Been to Town Now Back Again Christopher Shawchords

Chris Pope and The Chords UK are keeping the vibrancy of punk and the mod scene live forged by the original incarnation of The Chords. Whilst The Chords were responsible for the revered singles 'Perchance Tomorrow' and 'Something'southward Missing' in the late 70s, Chris Pope and The Chords UK are releasing critically acclaimed material today.

Their latest anthology 'Nowhere Land' retains the essence of The Chords but broadens the pallete set 40 years ago. Jason Barnard speaks to Chris Pope about then and at present.

Can you describe the writing and recording process for Nowhere State? How has it inverse since the belatedly 70s?

I would say 95% of every affair I've ever written has been on an acoustic guitar locked away in a darkened room! Always starting with the melody and the lyrics follow on sometime later. Occasionally I'll have a championship and I'll try and work it into a song I have – with varying degrees of success.

Then I guess writing for 'Nowhere Land' was a similar procedure to that of writing songs for 'The Chords So Far Away' album back in the twenty-four hour period.

As for recording; it'south changed a lot since 1979 and nonetheless, where we're concerned, non that much dissimilar when you interruption it all downwardly. Then it was basically: choose the best version from 15 -20 dissimilar takes! Then build the track from there.

Present it's more 'comping' together the backing rail (drums) on a calculator, mayhap three takes at the max. Then edifice it upwards as we did in the late 70's. Only laying down guitars, vocals and overdubs etc are just the aforementioned. It's true, editing is a lot quicker and easier these days & so is the ring (honest!).

'Hipsters of London' has lots of swell London references from the 60s and 70s scene. Was information technology looking back to those times that inspired yous to write it?

Yes. I've always been fascinated with both decades and all what went with them (and the 80's to a lesser extent). kind of used clubs /places from then as a back drop for the vocal. The track itself is a lighthearted run through the decades, having a piffling 'poke' at the constant need of people to be 'where it's at', be it fashion wise or to be seen in the coolest place with the coolest people. A kind of 'hanger-on' e'er on the margins of it all, but kind of realising it and non caring how 'fickle it is/was, just having a express mirth with it all!

Which other tracks from 'Nowhere Land' are your favourites and why?

'Our World', I Like a lot as it's a story about a couple of Mods from 1979 and what happens to them as they go through life. 'One Terminal Shot At The Title ' is the only 'love' song on the album. A personal ane for me, hence definitely i of my fave. 'Lost In The Plot' is a Big change of management for the band. Really pleased how this i came out.

Who'due south currently in your Chords band at the moment?

in The Chords United kingdom :

• Mic Stoner  – Bass
• Kenny Cooper – Drums
• Sandy Michie – Pb Guitar
• & yours truly

This line-up been together for 5 years. Mic played with The Chords when we toured Nihon & Commonwealth of australia in 2012, and both him & Ken where in POPE (doing my solo anthology stuff) from 2010. Information technology'south a pretty permanent line-upward!

​Going dorsum, can you tell me about growing upward, your background and how/if this influences you?

I grew up in South East London through the threescore's and was a teenager in the lxx'south. Not sure how but I ended up at a Catholic Grammar Schoolhouse which had a pretty strict code of conduct of which I did not 'adhere' to all that well. It definitely 'shaped' me for the remainder of my days in more ways than one. But information technology was a wonderful time to be that age in London Boondocks if you nosotros're in honey with music (which I was). I got to see The Who (barely thirteen), Led Zeppelin, The Stones, The Faces.Bowie et al by the time I was 15. And so Punk happened….Nuff said!

Did you play in other groups earlier The Chords?

No … The Chords was the starting time & The Chords U.k. will be the LAST!

I've heard you lot were recruited into get-go version of The Chords by answering an advertizing in the NME. What are your recollections of the early menstruation for the group?

I answered an ad in the NME January 78 that Billy Hassett & Martin Mason had put together . We didn't really become THE CHORDS until late summer of that year. Unbeknownst to me when I suggested we call it The Chords that there was a 'doo-wop' ring from the fifty's with the aforementioned name! I thought I was stealing if from Bob Dylan'due south starting time ring 'The Golden Chords!

The very early days: we mainly played covers (60's pop & seventy's punk) in pubs around Deptford, went through 2 – 3 drummers! And then later that yr nosotros thought we'd better start writing our ain songs. That'due south when I came up with 'Now Information technology's Gone', 'Something's Missing', 'Peradventure Tomorrow' etc which became the main stay of our set for the side by side iii – 4 years.

