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| Super Furry Animals Interview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The first thing I noticed were his eyes - deep and glassy, reflecting his perceptive, peaceful nature. My friend and I were greeted with a grin which radiated warmth from every feature of his face. This was Gruff Rhys, lead singer of the Super Furry Animals, sitting right here in front of us and yet with microphone, guitar and strobe lights removed he was just like you or me. Daf then came to join us (which was a surprise as he usually sleeps through most of his interviews!) and we all settled round on sofas, chatting generally about Welsh music before commencing the interview. It�s difficult to know where to begin as Gruff always seems to go on a tangent so you can never rely on one question leading on to your next. Firstly, we talked about their new record label, �Placid Casuals�, and why they decided to release Psycho VII�s new song, to which Gruff replied �we heard the song and thought that other people had to hear it� which seemed a sufficient enough reason for the Super Furries to start their own label! They will apparently be able to release their own singles on this label too (although only in Welsh as this was the condition set by Creation) and intend to keep their releases to vinyl. Cian also has a band called the �Acid Casuals� which, according to Gruff and Daf, will take him ages to get together. However, he seems very determined, and was busily DJing when we saw him backstage after the gig: surely with such determination he would be able to make a breakthrough, especially as his live instrumental after �Mountain People� always goes down so well with the crowds. He has definitely proven his ability on the next EP �Ice Hockey Hair�, which is a great deal more electronic and experimental sounding than �Radiator�. According to Gruff, �it was a very different sound to anything that was on the last album so even though we recorded it at the same time, we couldn�t really put it on the end�. The EP features a track �Smokin�� before the title track, but as Gruff says, �every song on the EP is of equal merit�. The songs on the EP contain samples, as do many more of their tracks (e.g. Steely Dan on �The Man Don�t Give A Fuck�), which according to Gruff are an exciting way of �collaborating with the dead� and bringing their music back to life, which can be as good as working with living celebrities. Musically, ideas never seem to stop pouring from Gruff�s head. So how does he make music which is so varied and which appeals to everyone? His secret is to be constantly on the lookout for influences from other people and everything around him. He can be inspired to write a song just by visiting service stations or riding his bike. A forthcoming song called �Nightvision� was inspired after recording one night in a field in Wales, wearing goggles which enable you to see in the dark. Hmmmmmm, yes. The giant inflatables (bears, thought bubbles, lightbulbs, etc.)were also an effective idea of the band�s which have attracted a great deal of attention at many venues and their open-air �festival� gigs last summer. The band got this idea from a Japanese festival and decided to adapt the idea for themselves, giving the fans something different to look at and finding an eye-catching alternative to the festival tank. The Furries were meant to be playing their favourite festival, Glastonbury, this year but Gruff explained that �they put us down to play this year without even telling us so we had to say that we couldn�t do it�, a bemused expression crossing his face. However, the Furries are renowned for being party animals and are always up for staging special events - so what have they got planned for the millennium? Daf seemed keen on the idea of climbing the Millennium Dome, but Gruff thought of staging a special show with many bands in the open-air but then reconsidered �because the snow might ruin the equipment�! Their final decision was inconclusive - they wanted to do something on a major scale with the band, but didn�t want to spend it away from their friends either. You�d have thought that Gruff, Daf, Bunf, Cian and Guto would have had enough of each other by now, but apparently they never really argue and don�t get annoyed by any of each other�s habits (�we don�t have bad habits - we�re superhuman!!�). They were adamant that the human race thrives on its differences in any case and if nobody had their own habits or faults, life would not be worth living as everyone would be the same. At this profound stage of the conversation, Cian and Bunf burst in, being their usual loud, boisterous selves when together, briefly stopping the interview. At this point, I decided to lighten the conversation a little and ask whether anyone remembered the Welsh kids programme, �Ffalabalam�, which resulted in us all singing the rather crazy theme tune, a capella, then retreating into fits of laughter. We ended with the question of what they would do if they were Prime Minister for a day. Daf decided that he would �swear a lot and throw a massive party at Chequers - "�cause that�s what they do on Sundays isn�t it??