tried to mention local bands. When we do interviews we always try and mention Amusement Parks on Fire and Punish the Atom, you know...try and put the place on the map a bit more."

I asked him whether the band are planning to sign more acts to their new label

"Yeah, when we get some more money coming in. You know...when we've put food on our own table. We are asking people to send us demos. We would like to hear as much as possible, we'll go and see anything. We will listen to anything. Chris (drummer) and James (keyboards) are really interested in looking for bands to work with and sign."

As well as working on the the new label the guys have been very busy in the studio in Sneinton, recording their latest album, titled '04 and it's out now in the shops. While recording it the band were so keen to get down on tape as much as possible that after completing the album they realised that they had twelve tracks left over. So they made a limited edition album called Left Luggage at the Peveril Hotel that can only be bought through the band's website.

"It's going like crazy" Chris tells me, "we've been selling them all around the world. I sent one to Shanghai the other day."

Sounds like all the East Midlands hard graft is paying off then? Members leaving, record deal lost, it all seems to be being delt with so life can't be too bad for the band, can it?

"The three of us are just mates that are making music together. We still enjoy it. We still feel that we have potential to create something special... this fourth album is a much more positive record. It encapsulates the period we are in now. We are moving forward. We aren't miserable - we're just doing things on our own terms."

Catch the Rain single out on 15^th November. New album titled '04 out now.

Keep your eyes peeled all you penny pinchers - there is a completely free album of live tracks (voted for by fans) that the band are giving out free at gigs starting January. Check out www.sixbyseven.co.uk to find out how to submit your demos to the label.

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