A - Sheffield, UK, Winter 2002
By: Matt Tomiak
Love them, hate them. A continue to soar, regardless.
Yet laying down achievements from the original inception of this pop-punk quintet doesn't prove a hugely taxing task; five guitar-wielding hopefuls with an ear for a tune spend several years in the relative wilderness, and, suddenly, the single comes along and catapults them into the top-ten, offering 'Top Of The Pops' appearances, thousands of unit-sales shifted effortlessly for the accompanying album, and now this - a sell-out UK tour covering some of the country's largest venues. Sorted. Let's go to the bank.
'It's been a good year for rock hasn't it,' deadpans drummer Adam of the group, remarking on the band's success whilst backstage at tonight's venue of the Sheffield Octagon. 'From about half way through last year onwards, because of American bands initially getting on the radio and stuff... your Limp Bizkits and your Linkin Parks... They made it possible for us to get on the radio, so it's great... From having never been on the radio, to 'Nothing' being the most-played song on the radio when it came out, it's been quite a result for us - it's wicked.'
Typically, frontman and twin to Adam, Jason Perry - fresh from his 'awesome' afternoon spent watching Man Utd triumph 5-3 against Newcastle at Old Trafford - is eager to get involved in the conversation, though perhaps on not quite the same level. 'Can I just say at this point I did a live radio interview this morning, and I managed to throw in the word 'gusset'.' He sits back and revels in the moment.
Well, how did you manage to fit that into a conversation?
'She asked me what I wear in bed...'
Right, then.
And such sentiments are A all over - light-hearted embellishes of cheery behaviour, which more than slightly subconsciously rub off on their recorded-matter, which was noted from the outset, just when it all began. Following a couple of low-key releases, the group first sprung into the collective awareness of rock fans across Britain in July 1997 with their debut LP 'How Ace Are Buildings?'. As the title would suggest, the emphasis was very much on the art of the unpretentious, much in the style of kindred spirits and best mates, ye olde Symposium. The effort contained a startling number of student-friendly compositions, the likes of 'Foghorn', 'Bad Idea', 'Singalong', and 'No. 1' - as originally used on the soundtrack to the 1998 Channel 4 TV series 'The Young Persons' Guide to Becoming A Rock Star' - earning early accolade. But, this was all still so 'underground', too hidden from the mainstream, to make a true impact.
Second album 'Monkey Kong', however, was released in summer 1999 to near-universal acclaim, and accounted for some more startling 45s, in the shape of 'Summer On The Underground', 'Old Folks' and the inimitable 'I Love Lake Tahoe' - yet all were criminally neglected by the airwaves, frustrating long-time fans of the band that were astounded by the lack of airplay granted to these undeniably radio songs.
The band themselves, meanwhile, were enjoying the high life on the continent (especially in Germany, where, thanks to massive stadium shows with the Bloodhound Gang, they can count themselves amongst the rock aristocracy); relevantly, 'Monkey Kong' did (help), in places such as there, where we had a lot of success with it,' admits Adam. Soon after, a huge-name endorsement occurred, Blink-182 speaking up to pronounce them the most original-sounding punk band they had heard (''Original' meaning... Not very punk?' jokily questions Jason on this, adding weakly, 'Nah, they're lovely fellas...').
Luckily, things took a moderate turn for the better in 2002 in A's native-shores, as the combination of a big push by label London and the long-overdue support from the boys at the BBC gave the group their first top-ten hit: the aforementioned anthemic blast of 'Nothing', the taster single from third album 'Hi-Fi Serious', and a number-nine smash in February. Further killer-tuneage in the shape of the top-twenty 'Starbucks' and the most recently-launched 'Something's Going On', not to mention their biggest-to-date Spring and Autumn tours across the UK, seemed to point out that A's time had well and truly arrived. At long last, too.
So, ever-ebullient frontman Jason Perry, the equally unrestrained Adam (drums), Giles (keyboard/samples) and the partially more reserved guitarist Mark Chapman are present this afternoon, all to unlock the reasons why now is their time, as opposed to before.
Adam ponders. ''Starbucks' was the highest played song of the year wasn't it,' he questions to his band-mates.
Jason again: 'We were in LA when it got added at C-list (via BBC's Radio One), and we thought, 'That's good'; we got back, and it got moved to the B-list, and - then - it was added to the A-list... I couldn't believe it; we've done everything they've asked of us: we've done a lot of shows for them, conferences and all that kind of stuff too.'
The fellas certainly prove more than indebted for the recent backing they've earnt from their staunchest supporters, Giles commenting on how the likes of several DJ's having 'always been into their rock' helping them more than considerably along the way, Jason emblazoning such characters as, 'Good ambassadors for our band, fighting our corner...' And it's such genuine gratitude that endears you to their corner in the first place; everything around them presently - it's been worked towards stubbornly and enthusiastically from day-one. They're not prepared to get all diva-y on yer asses just yet.
