The Bluetones - Oxford, UK, Autumn 2000
By: Toby L
The Bluetones are tired. They began their 16-date UK tour last night in Hull and on what should be their day off, they find that rockfeedback is on the doorstep of their tourbus to hound them for answers to yet more spine-tinglingly original questions. But, seeing as the setting for the interview is a plush, double decker tour-vehicle, as well as the venue that they'll be filling with fans later on, the shape of the chat revolved around The Bluetones' tour habits. Scott Morriss, bass-player, is absent for the talks (the lucky blighter successfully escaped somehow), but guitarist Adam, drummer Eds and lead singer/Mandarin guitar- plucker Mark were enthralled to say the least with our line of questioning.
Early on in the interview, the boys began discussing the importance of 'Fock Da Brain Hole' - a fine piece of noise to be included as a b-side on their upcoming EP release, 'Mudslide', taken from their finest album to date, 'Science & Nature'. The album comprises 12 songs brimmed to the top in foamy pop, country guitar and surely the broadest spectrum of styles to be displayed in a UK album this year.
The Bluetones are in the cruellest predicament, however: being held back from their maximum potential due to a past that clings to them. Those that cannot see why this band are one of the UK's best guitar packs are the ones that look at the surface and realise that they established their career during a time where many unworthy musicians cashed in on a sound defined as 'Britpop'. Tragically, some still see The Bluetones in this category despite their ability to craft songs of a quality that many bands who escaped the mid-90s are failing to produce now. They really can be described in their sound, as in their UK touring schedule, as the last of the great navigators of the era that they were born in.
Your current UK tour is unusual in the sense that you've allowed the fans to choose a big chunk of the set-list...
Both Adam and Eds laugh at the sound of the phrase 'a big chunk', going on to repeat it to themselves just for their own childish amusement. Rock stars these days, eh?
Mark: 'Basically, we were looking at the 'Chat' page of our official website and just seeing what people were writing and a lot were talking about how they wish we'd put certain songs in the set and so we just did a response to that. We sat down and basically said, 'Well, what do you want to hear?' That just seemed the best and most diplomatic way of doing it really. To put it simply, the people spoke and we listened!'
Were there any fans who voted for the new b-side, 'Fock Da Brain Hole' to be included in the set?
M: 'I was incredibly drunk when we recorded that...'
Eds: 'Basically, that came about with you two messing around in rehearsals and I thought, 'This sounds interesting' so I just started recording it on my digital recorder. I then chopped it up, cut and paste it into an order and that was it...'
Adam begins hopelessly searching around for a copy to play.
Adam: 'Have we got the track here?'
Eds just ignores him.
A: 'Well, I think we've got a copy on the bus somewhere so we'll find it later... You have to hear it'
Rockfeedback expresses that it can hardly wait.
A: 'It's not really serious at all and we'll never play it live, but we decided, if all our songs were like that, we'd be f**king huge! Yeah, it just sounds like that current US angry rock, which is popular!'
E: 'Before we forget, it's pronounced in a kind of Brooklyn accent like, 'Fwock da braain hole'. It's not about anything... It's just rambling.'
M: 'No, it's about shoes! It wasn't totally improvised because you've got to have a kind of set of touchstones from where you make up a song. Someone says the song-title in a film, but I can't remember which one it was from...'
Has rehearsing these old songs for the set-list been difficult?
M: 'Some of the songs were really dusty and cobwebby. 'Marblehead Johnson' (crowd-favourite and top ten single) hadn't been played for three years and it was strange going back to that because everyone had forgotten what they did on it. It's a challenge though and it keeps everyone on their toes. The fear is if complacency slips in where you start thinking that you can play live really easily without even thinking about it. If you're not thinking about it or feeling it then what's the worth?'
Eds prefers to be simple and contradictory to Mark's point.
E: 'I thought it was fairly easy really.'
A: 'Personally, it wasn't as daunting as I thought it might have been. It was still quite difficult though trying to play songs that we hadn't done for ages. There was 'Putting Out Fires' (debut album favourite)... 'Don't Stand Me Down' too... That was hard to play...'
