Andy Blade Interview December 2024

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How is being Alive for Andy Blade right now – is it fun or is eating at you from the inside?

One part fun, one part curiosity and one part despair at the world. People can be irritatingly stupid. Whether people you are working with, or just the guy down the post office, they don’t always try to, but I’ve found that in one way or another, they are almost always bound to let you down in some way. I find myself constantly lowering my expectations, be it those in charge of things, politicians and the like, or even just on a personal basis  – the world seems to be made up of fast people & slow people. Both drive each other crazy. I’d like to forgive the world, but I’m not yet ready. Confucious (sp?) once said ‘Expect the highest standards from yourself but expect nothing from others or you will be forever vexed’ – so fucking true. Be it musicians, other people in the business, the media – whoever – ‘don’t trust anyone based on what they say, only on what they do’, Jo said to me yesterday. Wise words.

You’ve managed to exist on the periphery of music – does it ever get tiring being an undiscovered gem? Where does Andy Blade fit in musically in the modern age of content overload and does he really care?

Yes it gets very tiring at times. The best art is created when life is lived ‘on the edge’, and stability numbs that hunger, which is why possibly why I am producing the best music of my career. I’m out on a limb in every way possible.  Having said that, I’d love a little stability, please. Music is in a weird place right now with this love of everything nostalgic, like even kids are being nostalgic for a bygone age. People are crying out for authenticity because there is nothing real happening  – just plastic pop, Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran /Coldplay – all that spoilt little pissy-bedwetter-rich kid music. I am  ‘authentic’ if nothing else, it reflects in my music, voice  & what I have to say, so I guess I benefit a little bit from that – at least from people who like to think deeper than a meme. I am and always will be an outsider, however. I’m sure of that.

How do you find the music biz now for you?

Worse than ever, and it was never very wonderful. Labels do not operate in the same way anymore, there are no A+R men going to gigs, managers are only interested if they can take a huge cut of something already set up…but the worst thing is all the bullshitters out there. They have multiplied 100 fold, like bands have, so there are plenty of naive and willing lambs to the slaughter. On the plus side, there are plenty of depressed musicians about if you need one for your band.

The cover is like the music inside  – a rich swirling dense fruitcake of LSD – what’s inside your head these days?

Pretty much. It’s the antidote to being suffocated by the drab world I see around me. It was designed by a Spanish artist – Rita Von Pnuema, who asked me what I was looking for. I sent her Lou Reed’s first album cover (the duckling and the orb thingy)  with the advice –  ‘make it colourful’.  She listened to the songs….and then perfectly, without hesitation, created exactly the right image for the sleeve.

Eater & Andy Blade & Buddies – a lot of female backing vocals – (again with Eater you have Jo Jo)  – is this deliberate

Ever since I recorded Life Affirming Songs in 2008, with my daughter Imogen singing on a lot of tracks with me, I tend to hear a female voice now when I am writing, so it has been great. It also makes the recording process a less solitary task & also far more aesthetically interesting. If you can’t keep it interesting, there’s no point.

You’ve written it, played, and produced the new album – do you prefer the total control of this and have contributors rather than have a band

Well, it makes life easier, but I think I prefer working with a band. I do get a bit control freaky when recording, but then I know exactly what I want, so to compromise would be diluting it. I generally never write with anyone, but with Derwood, it’s different, not only because we’ve become good friends. Hopefully, we shall continue collaborating.  We have had a couple of little tiffs along the way, but we know each other well enough by now to avoid certain scenarios. VERY much like being in a relationship.

‘You’re Strange’ features both Rat Scabies and Derwood Andrews “Derwood’s as well as Kat Sharkova (The Others are Dead), now a long term member of Andy’s band, on vocals.

‘You’re Strange’ is surely the Seventies hit it never had – It needs a full set of Pan’s People and yourself in feather boa in soft focus on TOTP and that weird trick they did that duplicates the person to infinity.

Yes!! Pans People would do it proud. ’70’s’? I’ve heard so many takes on that track by now, they all bewilder me but I’ll take the accolades. ‘The greatest song T.Rex never recorded’ I quite like…but even that I don’t get entirely. But yeah, the infinity thing would work, hehe.

 What’s your favourite track of the album and why?

