The Sticks are a five-piece band from Manchester, England, comprising Tom Rush (lead vocals/guitar), his sister, Poppy Rush (lead vocals), James Moores (drums), The band originally had Andy Lavery on lead guitar; however, Andy has taken a leave of absence due to family commitments.
The sticks were formed in October 2007 and performed what was believed to be the highest gig in Europe — 171 metres up — only a couple of months later at Beetham Tower, Manchester.[1] This is contested by the Gig in the Sky record held by Britisth Band Jamiroquai, performed in an airplane at 35,000 feet.
Just a few weeks after that feat, they opened the Manchester Versus Cancer gig at the MEN Arena [2] after winning an XFM radio competition, XFM Uploaded[3] - hosted by Clint Boon. By beating hundreds of other bands to win the competition, the Sticks earned the right to support bands such as The Fratellis, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, Fun Lovin Criminals and The Enemy.
The Sticks have since played various gigs throughout the top music venues in Manchester, receiving great reviews [4] in places such as The Ruby Lounge, Moho and Academy 3, supporting such acts as The Courteeners and Hadouken!. Along with local appearances in Manchester, they have also played the world-famousd Cavern Club in Liverpool and in various radio interviews.[5] Their "Road to the MEN Arena" has also been documented on video, accompanied by one of their tracks, "A-Listers".[6]
The band have many gigs scheduled for 2009, including Jabezz Clegg, Night & Day Cafe and Moho (live).[7]
Tom and Poppy's mother, Debbie Rush, plays Anna Windass in Coronation Street. Their brother William Rush, is also an actor and plays the part of Josh Stevenson in Waterloo Road.
Among their influences, the Sticks include Pete Doherty; Tom (and latterly James) invaded the stage at one of his Manchester gigs in order to sing along with him.[8]
Recently the group have returned from a spell of writing new material and studio work. Original lead guitarist Andy Lavery has rejoined the band and they have recruited Warren Lang to play bass.