Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

That’s certainly the opinion of Catherine Marsden, aka Belle Of Les Bois, a former resident of Los Angeles who is starting to gain some attention in her adopted hometown of Manchester. She says that there’s a growing audience for country, even if some people do still see it as a bit of a dirty word, musically speaking.

"It's a bit daft; people who say they don't like country are probably basing that on the more naff stuff that comes from the States.Μύ

Manc-country

Born stateside, in the Pacific Northwest state of Idaho, Belle came to Manchester via Los Angeles on the invitation of a pen pal. Finding herself a "bit overwhelmed" by the "fake glamour and never-ending sunshine" of California, she decided to stay here partially because of her love of the city’s music – as she points out, "not all my influences are country artists."

That music scene has done more than just supply with an outlet for her solo work. She’s also got herself a producer - Janet Wolstenholme, once of indie-alt-punks Bandit Queen - and musicians to make up her backing band, The Semi-Precious Gents, thanks to her inclusion on a local label compilation.

"I'd been doing some guest backing vocals and messy guitar playing for the country-punk band, The Medicine Bow, and I asked a few of them to help me out. I'd also done some guest vocals for another great local band, Kid Voodoo, so a couple of them also graciously joined in, too.

"The gig went well, so after, I asked them if they would carry on working with me and luckily they all said yes. We're a happy little family now."

The naming of Belle

So her adopted family have given her the backing to take her sound to the next level, but it was her own father who gave her the inspiration for that striking moniker.

"My dad wrote a play based on the myth of Billy the Kid and the famous female outlaw, Belle Starr. When I was little, I used to pretend I was Belle, so it was kind of my alias from really early on. It was really sweet, my dad wrote a bit of my childhood into the play.

"I get a lot of stick from people who assume that my French is really bad, and they say it should be 'Belle du Les Bois', which translates to Beauty of the Trees, which is quite nice too, as I'm very fond of trees."

An influential Lynch-pin

Her Idaho roots are also an influence on her music. One particular former Idaho resident has had a major impact on Belle – the cult film director David Lynch.

"I'd seen Eraserhead when I was at university and it blew my mind, but I didn't actually begin to get all the levels of it until I had my little boy and experienced how it impacted on my life.

"I guess I have a taste for the surreal and the absurd. Boise is full of strange myths and urban legends, and I seem to go back to memories of my hometown a lot when I am writing; I tend to visualise scenarios and try to turn them into songs."

Those songs are now being brought together on an album which Belle hopes will see the light of day early next year. Before that, she has a single, Look Back, coming out on the new Extraordinary Rendition label. As far as Belle is concerned though, she’s just glad that Manchester is starting to open its ears to her style of music.

"The city's musical history attracts a lot of people who want to hear stuff like Oasis or New Order, so it isn't easy to be so different, but there's now a monthly event called The Country Club held at Night and Day and they're doing a swell job of converting people, and I expect, and really hope, The Ruby Lounge will be trying to get more country acts booked too, so the future looks pretty busy and full of excitement!"

Belle Of Les Bois joins Matt White for an acoustic session on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Manchester at midnight on Sunday 25 November and plays Big Dig at Tiger Lounge on Monday 26. Entry is free.