THERE comes a time in the lifespan of most bands where the members must decide whether they want to be popular or be themselves.

Some will agonise over their image, how they sing, good songs over Radio-Friendly Unit Shifters – all in an attempt to make a name for themselves.

The Media Whores are no such band. They don't care what is popular – it's very much a case of shearing against the grain. Their post-punk-alternative sound is the product of decades of playing together and there is no sense of compromise as the band members reflect on their time in the music industry.

Bassist Doogie Mackie and frontman Craig Anderson have been friends since school and were also booted out of one band more than ten years ago. But it's not something they tend to look back on with any kind of sadness.

Mackie tells The Weekender: "We are glad that that happened. If it hadn't then all the songs we have written in the time since would be lost.

"That's more than 10 years we have been at it – we all draw on the same influences and we each do our parts. Growing up I was never a lyric guy; it was the music for me. I preferred looking at how the tunes went so that's maybe how I've started coming up the ideas for our tunes. Craig has always been left to do the other side and we've always been happy with what he has come up with. We play to our strengths."

The Media Whores have produced three studio albums in 11 years and are aiming to follow-up again in 2020. Though they have yet to choose a title, it will be similar in tone to the socio-political, resistance-fuelled material of their previous efforts.

Mackie adds: "The feeling and the attitude and the way of recording are the same. But maybe the songs are even more powerful on this new album. It's been a year with our new guitarist Chris on board and this album has a more chunkier, fuller sound. More polished guitar, not as jangly, but more power. Our previous guitarist Jimbo was amazing, he would have been at home in any band. But it's a tonal thing – the new album should sound exactly how we had envisioned."

The Falkirk band has enjoyed its fair share of success, most notably their Mercury Prize nomination for third record Dangerous Minds. But they still battle the same old roadblocks. It can be difficult for band named The Media Whores to interest mainstream publications and radio stations. The barriers can be frustrating; the band feel they are only being true to their sound and image, whereas more pop-friendly acts can attract greater attention for producing the same old tired songs.

Ally Gemmell, the band's manager, recounts: "People have asked us if we would change our name. But we wouldn't – we like the image behind it, the defiance. We do have to make some concessions. Sometimes when I am emailing people about the band or some gigs I have to put *stars* over the letters so that it doesn't go into junk mail. Even our email address is themediawh@yahoo.co.uk – because they wouldn't accept our full name.

"The guys wrote about the fact that no one would play us on the radio because of the name. And when you listen to the radio these days; it's all the same. It's anodyne, saccharine, radio-friendly nonsense with no real originality.

"Record execs are always looking for the next big thing – that's the reality of it. They want the here today, gone tomorrow band. A lot these acts have fallen by the wayside in recent times.

"But we are different. One review said we 'discombobulate' – you never know what's coming next or where it's going. We'll just keep railing against the system in the only way we know how."

From its inception the band was a vehicle for defiance – even the name which was a said to be "a dig at those people who think they can be famous for trying to be famous". They kicked off around the time when the likes of X-Factor and Big Brother were at their height and they endure the sights and sounds of those people trying desperately to stay in the limelight. It was always a requirement that the band stand apart.

Mackie says: "Anyone can write a song about anything; it could have a catchy tune, and people will like it. A lot of today's pop is like that – but it's not saying much. A lot of bands might as well be singing The Wheels on the Bus.

"You can always trust The Media Whores to not be media whores. We are who we are, there's no gimmick. We would rather our substance was what stood out. It should always be about the music. We don't take stage clothes with us.

"It's good that we can do our own thing. I know none of us in the band would enjoy the other parts of 'making it big'. We couldn't stand to be told to do this, do that, or write a certain type of song or take that bit out. It would never work. But it's nice when we get recognition for what we do."

They are still hungry and are much more prolific in producing new material than some of their contemporaries, such as The Damned, Skids, or The Ruts. Manager Gemmell laments the loss of publications devoted to music and the erosion of other platforms that would have given more bands a chance to reach others. Social media has been formidable tool for some bands, but it will always be difficult to gain the same level of exposure, he argues.

Gemmell adds: "A lot of these heritage bands tell us that they would love to have our creative output. These bands are often trading on their past and creating a new album every ten years or so. But these guys have churned out this material in a short space of time. And, when you consider some of the reviews we get, it's not filler – it's all killer content.

"If we had had a break back in the day, then today we would be of a fair standing ourselves. If only we had access to Top of the Pops, Old Grey Whistle Test or the Oxford Road show – whatever platform. There's next to nothing by way of printed press for bands."

"We don't need the industry," he adds. "We're quite happy not being in anybody's clique. We play our own game and do our own thing – it's still a DIY ethos. We have our own equipment; we put on our own shows.

"We know we won't get a gold disc; it's not going to happen. But we played a gig in Preston and one fella came up to us and told us he loved it. Says it was the best thing he'd seen in a while; better than Idles and Slaves. That meant a lot to the guys – turning one person to your sound, makes the travelling and the effort all worth it."