´óÏó´«Ã½

Since then, they’ve crafted two belting albums, their eponymous debut and the follow-up, Insider (plus the epic EP, The Astronaut Dismantles HAL), but recently, things have been quite quiet.

So when news of a new album surfaced, we got in touch with front man Sel Balamir to find out what’s been going on in the Amplifier camp – and it turns out they’ve actually been really busy. According to Sel, they’ve actually been "doing two [albums] at once. It's more cost and time effective. And twice the fun."

So what made Sel decide to make so strong a declaration? Apparently, it’s because of some slightly over-enthusiastic fans.

"I wrote that on our MySpace after having it up to my neck with people offering us constructive, heartfelt advice. I didn't realise it had worked its way into our press release, but I am pleased."

As a result, the trio have been beavering away without distractions to produce something Sel describes as "heavy and groovy, with some power ballads - for the ladies obviously."

Amplifier at the Electric Proms

They did, however, come out of the studio late last year after Bruce Dickinson invited them along to take part in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Electric Proms. It got Sel so excited, he actually thanked the event "for injecting some class into our career!" His personal highlight, though, came off stage.

"I got to go in a ´óÏó´«Ã½ outside broadcast truck - so exciting! I quite like the idea of the Electric Proms. I think it's clever, the way they pay for the expense of the actual Proms. I'd rather play the actual Proms, to be honest - still with electricity though…"

Their invitation from Bruce shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. After all, he has long been a supporter of the band on his 6 Music show. But do Amplifier have any plans to push their luck and ask the Iron Maiden front man to guest on one of their tracks? Apparently, it’s not something that’s come up, but it’s definitely a suggestion that Sel is open to.

"Absolutely. Now that's a brilliant idea. How come no one's come up with it before! I'll credit you with this idea. Of course, we'd have to come up with the right sort of thing for him."

Amplifier

So while we mull over the fruits of such a union, we can at least console ourselves with an Amplifier live show, as the lads are preparing to debut their new tracks in Manchester at the start of February, something that Sel is looking forward to.

"It's taken a long time to get anywhere doing this kind of thing - but people who commit to it, both in the band and in the audience - are in it for good! Besides, when we play in Manchester, I can walk home after the show. Drunk too."

So things are looking rosy in the Amplifier camp and understandably so. They’ve got a couple of new albums almost ready to go, the right type of backing and their star is on the rise again.

Given the fine albums by Oceansize and Nine Black Alps in recent months, there doesn’t seem to be a better time to be a Mancunian rock band. Sel, though, says it’s not just now that there’s been great music coming out of the city.

"There's always good stuff going on in this town, musically - sometimes you need to just look under the right stone. After all, the weather's so inclement - being in a band is one way to avoid the rain."

Amplifier play Academy 3 on Saturday 2 February. Tickets are £10