Birmingham Unsigned group Blue Nation talk about their career so far

At least that is the view of Neil Murdoch, the frontman, guitarist and lead vocalist for Brummie group Blue Nation.

He has his eyes on the prize, and that comprises success not just here or nationwide, but on an international scale.

“I’ve just got back from America, seeing a few people about a few projects,” he tells us over the phone. “I spent four days there, but I can’t really go into too much detail about it at the moment.

“I just don’t want to jinx it. I see so many bands saying they’ve been offered this or they’ve got that coming. But they haven’t got it yet. I just think ‘come back and tell us when it’s happened. When you’ve achieved something’.”

And it’s that want to better yourself which Neil believes is the main ingredient to Blue Nation finding ever-greater success.

“The goals always change,” the Villa fanatic says. “You go on that first tour. And the moment it’s over you think, ‘I want to tour abroad. I want to tour Europe’. Those goals keep growing.

“You want to release the next album; get on more radio shows; get on Jools Holland; meet more people who like what you like.

“I want to get on Soccer AM,” the 36-year-old adds, laughing. “That’s a real personal goal of mine.

“We just want to be on that level. We want to push our music out to more people who want to hear it. That is why we keep going - to achieve more.

“I believe that is the whole reason why the Rolling Stones still go. They want more. They sell out 10 stadiums, now they want to sell out 20. It’s the bands who don’t want to work who are the ones who complain ‘we never get anywhere’.”

And that growth is in full flow. Blue Nation are Neil, 33-year-old drummer Chris Bloor, from Codsall in Wolverhampton, and 30-year-old bassist Luke Weston, like Neil from Birmingham. They are touring with Londoners Dirty Thrills next month and into the new year. They have a new single out to go alongside this – Good Times – and a record off the back of that they are currently working hard to finish.

“You can view it two ways,” he says of the man-hours involved. “You can view it as negative, a drag. Or you can see it as part and parcel of the industry and just push yourself. I’ve gotten used to it over the years.

“Social media has really helped but at the same time it’s much noisier. It’s a crowded market. You’ve got to be good at your art to get noticed.

“This is going to be our third album and it’s the one which is going to really propel us. It just works. As people we know each other and how we work and I think this is the first record that will really be ripping people’s faces off.”

But being from Birmingham, is Neil worried the strong musical past associated with the city may prove too much for the band to take?

An area that has spawned the likes of Sabbath, UB40, Duran Duran and The Streets has repeatedly proven in multiple genres that it can dominate. But that doesn’t look like it will daunt the Blue Nation boys.

“It’s an amazing history,” Neil admits. “The expectations are always there and you can’t deny that Brum is a great place.

“I think it goes through phases. Good and bad. I’ve seen places close – the Jug of Ale and the Academy moving around. There’s changes and you have to go with that or get left behind. If you are good enough the success will come to you. But if you work hard.”

And Neil pretty much lives and breathes the local music scene. Blue Nation have their own record label, Box Seat Records, that operates out of Birmingham. It’s a project Neil says they are ‘fully focussed on’.

And it expands to his home life too, for he is married to another Unsigned page star – MeMe Detroit – who spoke to us back in April.

They are both very busy musicians with their own careers to focus on. But he is the first to admit that having somebody around to bounce ideas off and talk him out of some of his less prosperous proposals is a blessing.

“We are like passing ships sometimes,” he laughs, “but we value our time for us and we make that time for us. We support each other’s careers and want each other to do well. That’s what it is about.

“I want her to get that year-long tour and success, just as long as I can get a space on the tour bus!

“You have to let that space be there and don’t be too critical of each other. She will say I am too bossy though. It’s just hard when you go from being in your own group, doing your own thing, to being a part of someone else’s band and taking a back seat.”

He is clearly in a happy place and the band sound like they are too. Which means that the forthcoming single, Good Times, can only be autobiographical? It is released on December 8, with a special launch show on December 12 at Birmingham’s O2 Academy 3. It is part of that Dirty Thrills tour, and will include special one-off merchandise for sale as well as signed copies of the single.

There are always updates being put out as the band work equally hard with their social media. You can find them on Twitter @bluenationmusic or Facebook @BlueNationMusic

Alternatively, you can buy tickets for the single launch show or check out what else the band is up to at www.bluenation.co.uk