youlikewelike.com:

Who? The Nightjars are three guys from Manchester who own some very smart record collections, possess great songs, and have impeccable technical ability.

Why? They’re un-fussed with music’s fashionable fads, preferring to hone their alt.folk.punk in their own Chorlton home studio.

When? Their debut full length album, The Nightjars, is picking up praise from on-the-ball music bloggers, with its mix of breezy alt.folk and shattering Sonic Youth-inspired post-punk.

Where? The Nightjars is available now via iTunes and directly from the band, via their MySpace.

Describe your music and where it is going.

It’s a product of our influences and develops over time. We've had heavy phases, and then times where we were more pastoral. The music is actually instigated by me and Phil coming up with ideas separately, then getting together to work on them. Seamus has always had a say on structure and production, but essentially it's me and Phil's guitar/bass combination that is The Nightjars' sound.

When did you start, and why?
Me and Phil lived next door to each other from the age of 8. We started playing guitars together when we were 14 because of Nirvana, Blur and Oasis. It just seemed like it would be the coolest thing in the world to be in a band, especially with your best mate.

If you could record and perform anywhere it would be?
Our friend Kingtree says his grandad has this fantastic workshop up in Cumbria; he reckons it would make an awesome space for recording. That sounds like a fun place to be.

The state of the nation is what right now?
In recession.

What happened to politics?
Digital technology has changed everything. News travels fast these days and once something escapes, it spreads like wildfire. It's harder to keep a secret and that has impacted upon politics and that's a very good thing.

Your ideal alternative life would be?
I would be a cut-throat millionaire entrepreneur in New York City. I wouldn't drink or smoke and would run marathons in my spare time. I would own an island and a yacht, in fact, no, a fleet of yachts. I think that's about as alternative from my life as you can get!

The best wedding reception song of all time is?
No Kicks from our first record, or perhaps MDMA. There’s a covers band in Leeds called The Nightjars and we sometimes get emails intended for them from people asking how much we charge and are we available to play the Wakefield Travelodge or at a wedding reception in a marquee somewhere near Doncaster. I have sent emails back asking how much they would pay. Imagine if we turned up and blasted out Machines Down. It would cause mayhem!