POP Will Eat Itself are back - and no-one is more surprised than the band themselves. "We said we'd give it a twirl and see if there was any interest," explains drummer Fuzz Townshend, who agreed a reformation was, until recently, very unlikely. "We didn't know what to expect so we were really surprised when tickets sold well." 'Sold well' is something of an understatement as tickets for the four announced UK dates, including two nights at Carling Academy Birmingham, sold out quicker than you could shout 'Beaver Patrol!' Formed in 1986, The Poppies, as they were affectionately known, were at the forefront of a local scene that also produced The Wonder Stuff and Ned's Atomic Dustin. They later ditched their indie roots to incorporate hip hop and dance elements for tracks such as Beaver Patrol, Can U Dig It?, Def Con One and Get The Girl, Kill The Baddies. Yet despite worldwide success, by 1996, PWEI had resolved to go their separate ways. "Basically, we were all working on individual projects and pulling in different directions," says Fuzz. "We were no longer a cohesive unit." Adam Mole became a tour manager, Graham Crabb has continued with his solo career, Clint Mansell moved to America to work on film scores, including such critically acclaimed soundtracks as Pi and Requiem For A Dream. Richard March and Fuzz continued their partnership with Bentley Rhythm Ace before Fuzz launched his own solo career, and the two moved into lecturing at Halesowen College. Then after reconvening last year, the five spotted a gap in their diaries and started rehearsals at The Electric Cinema just before Christmas. "We began rehearsing 30 tracks including lots of stuff we've never played before as a five-piece," says Fuzz, who also runs The Rainbow pub in Digbeth. "The new stuff is very raw, very loud, but it's hard to say more than that as we've only worked on the bare bones. We're bringing ten years of influences together, but hopefully it doesn't sound like mud. "We'll just see how it goes. If it's rubbish, we won't bother." l Pop Will Eat Itself play Carling Academy Birmingham tomorrow and Sunday. Call 0870 771 2000 for ticket inquiries. | 
