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Modest Heroes

M People are as big as they come, but Heather Small and Co remain down to earth and committed to their unique style

Few bands could boast the sort of cultural spread enjoyed by M People and their Search for the Hero anthem - a rallying cry for New Labour; a TV car advertisement, and a punchline to a Julian Clarey gag! Choke on that, Mick Hucknall!

With millions of album sales under their belts; it's all a long way for Mostorn-born Mike Pickering from his days as a DJ at the now-defunct Haçienda and his stints in the less-than-starry likes of Quando Quango and T-Coy, Mike put M People (an abbreviation of "Mike's People") together in 1991, bringing fellow songwriter Paul Heard and the gorgeous and gutsy voice of Heather Small together. The same trio, suplemented by the percussionist Shovell, is still at the core of the group.

"We've just ploughed a long furrow, had faith in what we do and it's worked," says Mike. "Our fans can associate with our attitude. We don't do what everyone else does. And, of course, in Heather Small we've got a star to front the band. Heather has such a fantastic voice. I don't think there is another singer like her in the business."

Surprisingly, Heather herself used to suffer from a lack of confidence.

"I didn't think I had a good voice," she admits. "I'd taken a lot of knocks and I had very little faith in myself. Even now I have moments of self-doubt. I sing," she smiles. "but it's not for the celebrity status, that doesn't register at all. The urge to sing is greater than anything."