"SOME bands in Bolton play the Crown and Cushion a few times and they think they've made it," crows Conor, guitarist of hotly-tipped new group Kinesis.

In itself, it may sound quite harsh but it is one of the more milder comments made by the 17-year-old during a 20-minute interview with the BEN.

Conor nicely warmed himself up for subjects such as drugs, Bolton's "small-town mentality" and how the music industry likes to stifle creativity.

And he also divulged, matter-of-factly that "99 per cent of the public are idiots." His comments were aimed at "giving all your 60-year-old readers a heart attack."

Conor is the Liam Gallagher of the group: the opinionated, cocky, controversial one.

You may not know him now but you will. Kinesis are one of the best fledgling British bands around and this guy will surely create headlines because he knows it creates publicity. "Come on, write that down," he urged after making unflattering comments about the Mayor of London. "I thought you wanted a big story." The rest of the band -- 18-year-old Michael (vocals), Tom, 18 (bass) and Neil, 17 (drums) -- are quieter, listening as Conor spouts off intelligent-enough sounding quotes that will become a dream to music hacks in the future.

Pearls of Conor's wisdom include: "Noel Gallagher is selling teenage culture back to us at an inflated price. We have been consumers for far too long."

And: "Drugs are necessary in small towns like Bolton. Schools deny it is taking place but every 15 and 16-year-old in Bolton can get marijuana. It's a fact of life."

Conor, who plays guitar, admits to smoking pot once or twice in the past. The rest deny ever taking drugs.

"The thing is," Conor says, confusingly, "we don't need drugs. Having the power to create something is far better than being off your head.

"We just want to get out of Bolton and its small town mentality. Bolton is a load of houses and a cinema. There's no live venue and that's a disgrace. If you want to get anywhere you have to go to the right place and in Britain that's usually London. We're not prepared to sit around and p*** our lives up against the wall."

Kinesis, which formed in Bolton in Summer 2000, have played a number of gigs in the capital and they are also regulars at Manchester's Roadhouse.

On February 25, they are ready to release their debut single, 'And They Obey', a track which deals with the re-appearance of fascism and the dangers of believing in the authorities.

With an attitude like that it's no wonder their influence is rooted in the punk scene. The band list The Pixies and Sonic Youth as personal favourites.

Conor said: "We're determined not to be manipulated. If someone gave us £5 million quid to form a boy band, we'd take the cash, split up tomorrow and reform."

He added: "Although we haven't signed a deal, we will insist on complete creative control.

"We want to challenge market perceptions."

And, almost certainly, write a few front pages along the way...