www.cherryghost.co.uk

In a nutshell: Straight outta Bolton, Simon Aldred is a man who’s a product both of his environment and the culture he’s sucked up down the years. Mahalia Jackson,Willie Nelson, Sparklehorse and even Chekhov (“a good grounding in how to tell a good story”) are all in there. But what really stands out is the orchestration, packed with more grand melodies than the Walker Brothers doing Beethoven.

Imagine if you will: Striding through Bolton town centre, Cherry Ghost’s Dead Man’s Suit playing in your head, elbowing that twat Richard Ashcroft to the floor.