In early 79 B Ascott joined on drums. Past March nosotros were gigging a lot around London, by April we had a record deal snf in May nosotros were on tour with The Undertones. Crazy! And I was 17 and still at school!

How did you lot get linked up with John Peel and record a session then quickly? Did you just send in a demo tape?

John Walters (Pare'south producer) came to see us at The Marquee and I estimate recommended the ring to John. Nosotros were gigging maybe 3 nights a week and then, and then the group was really tight. The recording took place at the BBC studios in Maida Vale – 4 tracks done in a few hours. ​I don't recollect that much about information technology as well be honest. Nosotros went in and just did information technology. The side by side affair we know Peel's playing it two-3 times a month and calling us the 'best thing since sliced breadstuff' or words to that effect. It really helped us secure the deal with Polydor. Anoint his Cottons, best DJ there ever was.

What office did Jimmy Pursey play in helping you and the band get a record contact?

He actually signed the states to his own label JP records .We did some recording with him in April 79, then things got a little 'strained' at a gig we did with The Undertones. He turned up with Cook and Jones from The Sex Pistols, invaded the stage, causing commotion , amps, lighting rigs going into the audience etc. (Well, as far as I tin can remember, Good Ol Jimmy !) And throw in a few other disagreements, and we parted company very shortly later on that, for right or wrong!

How did you lot choice those early singles like 'Now It'due south Gone' and 'Maybe Tomorrow'?

Those 2 picked themselves, the 1 after that 'Something's Missing and later 'In My Street' were tape company discussions. Non mine personally! I thought there were better tracks around.

Do you have any memories of being in Pinnacle Of The Pops?

Yes. Vivid ones. First time with 'Maybe Tomorrow' we concluded up in the BBC Bar with Bon Scott & Malcolm Young from AC/DC getting very merry!  Two weeks subsequently Bon died about 100 yards from our route managers house. Some other time with 'Something's Missing' we were sandwiched between the Nolans and Motorhead. Hmm! And we had to make a mad dash for information technology to get to Birmingham for a gig that night. No hanging out with Lemmy that time!

What's your recollection of recording the 'Then Far Away' anthology. How did you pick the material or what it simply representative of your live set at the time (including the two covers)?

Nosotros recorded it at Redan studio in Bayswater. Did it all in 2 weeks. Information technology was basically our live fix down on record as was. Very few overdubs, just get information technology done! 'She Said She Said ' The Beatles song was i Baton brought to the band in the early days. Information technology was cool because it 'southward non the obvious Lennon / Mc Cartney song to cover. As for ' Hold On I'm Coming', that was just in the fix at the time. Could/ should have been another Stax/Motown tune if you enquire me!

I remember prog rocker Yes were rehearsing in the side by side room, Jon Anderson often popped in. Very nice guy. Besides, being able to become out drinking till very, very late and still make information technology for the next days session all 'ship shape'. Oh to be 18 once more!

Practice you have any memories of The Chords gig at The Rainbow in 1980 released as 'No One Is Listening Anymore' in 1986? Did you endorse its release?

Very little of that ane. I practise call back more than of the ane supporting The Jam in that location (our 5th or 6th gig FFS!) Equally for the alive album, I had nothing to do with it been released. And have had nothing to do with it e'er since.

Why was, in late 1980, Baton Hassett sacked and replaced past Vibrators singer Kip Herring? Did this ultimately help or hinder the group?

In that location was a lot going on around and so within the ring. Things moved very fast dorsum then. Billy had recently got married, the band was struggling coin wise and success was managing to elude us and we had no management, no A&R guys at Polydor 'rooting' for us. It all just toppled over on us, it was not a conclusion taken easily.

Perchance nosotros should have only 'stepped back' from each other for a while – looked at what was important to us, which was the music and develop a different audio. Only time was and is off the essence, then we merely made a divide decision after the 'In My Street' Bout. That was it really.

Despite being a very strong track 'One More than Infinitesimal' only reached the lower reaches of the charts. Was the musical climate making it harder for you i.due east. the charts shifting towards groups similar Duran Duran?

To me The Chords were a stone 'n' roll band and by the Autumn of 80, ' haircut' groups like 'Spandau' And 'Duran' were hit the charts and there was a lot more electronic stuff effectually. Which is fair plenty, it was a new decade & new sounds/images & all that.

I call up nosotros simply got 'lost ' between all the fads and mode. Nosotros were suddenly accounted 'united nations-hip' and 'out of step' every bit already stated 'things moved very fast back then'. Shame as 'One More Infinitesimal' is a personal fave and a motion forward from the original Chords sound.