That is hard to answer in the same way as ‘which is your favourite child?’ Strange is definitely up there, in fact, both of the Derwood/Scabies/Sharkova songs, the other one being London Loves You,  Secret Door is special, great verse…and the ‘what’s so fucking funny’ refrain at the end always makes me feel very glad I wrote it. Magic Trick with Matt Molotov does its job. The only change I would have made in hindsight is to not pen with the title track. Although it’s only short, and it wasn’t meant as ‘a real song’ – I’ve noticed lazy reviews where the reviewer has obviously based their review on it.

If there was one thing you could have changed in your musical career what would it have been?

There are a few – not signing to Virgin’s new label 10 Records, then MCA when I had the chance, getting involved in bad drugs which led to wasting a couple of important years aged 23. I hate to say it, but I’d be lying if I didn’t include the fact that if I hadn’t let Brian join Eater, which then led to a lifelong association & eventual betrayal, I spoke to him recently for a podcast episode with Ben Doughty ‘compering’. Ben asked about ‘all that’. I found it painful to hear him minimise his significant role in what happened, it put me off the interview, it may never see the light of day. 

You’ve got people helping out on the album like Paige & Mathew from The Molotovs  – what advice would you give to aspiring bands from your rich experience of music

Tbh, it is difficult giving advice to younger musicians because the business has changed beyond all recognition. I think what I always say, including to Matt, Paige, Jo et al is something like – put all your focus on writing the best song that has ever been written rather than waste time gigging forever. That way you stand a better chance of succeeding eventually. But more importantly, the buzz you get from creating something beautiful is worth quite a few episodes of pain & despair.

What are you listening to now

I love the latest Cocksparrer & ‘Buzzcocks’ album. Joke. At the minute, lots of Stephen Malkmus, the main guy from Pavement. His songs make me feel warm and fuzzy. Bad Nerves – very exciting ‘new punk’ band, who we co headlined with at a sold out Dingwalls last January – what a triumphant gig that was. It was such a great night, great music, great performances- and most of all, a  very cool, lively audience who looked and behaved like they were at a rock gig, and not a punk rock Butlins.

If I’d been shot dead on stage at the end of our set, I really wouldn’t have been that bothered. I’m not sure which scenario I like best – being shot or shooting the audience a’la Sid/My Way, but it would have been a good way to go. Plus I’ve been listening to, naturally – Sparks & T.Rex, Cockney Rebel. Which brings us back to death: I was very sad about Steve Harley leaving us. It got me thinking – I’d love to know if my records sell more when I die & I’d like to hear the usual bullshit people say when people kick the bucket…to the degree that I am thinking about faking my own death. But sshhhh.

What’s next for Andy B and friends?

I have an 8 track mini album of songs I recorded with Derwood &  Katerina Sharkova (who sang on You’re Strange/London Loves You), all done but no title yet, due late Janurary 2025. There’s a new and final edition of Secret Life due next year sometime, some Andy Blade+Buddies dates and fingers crossed, an Eater tour with Dinosaur Junior. Plus there’s the podcast, being launched in December, just in time for Xmas.

First episode is Richard Jobson, then of course, Derwood….oh and Jon from the new Bay City Rollers on crack, that are Bad Nerves, who has become a good mate. We share a lot of interests including the paranormal, can’t wait for that.  I was kinda encouraged by my mate Ben Doughty, the boxing pundit/author to do the podcast (called No Brains Podcast). We go back a long way –  but I’m very glad because it’s fun and there is a fuck of a lot to talk about at the moment, not just music. I’m finding the weird response to the new US president highly amusing, mainly because the Left/Rght divide is such a fucking joke by now, y’know, after all this time, it amazes me that someone can not only ‘prefer’ one stupid cunt to another. The reality is, there is never any real change or progress …or improvement in the quality of life. We all know it just gets worse and worse and worse.

When is the second Eater album coming out?

Because we (the band and I)  are all so busy with our own projects, it is coming along very slowly, but side one is about complete. I’ve had to shift the boundaries for ‘how should Eater sound in 2024’. I started out slightly concerned about ‘what Eater fans would like’ – but it’s stupid to think like that. They’ll get what they fucking deserve!

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Eater play a Christmas Party gig at the Lexington on Saturday 14th where Ian Woodcock the old Eater bass player may or may not play but will be there.

Andy also has 5 signed copies of BAIF for the first 5 people with £30 + pp which includes a couple of draft sketches for sleeve. Message him on Facebook – details below.

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Any Blade Facebook | YouTube Channel

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