The deserved references to European triumphs have resulted in time through playing some severely bountiful stadium shows across the continent, the highlights documented on 2000's live mini-album 'Exit Stage Right'. So, when such success is achieved abroad initially, does it compensate for difficulties experienced to get recognised back home in the UK?
Adam doesn't fall down either way on the subject, simply answering, 'It is very important to do well in your own country...'
'Especially in Norwich,' quips Giles.
It's then this remark that leads us all to reminisce about a gig a couple of years ago at said town's Waterfront, and our first sighting of the fake snow machine the band used to accompany their ode to their favourite ski resort, as depicted in, cunningly, '... Lake Tahoe'. Apparently, there had been plans to further the on-stage theatrics.
'We have an aroma machine,' announces Giles, 'but it didn't work on the first night... We were gonna have the smell of coffee during 'Starbucks'.'
Adam wasn't impressed, however. 'It's rubbish... Apparently, it'd only be effective in a... erm... small car, not a big venue...'
Fittingly, as a result of rock's recent resurgence in the UK, A have enjoyed a good deal of positive publicity in recent months. Jason is thoughtful regarding the certain publications' change of heart towards A.
'Since the summer, (some titles) got rid of a lot of staff (Mark: 'And they'll change 'em again in another six months') and have gone indie again. I think at the beginning of the year they decided that rock music was gonna be massive, and that they'd better get behind it... They've always given us not-too-bad reviews, it was just the fact they kind of ignored us that pissed me off. They wouldn't even put our gig-listings in at one point 'cos they didn't think British rock was worth writing about.'
As Giles saliently acknowledges, 'We've managed to get where we are largely without their help.'
RIP for the more supportive realms of the now-defunct 'Melody Maker', then?
'That was a shame,' admits Jason. 'It got a bit 'Smash Hits' towards the end, though.'
Well, what about that 'Summer Special' 'MM' issue of 1999 - Jason on the front cover pictured on Southend beach, with bucket and spade in hand; beautiful, no?
Giles: 'Oh that was awful. Please forget it as much as you can...'
But it's that bastion of rock journalism 'Kerrang!' that Jason believes 'have been really good... Getting a 'Kerrang!' Award was great... But, yeah, all that press thing, take it or leave. It's good to have a bit though, innit..? We did get in 'The Sun' newspaper for the first time ever this year... We were shot at in Coventry!'
Blimey...
Adam: 'They were just going for anyone... It came from a local tower block; the venue was in a bit of a run-down area and I don't think the residents really like it. They basically seemed to be going for anyone coming out the venue.'
'I'm never going to go there,' keenly clarifies Giles. 'There you go, I said it.'
Ad is more reasonable. 'It was a really good show, though.'
Giles remains vehement. 'I'm still not gonna go there again, though...'
Incidentally, A have in fact had to cope without their keyboard player before, however.
'We had to do some shows on the first tour of the year whilst Giles, or more accurately, his wife was having a baby,' informs Adam. 'We had to make a tape (to accompany the shows).'
Giles, taking Adam's preliminary words literally, laughs, 'Yeah, I couldn't fit on the tourbus with my pregnant stomach.'
The way Adam tells it, it all sounds a bit chaotic. 'He phoned me up one night and went 'Aaaaaarghh: she's in labour,' so the next few shows we used a backing-tape. The president of Warner's even came to our first show without Giles... There was also a BBC film crew taping it; it couldn't get any more stressful!'
But they survived such trauma, as they continually seem to. Though, with this evening's stage-time ever nearing, let's reflect on one last topic; when considering that 'Monkey Kong' has long been revered as the band's 'should-have-been', true breakthrough, do the accomplishments seem delayed? The band pause, momentarily.
'I think if the climate in England had been like it is now when we released 'Monkey Kong', 'MK' would have been a lot bigger, definitely,' agrees third Perry brother Giles on the other hand. 'But 'Hi-Fi Serious' is a stronger album, though - bigger sounding... And our next one's gonna be even bigger...'
'Well,' Adam intervenes, halting his assistant's claim, 'the actual disc is gonna be the same size...'
Jason guffaws. 'Yeah, they might have invented a new format by then, Giles.'
Less markedly, the conversation soon turns to the mutually-adored new series of cult-series 'I'm Alan Partridge' (Mark: 'Why do you think we called the album 'Hi-Fi Serious'?!') and Jason reveals the extortionate amount of money Steve Coogan wanted (allegedly) for providing the voice over for the TV-ads for the record... Soon, they jet off, and just hours later perform a rapturous set to thousands of ecstatic spectators, triggering fierce mosh-pits, even more fierce crowd-surfers, and injecting a pulse into what would have otherwise formed a typical Saturday evening. A people's band all over, they don't fail to impress.
Seemingly then, not content with being one of the hardest-working bands in Britain, as unveiled, A are also one of the funniest, friendliest and most down-to-earth. It may have taken years to get to where they are these days, but long may they continue to rock. And rise so substantially over and over in the future.