Why did the band separate?

See above! By fall 81, I/we'd been kicked in the teeth 'one too many times '. I think nosotros'd could have done another single or two for some indie labels but I Merely wanted out, as did the others (I think). You know, a new forenoon, new faces, new everything – 'rip it upwardly and starting time once more!

What did you exercise next?

Formed AGENT ORANGE with Ace face Grant Fleming, Kevin Peters and Brett. We managed to get a huge deal with Virgin Records and then managed somehow to totally blow it. Genius! I ended up in NYC in the late eighty's, with Kevin in my fave band called Gatecrash Sky, which really was great fun indeed.

When did you come back to England, start your solo work and The Chords UK?

I came back early ninety's so proceeded to get 'lost in the rave scene, which I quite enjoyed (for a while)! Recorded a lot of demo's (4, 8 track) stuff through that menstruum. Didn't get-go recording any albums until around 2003, the first two with Brett Ascott on drums. I accept released 3 solo albums (2006-14) and dtarted recording with The Chords UK in 2015 and so far; i EP, & 2 studio albums.

And then what led you to form Pope with Brett? What do y'all recall almost material yous released in that period?

We'd be in and out of separate bands thru the 80'southward and 90'southward, but always seemed to terminate upwardly jamming on songs I had on me at the time in some shitty old rehearsals space!

So in the mid 2000's we decided to go into the recording studio:

GRACE of GOD (2006) and ' TALL TALES & CHEAP THRILLS (2009) is pretty much me recording /playing everything apart from Brett on drums and a few 'ivory tinkles' from Mr Mick Talbot.

PEACE OF Mind (2014) was a cantankerous over to using Mic Stoner on Bass & Kenny Cooper on Drums on half the anthology.

Personally I'thousand very proud of the cloth on all three POPE albums. I even so play them today and enjoy listening to them. 'Peace of Mind' in particular, out of all the albums I've recorded (inc Chords + Chords UK) sticks out as my favourite piece of work.

When and why did you gather the Chris Pope and The Chords United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland line-up?

The line-up for POPE changed in 2011-12 . Mic Stoner joined on Bass, Kenny Cooper followed shortly afterward on Drums. We'd been doing a mixture of the solo/Pope album material and old Chords tunes live.

The Chords so did a tour of Japan & Australia that year with Mic on bass. I had suggested to Billy Hassett (who resides permanently) in Japan that I'd like to do a version of The Chords back in the UK.

Simply because I wanted to do the live thing a lot more regularly than what immune (geographically) with Billy circumstances. He thought information technology was a great idea. So we started it around 2013-ish. Sandy Michie joined a twelvemonth later, and were nevertheless out there doing it!

Was it a case of settling unfinished business of the original Chords i.e. adding to the curt canon of Chords music? Your song 'One Last Shot' seems to capture that idea.

Yeah , I think so to a certain extent. Actually, The first Chords UK album ' TAKE ON LIFE' came virtually after I got sent a bootleg of a Marquee show in 81 .. I was surprised at how unlike the band sounded to that of 78-79 & how many new/un-released tunes were in the set . I got to wondering what some of those songs would sound like today … And then we recorded 4 -5 of them for the album, of which 'Burning all around' & ' Home Sugariness Home' made the last cut.

'One Last Shot 'is a very personal song for me . A rare stab at a honey song of sorts. Merely correct it is nearly unfinished business; as is the track 'Lived to tell the tale' just before it on the 'NOWHERE LAND 'album.

Is it of import for y'all to go along releasing new material, rather than being a 'nostalgia' deed?

100%. I have to go along creating new music and adding new tunes to the fix. I have absolutely no interest in taking the band out live and but playing old songs from start to stop. I'd rather stay at home with a good bottle of red with me feet up!

What should fans expect with your forthcoming UK tour?

A good balance of old and new. We practise all The Chords Singles and a off-white few album tracks from 'So Far Away' along with a 'healthy helping' of tracks from both 'Take On Life' and 'Nowhere Country'. A lot of people who come and see us at present know the new material and react really well to it, which is a great compliment.

Has the band written or recorded any textile for the album later on 'Nowhere Country'?

We've been in and out of the studio since finishing 'Nowhere Land ' final May. We've got a lot of 'Old, New, Borrowed & Blue' cloth one-half-finished at the moment. A new single to coincide with the Fall tour is a definite.

Thank you lot, Chris, it'southward been a pleasance speaking to you lot. I look forward to hearing your new single in the Fall.

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Source: https://thestrangebrew.co.uk/interviews/chris-pope-the-chords/

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