� and Gruff concluded, in his typical manner, that it would depend on what day it was and then continued waffling on about not buying West Indian Bananas... God knows what he was on about...!!! We decided to finish the interview there and it was soon time to leave. We found that we had been locked in the Town Hall and Gruff generously tried to batter a massive fire door down for us, without much success. We eventually made it out onto the street, tired and hungry after a long and hard day. All in all, it was a very interesting and satisfying way of ending a trip to Middlesbrough to hear this amazing band play. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| SHAMEN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WHY DID THE SHAMEN EVENTUALLY DECIDE TO SPLIT? It's the end of an ear (sic), so enuff wax already! 'Youth' culture should not be made by those 'no longer quite so young.' I'd rather not keep on doing it past the sell-by, and end up some 'old hag' of rock, like Julian Cope or Paul Weller. WHAT WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR MUSIC CAREER? - Being 'big cheese' at Glastonbury (twice). - Performing 'Re:Evolution' with McKenna @ Warfield Theatre, San Francisco and charting (top 20) with its CD release. - Receiving the 'Ivor Novello' award for 'Songwriter of the Year.' - Illuminating the 'Spruce Goose' with lasers and projections within the world's largest geodesic dome. WHAT WERE THE LOW POINTS? - Losing Will Sin. - Realising that 'success' means less music-making and more promo. - Observing how rapidly the momentum of 'underground' is replaced by the inertia of 'institution'. HOW DO YOU THINK THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING IN A BAND HAS BROADENED YOUR OUTLOOK ON / INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE? Having survived, unscathed, the disgrace of fame and trappings of success, I feel I could transcend just about anything. On a material level, it has allowed me to escape wage-slavery. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO CHANGE FROM YOUR OLDER STYLE OF INDIE TYPE MUSIC TO DANCE? Back in '88, it wasn't 'dance', but 'acid house'... sexy, illicit, psychedelic, cutting edge, new-wave, hedonistic, technological... all that wimpy 'indie' could never be. GIVEN ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY, WOULD YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR CAREER DIFFERENTLY? I'm certain that it all unfolded as perfectly as it should... if I could approach it again, it would only be with greater equanimity, perhaps. HAVE YOU AND MR.C GOT ANY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE (EITHER MUSICALLY OR OTHERWISE)? - I might attempt upgrading my BSc (Hons) to MSc in the future, otherwise I shall continue my informal programme of 'personal research'. As partners in 'The END', Richard and I will continue to collaborate, but not musically. ANY ADVICE FOR STUDENT BANDS IN DURHAM? To thine own (musical) self be true! (And watch out for the '99 activator). | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crocketts Review | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Crocketts, Newcastle Riverside, 11 May 1998 THE COUNTLESS TIMES I have been mocked for wearing a t-shirt saying "The Crocketts" here in Durham, it was hardly surprising I had to physically drag two suspicious friends of mine along to this gig. We arrived at a damp and shady looking Riverside at about 8pm, to a totally dead atmosphere: us, a couple of journalists for "Wax Lyrical", the staff, the bands and the bands' mates. It didn't get any fuller. The support act from Newcastle, Mr Evil Breakfast, tried hard in a difficult atmosphere. They were loud but tuneful and the singer had an effective voice. The songs were still a little under-developed, but the most memorable bits were the crazy lead guitarist who didn't stop moving for one second, and the strange use of two drummers (which seemed to make little difference). On the whole though, they were a very promising young guitar band who were a pleasure to hear as a warm-up. The Crocketts came straight on afterwards due to some hassle with the American support band (The O)'s record company. They played as well as ever but hardly anyone was driven to dancing, which was a shame as they are a great band with a whole load of talent and charisma. Davey (yes, Davey Crockett) manicly twitched and screamed into his microphone behind his guitar, as if permanently attatched to the National Grid's main terminal. They played many of their released tracks (the most poignant being "Will You Still Care") as well as their new single "Flowergirl" and tracks off their forthcoming album. Davey's Irish voice was powerful and memorable, Dan had the most mysterious look in his dark eyes, Richard had the best hair imaginable for Dave Grohl impressions and you'd never have thought such a noise could have come from such an adorable little guy as Owen. The Crocketts have an original sound. You get the feeling you've never heard anything quite like it before - from the vast mood swings of the music to the eccentric vocal capabilities of Davey Crockett. They filled the arena (albeit very empty) with a real sense of vibrancy. Coming from the band's home town of Aberystwyth, I spoke with Dave, the lead singer, afterwards and could tell that he was disappointed with the turnout - it was never like this at home. Still, we came out of that gig, buzzing. Here is a damn good punk-type band who nobody has heard of up here, playing their guts out and not being fully appreciated for their originality. So, next time the Crocketts come around, make sure you're there. You won't regret it, we promise.
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