The Cranes have always been known for their highly effective use of visuals in their live shows. Such things as film loops and strobe lights perfectly compliment the band's sound. Many of the visuals are created by guitarist Mark, who did the band's first five videos and had been a film student. Unfortunately for the Cranes, some of their ideas are too theatrical to work in the clubs.
"There's this scene in Cyrano de Bergerac where there's the theater with this big painted sky, and it's very stylized with fluffy clouds," explains Allison. "There's not any modern sense to it, so it's weird. We knew a theater scenery painter who said he could probably paint us something in the same vein. So we've got this theater sized backdrop, and we've got these clouds that hang down on strings in front. It's sounds stupid, but when the lights are shining in it, it looks quite good. It looks stupid in a club, but smashing in a theater"
The Cranes started out with a mini-album called "Self Non Self." They hadn't sent their music out to many people, but one person who did get a copy was John Peel.
"I was driving my car one day and had Radion One on and suddenly it played!," says Jim.
This led to a session with Peel, and then the Cranes were signed to Dedicated.
The group had an interesting experience at one of their first shows, when they were opening for the Swans and the fire alarm went off.
'It was really embarrassing because it was right in the middle of a song," says Allison. "Suddenly we had to run off stage and go outside."
The Cranes try not to make any strong influences show in their songs, but they cite Nick Cave and classical music as having an impact. They are also inspired by Cop Shoot Cop, but for the emotion they put into live shows rather than the actual music.
In choosing their name, Allison and Jim didn't really want anything with a meaning. They came up with The Cranes, thinking they would change it later, but the name stuck.
"When you went into Portsmouth, 5-8 years ago, the skyline was filled with these mechanical cranes," explains Jim. "At the time it was just a good word to use. Unfortunately, all the cranes are gone, the shipyard all boarded up and they've lost their jobs."
In addition to inspiring the groups name, Allison feels that their surroundings have had an effect on the music they make.
"Where I live is by the sea...I've only lived there a few months but become more aware of the winds and stuff like when it's stormy. you're really aware of it, the wind is like howling around you can notice the sky change in 10 minutes. The sky looks completely different. And I think because I ve always lived in really small rooms before with practically no windows and not much to look at, I ve certainly become quite self-conscious and aware of natural forces I suppose. And I think that somehow it affected a couple of songs on the album. I used to think that your environment didn't particularly affect you and that you are apart from such a thing and wherever you transplant yourself you're that same person. I still kind of feel that's true, I think people have this basic nature or they're fundamentally what they are. But just because we've been able to see quite a lot of new places and traveled quite extensively after the first couple of years we were really aware of firstly how lucky we are, and also it's literally opened our minds because I think you are affected by what you see and what's around you."
The Cranes do most of their song writing in the studio. They'll come up with the music first, and then Allison will take that and come up with vocals. The songs are then altered around them. Because of the way they work, the group produces their own material and can't see it being any other way.
"Some one producing us would be like co-writing," says Jim.
But while they don't want to work with other producers, The Crane are all for having people remix their completed tracks.
"The whole idea for us having these remixes done is just purely out of interest," says Jim. "There's always people that we've liked in the past, and it's really interesting to see what someone else does to a track. The Jim Thirwell mixes were just brilliant."
Despite the fact that they write in the studio, The Cranes have a very strong live sound. The orchestral samples are downplayed in favor of a noisier, more guitar-oriented style.
"Some songs we just can't do because we'd need two other people," says Jim. "We don't want to use too much tape. We have a backing tape of sounds, not that much different than if we had a keyboard and sequencer. But some nights it all goes wrong, though, the wrong song comes in."
