I caught up with George Craig last week to see what Ryedale's One Night Only were up to just days ahead of their biggest ever UK headline tour, as well as the release of their second single 'Just For Tonight' and their debut album 'Started A Fire'.

Q: You guys are down in London this week ahead of your tour, what have you been up to?

George: Well, it's been a really busy week so far. On Monday we recorded a set for the BBC, on Tuesday we recorded our Zane Lowe session which is his first one since he returned from wherever it was he went, and then we've also done a photoshoot for Zoo magazine and we've also been down to Puma who have given us as much free stuff as we want, like jackets, shoes, that sort of thing! We have just been trying to vibe all week really.

Q: One Night Only's debut album 'Started A Fire' comes out on February 11, what expectations do you have?

George: I want it to be in the top 10 albums for 2008, I think we can do that. I'm really proud of this album and it is totally going to ruin Elliot Minor and The Courteeners albums, no problem. I think Michel Jackson is releasing a comeback album though...

Q: You said you're really proud of the album. Which tracks are your personal favourites?

George: I love the whole album really, but if I had to pick I'd say 'Just For Tonight' is an all-time classic. I really like Stay At Home, Start Over, Time and Hide as well.

Q: What does it feel like to hear yourself on the radio, or see yourself on the TV?

George: At first it was a really nice surprise, but we were only getting played late at night on the BBC to begin with, but now the new single is everywhere, so it's not such a big deal now. The single is on the radio, it's on the TV, and I even heard it on 'Match of the Day' last week.

Q: The national media have really highlighted your roots, starting in Helmsley and now hitting the big cities and being in the limelight. How quickly has that progression happened for you?

George: To be honest, it's happened pretty slowly. We've been so busy and have had so much stuff to do to get where we are now that we can respect how big that progression is. It's really nice to go back to Ryedale and see our friends and families when we have time to get back, and it's really nice having the friendly community feeling too, it makes you appreciate being at home.

Q: Do you think that you will play in Ryedale again?

George: Yeah, we heard there were rumours going around about us coming back this year, but at the moment we don't know what commitments we have, so we'll have to see. We were thinking of coming back and doing a secret gig in a pub in Helmsley and we were really up for playing one of the shows at Pickering Memorial Hall, but we couldn't in the end. We'd love to come back and play a massive show at some point, so we'll just have to see.

Q: One Night Only have toured the UK a few times now and you're about to start you biggest tour so far. Are there any cities in particular that you are looking forward to going back to?

George: Well, we all totally love the Scottish cities. When we did a small tour we sold out both of the dates in Scotland and the crowds are always great. There is a real difference between the Scottish crowds and the crowds in London. The Scottish people are always there just to have an amazing time and make the most of their night, it's not always like that everywhere else.

Q: How does it feel to see a venue full of people who have come to see you and hear your music?

George: It's great because we can fill a small venue that holds maybe two or three hundred people and when I see the crowd waiting for us, it gives me a really satisfying feeling. That always happens at Fibbers and those gigs are always amazing. In fact, we've filled Fibbers for the March 1 date of our tour, and because so many people have been after tickets, we've put on a second night on March 2. It's really great to see our fan base growing and to see that quite a lot of people are travelling a long way to get to the Fibbers shows, because it's like our homecoming gig, it's going to be an amazing couple of nights. Hopefully we'll have a proper after-show party in York so we should get to see some of our friends that we've not seen for a while.

Q: Your album is very melodic. Does this make it difficult to bring a lot of energy to your live shows?

George: Well, when we were touring with the Pigeon Detectives we really learned a lot about our live performance and since then it has got tighter and tighter. We give every show all of our energy and it's even better if the crowd are loving it to. Gunner (Sam) has just got so tight on the drums that he holds every show together which means we can all just enjoy ourselves at the front of the stage.

Q: You have already been confirmed to appear at The Isle of Wight Festival 2008. How does it feel to be on the bill for such a prestigious festival?

George: It's unbelievable, we're going to be playing with bands like The Sex Pistols and my brothers' band, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jongs are playing to, so it'll be really cool to hang out with those guys, and it's our first proper festival so I'm really excited.

Q: Do you think you'll be on the bill for any other major festivals this year?

George: To be honest, if we're not on the bill for Leeds Festival I will be rather confused, upset and distraught?in fact if we don't get Leeds Festival then I'll just give up music. We'll have an album out, we'll have done a huge tour, had a few singles out and have a great fan base, I can't see why we won't be there.

Q: You have been compared to bands like The Kooks and Razorlight a lot, how does that make you feel?

George: Well, I know a lot of people would be really pleased with that, but I'm not! I think it's just people being lazy because they don't know how to describe us. But, we've got the album coming out and until people have had the chance to listen to the album, hear our songs, style and story then they can't make up their mind. I'm really looking forward to people being able to see the whole One Night Only picture. You need to hear the whole album to get what we are about, we're not just playing 'You and Me' style songs, the whole album grows as it goes on. People just need to hear it before they decide what we are like.

Q: Did you have much input into the layout of the album?