E: 'I was quite annoyed because all of my favourite Bluetones stuff was right at the bottom of the list of what people wanted!'
A: 'We had to drop a couple of other songs to fit in the 18-song set list, and those were basically things from 'Science & Nature' which I'm sure our fans would have seen live earlier in the year at some point.'
How has the crowd reaction been to the new concert format?
A: 'Well, we've also been trying a new thing out and as far as we know it's gone down pretty well.'
E: 'Yeah, it's a bit different.'
M: 'Basically, we've got it like a football match or a theatre intermission type of thing. We do 45 minutes, have a ten-minute break and come back for another 45 minutes. For us, it allows the show to build to two climaxes, where there's a run of hits and then a finale in both parts. Personally, for me though, as a singer, it's nice to be able to have a ten minute break, have a hot drink backstage and a quick wash so when I come back, it's part two, which is a change because there are a couple of acoustic songs at the start.'
A: 'It is different compared to the conventional rock gig... We were just tired of doing that 12 songs, encore, back for a few songs and then that's it type of show. We wanted a change.'
As you tour a lot, are there demands you have?
A: 'Well, we had a few problems with the roadie yesterday, but it was nothing that couldn't be ironed out... (He smiles an evil smile, almost indicating that he is the spawn of Satan). He was doing naughty things like giving us Scotch instead of Bourbon and cheap wine as well.'
E: 'Yeah, it was awful... He was spending only about four or five pounds per bottle and that's obviously not good.'
A: 'Well, I just think, 'Hey, it's the first few days - mistakes are made!' Obviously, any bad things afterwards are just unacceptable.'
E: 'Yes, our problems are very quickly rectified (smiles)... Seriously, we did insist on choosing our own support bands for this tour.'
A: 'We got the Webb Brothers on because Mark got their record and fell in love with it, which led on to us covering their song, 'I'm Over and I Know It' for a radio session we did.'
E: 'With Phoenix, we just heard their music and loved it too.'
M: 'Touring's basically where it's at though. It's where you get all your rewards; it's good for all the hard work you've done and you can see it in people's faces. It's good for the old ego no doubt! Other than that, the demand I have is my drink, which is basically boiled orange juice, honey and ginger and that's it really... But I always need it; it's more of a placebo than anything else and I don't even know if it makes my voice better or not!'
Who would you say is the worst at touring?
A: 'Well, as we all love it so much, I'd say we're all pretty good at it really. When you see a band play live, that is it! It's what they're in a band for and what people enjoy the most about the music usually. The thing is once you've done a great tour, you don't go home thinking, 'Oh, I'd love to make an album!'
E: 'When some bands get to a stage in their career, after about ten years and they've got the choice to tour or not, then maybe it's not worth going on.'
A: 'Yeah, but I'll always like touring...'
E: 'Why's that?'
A: 'Cos I can get drunk.'
E: (Ignoring his bandmate's response) 'Touring lets me hear music I wouldn't necessarily hear because I always go to bed early at home. When I'm on tour, they let me stay up late.'
A: 'Yes, (sarcastically and patronising to Eds) it's just like going on holiday isn't it?'
What's next after this tour?
M: 'We're going to get writing new stuff mainly and there is the possibility of a gig at the new year too. We'll probably think about what we're gonna do touring-wise next spring. We're just going to concentrate on doing something new hopefully and something different.'
E: 'We're not going to release any more singles from this album and will just record something like two new ones and release them on EPs or something.'
A: 'Once you get your third or fourth single off the album, most people who really want it have got it already so there's no real point trying to plug it any further.'
Sadly, rockfeedback's customary tradition of whipping out sparkly, silver envelopes to entice the interviewees with questions of a nature often deemed too explicit for daytime consumption, also known as the ENVELOPES OF DOOM TM, was absent on this visit. BUT, we don't let the whole point of the gimmick being thrown out of the window bother us! Oh no! We simply pulled out our silver notepad making, for one interview only, the NOTEPAD OF DOOM TM, in which were questions designed to defeat the souls of the questions' recipients, though The Bluetones put up a strong fight... So, without further ado, roll on, roll on...
Why are you not like Slipknot?
