Rick Witter And The Dukes launch debut album

THE song with the seriously long title had begun to prove prophetic for Rick Witter And The Dukes.

He Was The Boy Who Waited For So Long He Forgot What He Was Waiting For could have applied to the long wait for The Dukes' debut album, but The Year Of The Rat at last shows its teeth on Monday, preceded by a novel album launch on Sunday night.

"So at last it's here! It must be at least a year since I started bigging it up in The Press, and lot of it was started last summer, but these things take time, as Morrissey said. It got to November, and that was too close to Christmas, and then we wrote a new song, Forever Gone, that I think is now the best thing on there, " Rick says.

"It would be a bit strange to be playing it at gigs when it wasn't on the album, so we recorded it at end of January/beginning of February, and then it was a mad rush changing the artwork, but in the long run it's been worth it, because the album is there forever.

"There are some songs that take a while to write, but Forever Gone just took three or four times of playing it and it all came into place. It's just one of these typical guitar riff pop rock numbers."

Far from forever gone, the former Shed Seven front man is back.

On Sunday, he and his band will be playing to 70 fans, picked by ballot from website applications, on board the Captain James Cook, cruising down the river from Lendal Bridge, at 7.30pm.

"We requested if we could change the boat's name to HMS Rat for the night. They said no, but apparently it's the driver's choice, so I'll be calling it that anyway!" says Rick.

"I watched the Sex Pistols film, The Filth And Fury, where they were on a boat on the Thames on the night of The Queen's silver jubilee celebrations, and that gave me the idea.

"They have private parties on riverboats on the Ouse and that made me think we might get away with it! I thought it would be a really fun thing to do a gig on the Ouse? I'm surprised we didn't think of it in the heyday of the Sheds."

The response was "phenomenal": 700 applicants for only 70 places.

"Because of that, we're gonna do a gig at the Post Office Club on Thursday. We're classifying it as the Album Launch 2, On Dry Land, for those who are scared of water."

The riverboat operators have been very accommodating, says Rick. "They were insistent that I had a look at the boat to see how small it was.

"I'm 34 now, but I still feel like a teenager and fortunately I can still jump up and down in a live concert, but there'll be no jumping up and down on the boat as the roof will be just above my head!"

Looking forward to Sunday's adventure, Rick stresses: "To me, it's not about the gig on board but the chance for the kids to meet the band, get the record and have it signed. I'll be doing some DJing, and it's basically more of a threehour booze cruise with a live band.

What's so good about it is that people will be that close up to us when we're playing."

The Year Of The Rat comprises 11 tracks produced by the band and Will Jackson. The first 1,000 copies will be presented in a limited-edition collectors' tin, initially available to members of the mailing list from early April, but on general sale from Monday.

"Simon Lawlor, our manager, sorted out the tins. We just wanted to do something a little special, something a bit different for the kids. It's nicely embossed, and it's all self-financed, " Rick says.

The title track has "nothing to do with the Chinese Year Of The Rat". "I just really wanted to use the word 'rat', and I wanted to be a bit indie with the cover design.

They were coming up with images of rats but I thought hoodies and chavs, who fit in with being little rats, " says Rick, explaining the choice of cover image. "I know I could alienate some people, but I don't care. I understand the need for scenes and fashion statements, but if you go back to punk or the New Romantics, there may have been a set look, but at least they put a little effort into how they looked. Chavs don't try at all.

"But then, at the end of the day, it's just a cover and what matters is the music, and what we've done is create a raw, honest album."

Rick Witter And The Dukes launch their debut album, The Year Of Rat, on a riverboat cruise from Lendal Bridge at 7.30pm, on Sunday (places already allocated by ballot), and at The Post Office Club, Marygate, York, on April 19 at 8pm.

For tickets, book online at www.myspace.com/rickandthedukes; £12 plus £1.50 booking fee.

The Year Of The Rat is released on Hookline and Singer/Notting Hill Music on Monday and initially is available from www.rickwitter.com

Further details to follow.