The Law are ready to cause chaos

BLAAM! The fire extinguisher comes crashing down and there's a metallic clang as the padlock comes flying off.

A flurry of arms grabs the door and it's quickly wrenched open. Behind it are cases of lager, spirits and wine - enough booze to make even Mötley Crüe feel a bit queasy.

"We're in," grins the ringleader as he lays the extinguisher on the floor and eyes the prize.

This is the tuck shop at the world-famous Sawmills Studio. Some of rock's most notorious wildmen - including The Verve, The Stone Roses and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant - have taken advantage of its stock to help inspire the recording process.

But in 30 or so years, the storeroom at the remote Cornwall studio has been broken into on just TWO occasions.

The first was in February 1994 when the then unknown Oasis found themselves feeling a bit parched while recording their debut album Definitely Maybe there.

It took another decade and a half for it to happen again. But this time there was no point in calling The Law . . . they were the ones responsible.

"Our management got a huge bar bill," sighs frontman Stuart Purvey. "We drunk the place dry."

But the Dundee outfit, who were at the studio recording their debut album A Measure Of Wealth - out this week - admit they quickly came to regret the error of their ways.

"We miscalculated," confides bassist Simon Donald. "The studio was locked up for the weekend and they asked us how how much booze we wanted from the tuck shop before they locked it up.

"But in no time at all, we'd drunk it all, and after we'd run out, we kept thinking about how much there was behind the tuck shop door.

"So we screwed it . . . and ended up drinking until 9am. We thought that, because it was a Sunday, we'd be able to sleep it off. But a couple of hours later, The Verve turned up.

"It was exactly 15 years since they'd recorded their debut album A Storm In Heaven at the studio so they'd dropped in with their wives and girlfriends to reminisce.

"They're one of our favourite bands so we couldn't just lie in our beds - even though we were feeling really hungover."

No strangers to the path of rock'n'roll excess themselves, the Wigan rockers recognised kindred spirits and cheerfully overlooked the tell-tale signs of a weekend-long bender.

Six-string virtuoso Nick McCabe chatted about guitars with his Law counterpart, Stevie Anderson.

Meanwhile the Tayside band's drummer Martin Donald talked to Verve sticksman Pete Salisbury, telling him: "On some of our album tracks, we've been using the same snare drum The Stone Roses used to record Fool's Gold. It sounds amazing."

"It was great to meet The Verve," says Stuart. "The trouble was that we were feeling wrecked and really terrible so we probably didn't appreciate it as much as we might've."

A-Listed caught up with the band this week at the Dundee HQ they share with old pals The View.

After Kyle Falconer and the Dryburgh crew resurrected the notion of badly-behaved rock'n'rollers and blazed a trail of destruction from one end of Britain to the other, The Law are proof that lightning DOES strike twice.

The four-piece combine a flair for hi-octane indie anthems with a taste for mayhem that's earned them a considerable reputation.

The View may have landed in hot water after once FLOODING a Travelodge, but The Law got on the wrong side of the hotel chain by setting the carpet in their room on FIRE.

"What made it worse," explains Stuart, "was that it was the first night of our tour. We had all our spending money for the shows ahead - and blew it all in one night because we ended up with a huge bill for the damage. We spent the rest of the tour absolutely SKINT as a result."

And even The View's long-suffering security team blanched at the prospect when, last year, The Law were invited onto the Which Bitch tour.

"Kyle had been winding them up," insists Simon. "He kept telling their security people, 'If you think we're mental, wait until you see them'."

And naturally they didn't disappoint. When The Law's tour bus pulled up outside Newcastle Academy for the first date, The View and their crew were waiting outside to greet them . . . then immediately had to dive for cover as they came under a bombardment of FIREWORKS.

"We had to make an entrance," Stuart confesses. "So when we saw them waiting for us the first thing we did was fire fireworks out of the bus windows at them.

"No one was in any real danger - they only flash and bang - but it was pretty funny."

Yet, as well as the high- jinks, there's also a ton of talent at work. From the brilliant Britpop of Man In The Moon to the raucous fan favourite Still Got Friday To Go, A Measure Of Wealth is a massively impressive debut, and proves what the Tayside band's growing army of fans have always known . . . The Law rule.

"The title of the album dates back to the mixing sessions for the album," explains Stuart.

"It was at the height of the financial crisis and the news was full of stories about millionaire city types running about flapping. We didn't have a penny in our pockets yet, listening to the playback of the album, we felt like the richest people on the planet."

One of the album's key songs is opener Don't Stop Believe, which neatly sums up the band's philosophy.

"It's a song about keeping on going, even when everything seems to be against you," Stuart explained to A-Listed. "And when you're up against it, just keep on plugging away and you'll get your reward.

"Winston Churchill once said, 'Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm' - I say Don't Stop Believe."

Other songs like the cracking Television Satellite, Milk And Honey and current single The Chase suggest the band - who cite The Rolling Stones as their biggest influence - could well repeat the commercial success of The View.

"The way things have happened for them has been phenomenal," says Stevie - who used to share a flat with View guitarist Pete Reilly in Dundee's Commercial Street. "But we never compare ourselves to them. That's not our style.

"Yet what they did showed every musician in Dundee what was possible. They proved you didn't have to go to London or play the corporate game to have chart success."

There's also a strong social conscience running through the songs on A Measure Of Wealth. That's been a key element of the band since BEFORE they settled on the current line-up four years ago.

"The idea for the band really started back in November 2000," explains Stuart, "when we spent a night drinking with Joe Strummer (left).

"The Clash were a massive influence for us when we were growing up, so for us it was a big deal to meet him.

"The things we talked about that night, the way in which Joe - who after all was a living legend - was willing to spend time with us and find out what we thought about things, that all had a massive impact.

"We swapped phone numbers and he'd often call us up whenever he was coming to Scotland and invite us along to shows. The way Joe was, the things he believed in, inspired us to start the band."

The earliest Law line-up consisted of Stuart on vocals and guitar, school pal Simon on bass and Martin on drums, jamming in Stuart's bedroom or at the Donald family home.

Stevie, who'd been playing guitar since he was six, signed on after spotting an advert in a local studio.

"As soon as he walked in we knew he was the man for us," recalls Martin. "We didn't need to hear him play. He just fitted in perfectly."

With the album now in the shops - and available for download - the four-piece set out on tour to promote it.

They'll kick off in Aberdeen on Friday then visit Edinburgh, Inverness, Dunfermline and Glasgow, before playing an eagerly- awaited hometown show in Dundee on October 24.

And they'll be back in Glasgow alongside old pals The View at the Homecoming Live show in the SECC on November 28.

"We love being in the studio," explains Stuart, "but really what we're all about is playing live.

"You can't beat playing your songs in front of an audience. We're really proud of our live performances. I know we've got a reputation for having a laugh but we're much prouder of the reputation we've got for our live shows.

"There aren't many bands with as much passion and energy as we have onstage. And on this tour, knowing the album is finally out there, we're going to be better than ever."

THE LAW play Aberdeen's Lemon Tree on Friday; Mad Hatters, Inverness, on October 18; PJ's, Dunfermline, on October 22; King Tut's, Glasgow, on October 23 and Dundee's Doghouse on October 24.

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