Expectedly baffled.
A: 'Slipknot? Well... Gosh... Maybe we could start by getting to ask why Slipknot are not like us!'
M: 'It's probably because we don't come from trailer parks in America! Seriously, they do come from a different kind of background and have a lot more to be angry about! We're pretty mellow really!'
What's the best thing about being in The Bluetones?
M: 'It's not the money! The hours and the concept that I don't have a boss are great.'
A: 'The hours are quite good, I suppose. You get free tickets and stuff too....'
E: 'It's like a part time job really (jokingly).'
What's the worst thing about being in The Bluetones?
Long pause.
M: 'Sometimes you have to be nice to people you'd much rather spit on. It's like when you meet certain people in the industry who are supposed to be important to your career, but sometimes they can be just as damaging...'
E: 'Probably really strange fans for me. We do tend to be a bit of a magnet for weird people and there was a couple of them circling the bus earlier in fact.'
A: 'We've met some a few times and the last time I had met a certain couple I had forgotten them! They were really quite offended and expected me to be as knowledgeable about them as they were about me and it's not fair really... I don't get a chance to read about their f**king lives!'
E: 'When we're going into venues or whatever, we get to meet some of them. However, that's not too bad, but after you start speaking to them, they want more and more of you. The reason we hold back from getting to know them in an in depth way is because we want to retain some mystique.'
A: 'Yeah, we're really nice people; that's the trouble! Some people we should have told to f**k off ages ago, we were probably really kind to!'
Backstreet Boys or Blur?
E: 'I don't mind either really.'
M: 'Nah, it's gotta be Backstreet Boys.'
A: 'I really like the Backstreet Boys; they're definitely my favourite of the boy bands out there. They look a bit better, the songs are stronger and they are the proper boy band really aren't they?'
E: 'Actually Take That were really rather good.'
Adam can't hold himself back from singing 'Larger Than Life' from his pre-mentioned favourite boy pin-ups. It is, understandably, a horrifying sight.
Would you rather shop in a car boot sale or Harrods?
M: 'Boot-sale, no doubt about it.'
E: 'A boot sale definitely, there's more variety. It's a lot cheaper.'
A: 'I live quite near to Harrods... Well, I say 'quite near', but it's not like I'm in f**king Knightsbridge! Yeah, more like a bus ride away!'
Puppies or Kittens?
M: 'Kittens. I'm very much a cat person.'
E: 'Oh... Puppies I think.'
A: 'I like puppies, but I like cats and dogs. They're very different creatures.'
E: 'We've got to have like a half-cat, half-dog thing... It would be like a fox then...'
A: 'Yeah, an independent, yet loyal animal! Cats are smart and dogs are stupid, but you can train them to do what you want them to do. But, with cats, forget it. You're like, 'Go on fetch,' and they're just, 'F**k off!'
What is the meaning of life and why are we on the planet?
: 'It's to get what you want without necessarily treading on anyone's toes. It can be done!'
A: (In a granny voice) 'Oh, I think we have no point on this world! We're just here, do our time and make way for the next thing!'
E: 'I think we're here and then we're made ready for the next kind of life, the next kind of intelligent, er, thing... I think it'll come out of the water actually.'
'What? Are you talking about a mega tsunami or that thing from 'The Abyss'? Or aliens from within?'
E: 'I don't know, but dolphins are quite clever aren't they... If humans weren't on earth I think they'd be running the show... Actually, I dunno, I'm talking shit now. I'd like to meet alien life though...'
A: 'Well, maybe it's among us now...'
At this point, when referring to a possible extra terrestrial being aboard the Bluetones bus, Adam's eyes wandered over suspiciously to rockfeedback's seated location. This marked the end of the interview.
After an ecstatically received set, The Bluetones mingled with Japanese fans backstage, played CDs from their vast Case Logic-packaged collection and treated rockfeedback to an exclusive airing of new b-side, 'Fock Da Brain Hole'. Mmm, unusual.
The Bluetones may be underrated, but along with that tag comes their knowledge of being aware of their greatness and that's a secret they share with their legions of 'strange' fans. That should be enough.
Artists in this article: The Bluetones