Biography

All three members of Alloy Mental had achieved success in their own right before the band was formed. Martin J. Corrigan (b. Belfast, Northern Ireland; vocals) and Danny Todd (b. Belfast, Northern Ireland; guitar) had been in the band Corrigan, which had released How To Hang Off A Rope in 2003. Despite attracting favourable reviews, Corrigan never fulfilled their potential and eventually split up in 2004. Corrigan and Todd then joined forces with techno producer Phil Kieran, who had released tracks on labels such as Bugged Out! and Kingsize but wanted to form a proper band. He started auditioning singers to no avail until Corrigan came in to save the project and introduced Todd as a way of adding another musical dimension. Late 2004 was spent jamming and writing songs, then in March 2005, ‘Alloy Mental’, was released on Skint Records. The song was a juddering, thundering juggernaut of a record betwixt Nitzer Ebb and Queens Of The Stone Age. Several more singles were delivered between 2005 and the start of 2006. A promo of the trio’s debut album was thrust into New Order bass player Peter Hook’s hands when they met him by chance at an airport, which resulted in a slot supporting New Order. Released in summer 2007, We Have Control was an edgy, experimental and at times thrilling fusion of breakbeat, techno and industrial rock.