Band name:
Spires

Members names, age and where they are from:
Paul Sadler, aged 30, Wakefield (vocals and guitars)
Richard Corrie, aged 24, Lymm (guitars)
Alex Jolley, aged 30, Bretherton, Chorley (bass)
Chris Barnard, aged 30, Westhoughton (drums)

When and where did you form?
The Spires 'project' has been active since the early 2000s as part of Paul Sadler's university project. We came together as a band in 2007 and some of our first practices were at DOA Studios in Bolton.

What is your sound and who are your influences?
We describe ourselves as epic progressive metal, but our influences are varied and numerous. We have been compared to bands like Opeth, Emperor, Cynic and Mastodon, but our sound is very much our own and we pride ourselves on writing original tracks that combine our influences and show our own musicianship to the fullest.

What is the biggest gig you have played to date?
We were fortunate enough to be invited to play not one, but two sets at Bloodstock Festival in 2011. We were thrilled with the turnout and were very warmly received. We think we made a lot of new fans that weekend. We also ventured into Europe in October 2013 playing venues in France, Germany, Holland and Belgium over the course of four days. It was tough, but we really enjoyed ourselves.

If you are not already, is it your ambition to become professional?
We have just been signed to Eulogy Media (based in London), and we'd like to think that this will be the first step in becoming a household name in the metal community. Of course we already have a really loyal fan base that we're really grateful for, and hopefully it will continue to grow.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Headlining all the major rock and metal festivals of course! No, seriously we'd be happy whatever happens as long as we can continue to make music that we're proud of and enjoy playing. If there's no enjoyment, what's the point?

Is there anything unusual or interesting about the band?
Unusual yes. Interesting, not so much.

Upcoming gigs?
We have a mini tour in support of our album The Whisperer that was released on November 10. We'll be playing venues in Norwich, Perth, Glasgow, Birmingham and finally Manchester on December 13. We are currently planning more gigs in more locations up and down the UK for 2015.