Return of Ned's Atomic Dustbin

When Jonn Penney played for the first time in Ned's Atomic Dustbin, he didn't for a moment think the band would still be filling concert halls 21 years later.

"We didn't know what we'd be doing 21 minutes later," he laughs.

But, remarkably, Ned's Atomic Dustbin remain a popular attraction. On May 23, they'll play Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Hall, the venue they first played

19 years ago and the place that Jonn now calls "The Office".

He works there, after all, as a press and promotions officer, making sure gigs by other bands sell out.

The Ned's played their first rehearsal on November 8, 1987, the date of guitarist Rat's birthday. They ascended the rock 'n'roll ladder in spectacular fashion, headlining festivals, enjoying a run of chart hits, playing to fans around the world and creating a unique twin-bass-no-nonsense-Black Country-adrenaline-fuelled-indie-rock-beast-of-a-band before deciding to quit in 1995.

In recent years, however, popular demand has brought them back together and now they can't wait to play at the Wulfrun again.

Jonn says: "Twenty-one years ago, even having a career in music seemed beyond us. We were all faffing about in bands and a few of us left our other bands and decided to form Ned's.

"To still be playing is brilliant. Can you imagine a better hobby to have? We're all in different offices every day, then a few times each year we get to go on stage and jump around like baboons, with a thousand people singing the words back at us. It's brilliant. We love it."

Though the five Ned's members are all now older and wiser - with wives, children and the trappings of middle-aged life - there are parallels to their embryonic days.

Jonn says: "When we were playing this kind of venue for the first time, we didn't know where we were going. It was all amazing, we were doing it because we loved it. We had no expectations of what would come after.

"To be honest, that's the same right now. We're doing it for the fun of it. But we're very serious about it. It takes a lot of effort to get us altogether.

"It's not like an easy hobby to have on the side. We've all got different lives in different places. But we're not slack about it. We'll have rehearsed 30 times before we get on stage at the Wulfrun.

"Dan the drummer needs to get his legs and arms in shape, I'm on a fitness regime so that my voice will be okay and I can jump around."

Recent reaction to Ned's shows has blown the band away. One reviewer who saw the band play at London's Astoria described it as being the best Ned's show he'd ever seen.

Jonn says: "It's very touching for us. But part of the reason why it's so good is that people's expectations are that we couldn't possibly be as good. We decided from the word go that we wouldn't do it unless it was as good as it was back in the day."

The original five members of the band were brought back together by their new agent, a music industry fixer who first saw them in Australia in 1992.

Jonn says: "She made it her task to get us back together so that she could represent us. She managed it, somehow, and now she's our agent.

"We're not stupid, we're not going to get people out all over the country to see the Ned's every night of the week. But we're enjoying the opportunities that come our way.

"We'll be playing all of our God Fodder album from start to finish at Shepherd's Bush Empire, in London, before Christmas and we may bring that show to Wolverhampton as well. It's a wait and see thing.

"We're in the market for festivals, although we've had to turn one down already, but we'll wait to see what comes up."

* Ned's Atomic Dustbin are at Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Hall on Saturday, May 23, 2009. Tickets cost £16.