A right royal rocker.

He's not the common snapshot of royalty; his hair's a mess, he jumps around like a lunatic and sweats profusely under the glare of stage lights. But then again, not many members of royalty front a rock band, writes Jane Plunkett Shake, as he's known to his friends, could be this region's version of Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher. Only unlike the foul-mouthed Mancunian: he didn't grow up in a working class housing estate, he uses profanities in moderation, and despite his heritage, doesn't possess delusions of grandeur. Sheikh Hassan bin Rashid Al Khalifa, lead singer of London-based rock band, Manakin and a Bahraini prince, had always been an outgoing child, but it was when he chose to go down the rock and roll road, he risked upsetting his royal clan. "Where I am from people tend to refer to things like music as a 'hobby'," says Shake, whose latest album 'In the Desert' is available in music stores this month. "They see art and music as a hobby; that you can't make a real living out of it, and would ask 'what's your real job?'" "When I was growing up, there were some really talented musicians around, but most of them are bankers now, or even out-of-a-job bankers. They weren't really encouraged to pursue music." Shake however did pursue music, and thankfully his family came round and are now in complete support of his lifestyle choice - his mum even recently sat front row at a gig where he opened for Tommy Lee. Growing up, Shake's regal privileges included sports, horse riding and a driver's licence at the age of 16, but a proper introduction to rock music was something the small state of Bahrain could not provide Shake. America offered that. "In Bahrain, I was listening to a load of rubbish. We only had three or four television channels, the radio sucked, and the internet wasn't around," he says. "It wasn't until my 18th birthday, in the States, when I got two Pearl Jam CDs off friends that I really got into rock," he says. "I started listening to Nirvana, The Doors, Hendrix, Bob Dylan and lots of local bands too. Going to America was kind of like a wake up call for me to pursue music." Shake's first stop in the US, Washington DC, didn't tickle his fancy however: "There were so many people from Bahrain in DC. I knew everyone, and the lifestyle was fancy cars and lots of VIP stuff. It wasn't what I was looking for". A spring-break trip to Florida, where Shake witnessed student life revolving around homemade keg-stands, soon sorted that dilemma out. Shunning DC's glitzy lifestyle, he quickly moved to a city called Tampa in Florida, and says it was the best decision. "I started meeting different people and doing things that I wouldn't have done in Washington. I met musicians, started writing and singing too," he says. "I like Eddie Vedder a lot, and would sing along to Pearl Jam songs at full blast in the car or in the shower, anywhere - I suppose that was my formal training. "I did struggle a little finding my voice. At one point I was doing more Chilli Peppers, funk-type stuff, which is easier vocally, but it was too similar. "But once I relaxed and did it my way, I achieved what you hear on our 'In the Desert' album." The band Manakin is made up of singer/songwriter Shake, ex-Neneh Cherry guitarist Charlie Casey, bassist Russell Milton and drummer Ian Markin. They have just returned from husky sledging in Canada, where the band shot the first video for their new single 'Gun'. The band's lyrics, says Shake, usually touch on current affairs, but also relationships. "The song 'Manakin' is where the name for the band came from. It's about how everyone in the world today is just accepting; doing what's asked of them, rather than what they want to do," he says. "A lot of our new stuff is about relationships too. Maybe as I am in a long-term and long-distance relationship, which sucks." While the other band members were keen for Shake to record a song in Arabic, he was uncertain. "I'm not a fan of Arabic music. The songs we recorded in Arabic did end up sounding great, but I was hesitant. I would prefer to use more Arabic instruments. I think they sound amazing." With the new album out in shops this month, and also available for download on iTunes, Shake is in no hurry to hang up his microphone just yet. "I kept saying 'If I don't make it by 25, 27, 30 - I will quit', but how do you define 'make it'. "I love what I do, so I am just going to keep doing it. I love being on the road. I hope to do plenty of gigs in 2009 and possibly write another album this year too." It's really no big surprise he's keen to rock on. A life travelling, gigging, and hanging out with the band in the south of Spain recording, writing, eating and drinking well, would be difficult for anyone to give up. "The rock band lifestyle is nice - being in different cities, meeting new people, clubbing. But as our drummer Ian says, 'having our lifestyle is a privilege'. "If you abuse it, you're not going to play well, sing well or write good songs. Moderation is key. "It's easy to get carried away, but in Manakin we ground each other. Plus, for us, the music is the most important." Manakin's new album 'In the Desert' is out this month at all good record stores. It's also available to download on iTunes. To get a taste of Manakin, listen to sample tracks on myspace.com Simply search 'Manakin' and click on the link.

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