Rock music folklore is full of tales of resurgence. Although musicians may pour their hearts and souls into their work, many bands succumb to the pitfalls of the industry and fall into oblivion.
One man who has experienced this first hand is veteran musician Wayne Murray, who, after a tempestuous experience with the record industry, is back with the new indie-rock band Boy Cried Wolf.
Currently serving as guitarist for the Manic Street Preachers, Murray first entered the music industry as a member of British alternative-rock group Thirteen: 13, before moving on to major label success with The Honeymoon. After disputes with label BMG, Murray left his band and set out to work for himself.
“I had to bow down to big record companies,” Murray said, backstage at the Engine Shed as he prepared for a show with the Manic Street Preachers. “I had to do what they wanted to do and it didn’t sit right with me at all, because I’m so passionate about music and it comes from my heart.”
Luckily, through sharing a management company with the Manic Street Preachers and impressing singer James Dean Bradfield, a fan of The Honeymoon, with his love for alcohol and women’s tennis shirts, Murray was invited to join the Manics as their tour guitarist.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with the Manics since the Send Away The Tigers tour and it’s been great. It seems like they’re more current than ever and the crowds seem to be getting younger as well. We’ve even had a few mosh pits on this tour,” Murray said.
It was after he had left The Honeymoon when the first seeds of Boy Cried Wolf were planted. “After I left The Honeymoon and became a session guitarist is when I really started to knuckle down,” Murray explains. “I began to lock myself away in my room for months and play along to records. It started to inspire me again and I began to write.”
The songs he wrote on the road with the Manics, during lengthy bus rides and sound checks, began to turn into something Murray really wanted to make real. “I missed being in a band. I saw how well it was going for the Manics and wanted to have my own outlet for my own songs.”
All the experience and desire Murray had picked up touring with the Manics convinced him he needed to start up a new band. “Playing with the Manics has made me a better guitarist, a better singer, and a better songwriter. I just felt like I wanted to really do it.”
After getting together with fellow musicians Toby Macfarlaine and Josef Holmes, Murray had enough confidence in his music and talent to form Boy Cried Wolf. “I think it’s the strongest band I’ve ever been in. I was able to enjoy my days off again when I spent them writing.”
Boy Cried Wolf will soon be releasing the Firebrand EP, a release demonstrating Murray’s unique writing style and the band’s passion for creating honest and well-crafted music.
Instead of simply using the band as a form of catharsis for his negative feelings towards the music industry, Murray is trying to use the band to express more positive feelings.“I didn’t write any angst-filled songs about being dropped; a lot of the Firebrand EP is about love and loss. I think it’s about finding the heart in people.”
Murray is pouring a lot of time and energy into Boy Cried Wolf, a testament to how much faith he has in his band members and the music they’re creating together. As well as performing on the hugely successful Postcards From A Young Man tour with the Manics, he is also supporting British Sea Power with Boy Cried Wolf.
“It’s exhausting,” Murray says, laughing. “Things are going great for the Manics and I’m also getting things ready for the Firebrand EP. We want to tour and get out there as Boy Cried Wolf. You only really build love and a hardcore following for a band if you’re willing to get out there and get that following.”
Murray won’t have to wait long to see if his hard work pays off, Boy cried Wolf will be releasing the Firebrand EP early next month.