During a
break in rehearsals at the Attic in Torquay, Steve is enjoying the warm
reception his new solo album is receiving, and looking forward to taking its
songs out on the road.
Advance
reviews of Travel Wild-Travel Free have been universally good, and songs like
Sheer Inertia and Street Fire sound fresh as paint as he and his band prepare
them on the darkened stage of the daytime-deserted harbourside venue.
“I’m
really looking forward to touring,” he says. “I’m not very good at being at
home. I like being out on the road!”
Torquay-based
Steve begins a tour in his long-standing role as part of Paul Weller’s band on
October 7, and prepares for Christmas by fronting Ocean Colour Scene on a
British tour.
But in
between, he squeezes in eight dates with his own band, culminating in the only
West Country date, on board the converted cargo ship Thekla in the centre of
Bristol on November 8.
It’s not
that he wouldn’t love to be playing closer to home, and he hasn’t ruled out a
last-minute warm-up gig somewhere nearer Torquay.
But he
has been frustrated by the lack of venues and opportunities in South Devon.
“I don’t
know what it is,” he says. “I don’t think people really know what to do with
us.”
There
was one local pre-tour gig in August, when Paignton Regatta revellers had a
sneak preview of songs from the new album as Steve and his band played a free
open-air gig on the Green. The tour band will be almost identical to that which
kicked off the regatta’s fireworks night.
Steve’s
wife Sally will be part of the band, and plays a major role on the new album.
In fact
it’s a real family affair, with nine-year-old son Cassius playing the flute on
one track, and 10-year-old daughter Sunny reading a poem on another.
“They’re always with us,” said Steve. “So it just seemed natural to have them involved in the album.
“Cassius
was just playing a melody on the flute, just picking out the notes himself.
“So we
had a whole session in the studio with him. He was really professional, and
he’s really proud of the song on the album.”
Like his
previous solo outing, Travel Wild-Travel Free was recorded at Fred Ansell’s
Deep Litter Studio in the South Hams. This time, however, it was recorded in
the warmth of summer rather than the depths of an icy winter which formed the
backdrop to the recording of Peace City West.
“It was
a great experience, and a bit warmer than it was last time we were down there
recording!” said Steve.
“We had
a bit more time with this one. It evolved over a longer period and we had a bit
more thinking time.
“When
you mix an album like this, that’s when it starts to contain its own DNA.”
The
finished songs were then mixed and mastered at Paul Weller’s Black Barn studio
in Surrey.
The
result is an album packed with great tunes and surprises.
Sheer
Inertia is a radio-friendly stomper that sounds even better played live than it
does on record.
“It’s
the first single from the album,” says Steve.
“It’s kind
of a pop song, with a middle-eight reminiscent of Roy Wood and a bit of French
radio coming through from somewhere.”
Opening
track Anyway The Wind Blows sets the scene beautifully, while the exuberant
Doodle Book appears in a different version from the one on the latest OCS
album.
The
title track could and should be the second single; Running Isn’t Funny Anymore
is a feast of swirling psychedelia just made for playing loud in cars, and
10,000 Times is a delightful duet, co-written with another great English
songwriter, Glenn Tillbrook of Squeeze.
“Rehearsals
have been going really well,” says Steve.
“The
Attic is an amazing venue to rehearse in. It’s perfect.
“A few
more days and we’ll be ready to take the new songs out on the road.
“I can’t
wait!”
Travel
Wild-Travel Free is out now.
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