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TripManhattan's current line-up has been in place since the middle of 2007 although as Simon explains in the interview, his passion for music has been with him since his teenage years and through the years he's played in a series of different bands. He recalls appearing at a works party at Smith and Nephew set him on a more ambitious course with his music.

Caroline works locally in the area and is no stranger to performance herself and is actively engaged in encouraging people to perform. Since joining the band, she's brought a different style to the proceedings with her moreΜύ 'bluesy' style.

The band appear at various venues and in addition to doing covers, they also are keen to promote their own material. Some of which is to be recorded in the near future. Below Simon explains why the picture of the band on stage in December says so much about what they want to achieve.

Simon writes: "The photo itself was taken at the Ferriby Party on the 21st December 2007. This was a charity gig organised by TripManhattan to raise money for North Ferriby Village Hall. The hall's boiler was condemned in October and there was a real danger that the hall would fall into disuse. As a vital village amenity, providing meeting space for many clubs, associations etc. plus a major function room supporting pre-school child care, charity fund raising events, the bowls club etc. it would have been a major loss to the village.

TripManhattan on stage.

A couple of the band members live in the village so the band were determined to try and help by organising an event to raise a substantial portion of the money neededΜύ about, Β£7,000. Four bands and a dance troupe volunteered their time to make the event happen. We think this is a great example of the community helping itself.

The event itself was a huge success, with a packed venue, entertainment for the whole evening for kids through to 'more mature' members of the community and over Β£1500 raised.The photo also captures, in our opinion, the power and energy of proper live performances, from the great days of British music (and we can debate when that was). No carefully choreographed acting, no sanitised image marketing,Μύ just straight forward passion for music which calls to the musical soul of listener.

The music industry is having many challenges, with album sales falling yet again, yet live music is more vibrant than ever. It's this kind of experience that is drawing crowds to music venues across the country, filling the O2 arena every month and keeping music alive. There’s something about the black and white nature of the image too. It strips away all the unnecessary glamour and over production and leaves you with the essential energy of a performance; raw, dynamic and very personal."