IF El Condorez weren't a rock band, they would undoubtedly City of villains make a great advert for the return of the alpha male.

It's a rain-sodden August evening, and the three members arrive to meet CityLife all riding huge Honda motorcycles and clad in mysterious black leathers and Ray Bans.

Stroppy, cocksure and not ones to pull punches in theirCity of villains  conversation, the Manchester three-piece are more than happy to wear their machismo on their sleeves.

"A lot of rock 'n' roll these days has no balls," rants Brad Smith, the band's frontman and main songwriter, now seated in a grimy city centre boozer.

"Where's the aggression in music now? With a band like The Kooks, all you're getting is a warm glass of milk. With us, you're gonna get a real sense of danger. And surely danger is why people get into rock music in the first place."

Oozing brute machismo and stamping all over political City of villains correctness, El Condorez make perfect pantomime villains for the current Manc music scene.

From theirCity of villains  surly belligerence to their fondness for bikes and black leather, the retro rock trio are like Manchester's very own Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, revelling in dirty outlaw chic and kicking against the status quo. Moreover, their fondness for motorbikes is a genuine passion, not simply a cool rock 'n' roll prop.

"We've been travelling all over the world on these bikes," enthuses Brad. "I've had a few near-death experiences on them. Just the other week, up in Dunkirk, I skidded off my bike and it went flying down the road. Thankfully, I escaped with just a few bumps and bruises."

Speaks

El Condorez - completed by drummer Ben Hornby and bassist Speaks - make music which is intended to make a few bumps and bruises. Stirring up a retro rock storm with nods to Neil Young's Crazy Horse and more modern bands like Wolfmother, El Condorez boil rock music down to its raw fundamentals.

It's not pretty or nice, but then the best and most gut-punching rock music shouldn't be. This is not a band for the iPod music downloading age - think more dusty vinyls dating back to the seventies.

"This country has such an amazing legacy of rock music," argues Brad. "The foundations of rock music started here - all these amazing bands like The Who and Stones and The Faces.

"But no bands are continuing in that tradition of making epic rock music with muscles. You switch on the radio now, what do you hear? Awful jangly guitar pop from bands like The Kooks and The Courteeners. It's an insult to the very idea of rock 'n' roll."

Brad might be a rebel, but he's also very much a rock romantic at heart. The seeds of his band were planted when he went on a motorcycle trip to Peru a few years ago. Visiting some ancient Inca temples, he discovered how past societies used to worship the bird of prey, the condor.

Brad explains: "That's where the band's name comes from - El Condorez is Spanish for condor.