GUITARIST Paul Bowe has his ex-girlfriend to thank for meeting the co-founder of blues-rock band Federal Charm.

Paul jammed with singer Nick Bowden after the pair were introduced through their former partners.

Paul says, “Nick said, ‘I really want to get something together that is proper blues.’ Within about 20 minutes the first riff on the first album came out and that all went out the window, and here we are now.”

The Manchester quartet released their debut album in the summer of 2013 and their second effort, Across The Divide, in October last year, garnering acclaim from Classic Rock magazine for their “swaggering riffs and flourishes”.

But Paul says Federal Charm do not want to just rehash the blues: “We want a good strong song. That’s still at the heart of it. The word blues gets hammed and used too much. It’s a genre from decades ago.

“We don’t use a blues shuffle beat, for instance. It isn’t original – it isn’t going to get us excited. With Federal Charm you don’t quite know where the root note is and there are two or three things going on.”

He says he consciously tries to stay away from cliches which carry a legacy but that sometimes he uses a known phrase to “tip his hat” to a legend.

Their current tour, called Roadstars, also features two other rock bands (Simo and Aaron Keylock) and is their biggest yet.

Paul says, “Touring is a one-time chance to travel the country and play in front of strangers.

“It isn’t the easiest thing. People have this conception it’s all about rock n roll but it’s a lot of work.”

“All four of us are trying to balance ‘real life’ against a touring life. We have had to tour to be able to establish ourselves.”

Paul played in a band but then became a school teacher. Unusually, though, he quit teaching to focus on music again.

“That was my sacrifice for Federal Charm because it was getting attention. There’s a lot on the line.”

He finds the most rewarding aspect listening back to the final tracks and hearing the fruits of their labour.

“I’m proud of Across the Divide and how we made it. It became difficult because we had this full concept. We hired this derelict mansion in Derbyshire and were going to build a studio in it but there was a bat nest that couldn’t be disturbed. So we ended up in Manchester in this very dark studio. There were people shooting up [drugs] in the street outside the window while I was doing guitar takes.”

The drugs end there. Paul adds, “The whole sex, drugs and rock n roll idea is a generational thing. The self-indulgent times have gone.

“There’s not enough money for drugs,” he laughs, “It’s a different world.”

The Haunt, Pool Valley, Brighton, Thursday, November 17, starts 7pm, tickets £14 advance, part of a blues-rock triple bill