George: Yeah, we had loads, but at the same time we were working with a lot of people who really know what they are doing, so you do listen to what they are saying because they are respected industry professionals at the end of the day.

Q: Copies of the One Night Only George's message for Ryedale:

I JUST want to say hi to everyone, and a massive thanks for all of your support so far.

I don't just mean individuals, I mean the whole community support we've received.

If you like the single of 'Just For Tonight' then get a copy, and get a copy of the album, too! If you are passionate about music then let's put Ryedale on the map for it. Thanks a lot everyone, and see you all soon!"

ONE NIGHT ONLY 2008 tour dates

January
Wed 30: Reading Fez Club; Thu 31: Brighton Audio.

February
Fri 01: London Koko (Club NME); Sat 02: Southend Chinnery's; Tue 05: Bristol Academy; Wed 06: Cardiff Barfly; Sat 09: Northampton Soundhaus; Sun 10: Cambridge The Graduate; Mon 11: Birmingham Academy; Tue 12: Liverpool Barfly: Thu 14: Preston 53 Degrees; Fri 15: Stoke Sugarmill; Sat 16: Sheffield Fusion; Mon 18: Newcastle Academy; Tue 19: Aberdeen Café Drummond; Wed 20: Glasgow Oran Mor; Thu 21: Dundee Fat Sam's; Sat 23: Nottingham Rescue Rooms; Sun 24: Leeds Cockpit; Mon 25: Manchester Academy; Tue 26: London King's College; Wed 27: Oxford Academy; Fri 29: Leicester Charlotte.

March
Sat 01: York Fibbers; Sun 02: York Fibbers; Tue 04: Dublin Sugar Club; Wed 05: Belfast Speakeasy Started A Fire - track by track.



ONE Night Only are at the forefront of the Indie-pop genre which seems to be the driving force of UK music this year.

Having recently been confirmed to play at the Isle of Wight Festival and currently embarking on a huge UK tour, the five 'local lads' from Helmsley look destined for their first major chart breakthrough with their second single 'Just For Tonight', which will be followed swiftly by the release of their debut album 'Started A Fire' on February 11.

Track 1 - Just For Tonight
In my opinion this is the stand out track of the album. It has all of the energy and nostalgic relevance that a good single should have. With an extremely memorable chorus and catchy lyrics throughout, there is no wonder that this song looks destined for the Top 10, and has almost every DJ in the country hyping the band for the last few weeks.

Track 2 - It's About Time
This song is another memorable one with a really uplifting, piano driven start and a really good vocal melody. The chorus offers a very catchy guitar riff and whole songs bops along nicely.

Track 3 - You and Me
There's not much I can say about this song because you have all heard it a million times. For those of you who haven't heard it, firstly?shame on you! Secondly, well all I will say is "You and Me, equality, that's how it should be, you and me". This was the band's first single and reached number 46 in the official UK singles chart.

Track 4 - He's There
This song has become a real crowd favourite at live shows. This whole song is really bold, from the opening beats, through to the lyrics that begin "They started a fire, started a fire". The song continues in its bold and deliberate manner, yet does have cheeky lyrics, such as "I'm reading your mind yes, I'm reading your mind, so go ahead baby, just smile".

Track 5 - Start Over
This is just a couple of seconds shy of five minutes in playing time, which on a upbeat, indie-pop album, makes 'Start Over' some what of an epic. This tune really highlights George's talent as a vocalist and sees the 17-year-old, scruffy-haired scamp delivering some cheeky gruff vocals that give a bit of diversity to the lyrical pattern and give the listener the impression that the band were really enjoying themselves when they recorded this album.

Track 6 - Time
I think that 'Time' was made for a film, that's my theory! I can see this being played as the love-stricken couple are torn apart by some tragic event, a lot of looking at pictures of each other in candle lit rooms and crying. You know the sort of thing.

Track 7 - Stay At Home
'Stay At Home' has a Panic! At the Disco element, or perhaps the upbeat bass line of a lighter Green Day tune. This song features a catchy piano breakdown in the prechorus from Jack (keyboards).

Track 8 - It's Alright
This song features a really upbeat keys riff from Jack and also seems to represent some of the earlier influences of the band, with definite pop-punk elements, such as Jimmy Eat World and Blink 182. The song also features a big breakdown that must sound massive live.

Track 9 - Sweet Sugar
'Sweet Sugar' has an introduction that wouldn't be out of place in a lounge bar and this song doesn't really ever come out of that vibe. There is a line in this song that really does sum up One Night Only: "I don't care, I'm just inspired!"

Track 10 - Hide
Now, if five minutes is an epic, then what do I call 'Hide' that wracks up a massive five minutes and 49 seconds worth? A 'cheeky epic' seems most appropriate as the last two minutes are made up primarily of mysterious synths! This is a great song, and probably second only to 'Just For Tonight'. 'Hide' starts in a big way, with thumping drums that bring an aggression to the album that isn't found in any of the other songs. The whole song has a much darker sound to it and shows a different side to the band.

This is a great debut album and they have done our area proud.

Show you support, get out there with your pennies and pick up a copy of Just For Tonight now and Started A Fire on February 11!