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Cast are one of the standout evergreen bands from the glorious period that was the iconic nineties and led by charismatic frontman John Power performed to a sold out Engine Rooms evoking a true sense of nostalgia to a captivated crowd.

Superbly supported by The Gulps, a young band on the up were a real tour de force and kicked off proceedings with an energetic and magical set that got the crowd going. Without doubt, they garnered new fans that night – myself included. They have a familiar yet rock and roll sound that builds and builds. The talented London-based quintet are definitely ones to watch and their presence were instrumental to a fantastic night of live music.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of their seminal album ‘All Change’ Liverpool’s very own Cast were on top form. John Power and his band are always consummate professionals and this gig (along with a few others) had been rescheduled from last year due to the pandemic. ‘All Change’ which was one of the most memorable albums of the nineties was performed in its entirety.

Kicking off with ‘Promised Land’ and ‘Mankind’, the humble and engaging JP eased into the set as if it was 1995 all over again and he took his fans with him. ‘Sandstorm’ and ‘Walkaway’ were executed perfectly with an exuberant delivery. Cast’s songs are anthemic, uplifting and strangely comforting – taking us back to perhaps a simpler time. Whilst 1995 seems like a LONG time ago, the songs remain as fresh and classy as ever.

Fans were also treated to renditions of some of the Liverpool’s bands most-loved hits such as ‘Beat Mama’, ‘Flying’ and ‘Free Me’ – all of which showcased John Power’s impeccable storytelling and songwriting skills.

Exemplary performers, Cast’s impressive body of work and strong work ethic continues to cement them as one of the UK’s bands.

Not finished your Christmas shopping yet? There’s still time to get the music fan in your life the gift that keeps on giving with our round up of our favourite music-related gifts for the holiday season and beyond.

Play On

Fusing classic Fender® design with unbeatable player-centric features and exciting new finishes, Fender’s Player Plus Stratocaster® delivers superb playability and unmistakable style. It plays like a dream thanks to the silky satin Modern “C” Player Plus Strat® neck which fits your hand like a glove, with smooth rolled edges for supreme comfort.

With classic Fender style, advanced features and stunning new finishes, the Player Plus Stratocaster is the perfect tool to spark your creativity and stand out from the crowd – play on!

£939

https://www.fender.com/en-GB/electric-guitars/stratocaster/

Wear it!

Talented designer and artist Nadia Bevis is one to watch – she creates the most incredible re-worked jackets which are completely unique and are ideal for festivals. We love this Bob Marley parka with embroidered detailing. She can also create bespoke designs from scratch so let your imagination run wild and design the jacket of your dreams.

Price on application – contact Nadia for further details

https://www.instagram.com/nadia_bevis/

Picture this

Artist ‘The Seasick Sailor’ takes iconic bands and musicians like David Bowie, Blondie and The Who and creates achingly cool film-style poster prints that will take centre stage on any music fans wall.

From £25

https://www.theseasicksailor.co.uk/

Read it

Calling all Paul Weller fans, this new book ‘Magic – A Journal of Song‘ recounts a lifetime of music through lyrics and a candid commentary by Paul Weller, as told to former GQ editor and author Dylan Jones. From his time in the Jam and the Style Council through a 30-year solo career, this is your invite to learn more about one of the UK’s biggest and best musical acts. Available for pre-order now.

https://www.genesis-publications.com/comingsoon/paul-weller-magic/2810

Wrap up warm

Make a statement this season in the Are You Experienced Embroidered Penny Lane Coat from vintage style brand ‘The Hippie Shake’. This head turning piece features all over custom embroidery that is inspired by THAT iconic Hendrix coat this is the ultimate statement piece to add to your wardrobe this winter.

£189

https://www.thehippieshake.co.uk/collections/jackets-amp-coats/products/are-you-experienced-embroidered-penny-lane-coat

Energetic, ebullient and effervescent, you will never be lacking in superlatives when you get to see the fantastic Tim Burgess and the Charlatans perform. Commemorating their 30th anniversary, the (slightly delayed) album ‘Head Full Of Ideas’ is a carefully-curated collection of the bands extensive and impressive back catalogue which includes fan favourites and lesser-known gems.

The accompanying tour saw the band perform some of the bands’ iconic hits such as ‘The Only One I Know’, ‘Weirdo’, ‘Forever’, ‘North Country Boy’ and more, the band captivated the crowd who lapped up the energy of the four piece who performed out of their skins to take their fans on a nostalgic journey through some of their most beloved hits.

Ably supported by the fantastic Martin Carr & What Future who were performing as a trio due to Covid, but commanded the attention of the burgeoning crowd thanks to their artistry and Carr’s exemplary songwriting.

Often lauded as one of the most durable of bands, the Charlatans have overcome adversity and tragedy (including the tragic loss of drummer Jon Brookes and Rob Collins) and just keep going. It’s clear from the band’s chemistry and affection for each other that the member’s enduring relationship is key to the longevity and success. The band use visual imagery and historic footage that is juxtaposed with modern day films which includes some very touching footage to celebrate the legacy of Jon and Rob in a stunning rendition of ‘The Only One I Know’ which is another indication of the true spirit of the band.

The charismatic and captivating Tim Burgess is always beguiling to watch and he clearly loves being on stage and was often spotted taking photos and videos of the crowd. He burst into little dance moves throughout the set whilst rocking a cheerfully-coloured jumper that wouldn’t look out of place at a Christmas lunch party and there’s plenty of great tracks to choose from which includes crowd-pleasers and some iconic fan favourites like the delightful ‘You’re so Pretty, We’re so Pretty’ ‘Plastic Machinery’ and ‘Blackened Blue Eyes’.

The Charlatans have more than earned their place as one of Britain’s finest bands and with over four decades in the game, it looks like they will not be losing their stripes anytime

A simple idea that evolved into a cultural phenomenon. What started as an interim way to occupy The Charlatan’s front man Tim Burgess for a period of three weeks at the onset of the pandemic has become a shining light in what was one of the most tumultuous and unpredictable periods of our lives.

Tim has united music fans through lockdown thanks to his tireless and herculean crusade to promote his musical peers and use the power of social media for good. His Twitter Listening Parties have not only received critical acclaim, but have also provided a much-needed boost to both his fellow musicians and fans alike.

The charismatic singer had the fantastic idea for fans to play a certain album, all starting at the same time, with the artist or significant people behind the album offering commentary and answering questions on Twitter. At a time when people were living in isolation, it was a force for good in social media which sometimes can be a hostile and negative place “I felt like it was something that was really important and that kept me going” he revealed.

Positively received, the listening parties grew and grew and soon listening parties were being organised from the likes of Blur, Oasis, New Order to Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue.

Last night was the 1000th Twitter Listening Party and it was the turn of Chris Stein and Debbie Harry from the iconic band Blondie to take to the (Twitter) floor and tweet along to their 1978 album ‘Parallel Lines’.

Prior to that, Tim was joined by an illustrious panel which included Helen O’Hara, Nitin Sawhney, Tim Pope, and chair Pete Paphides. Tim recalled the moment that Paul McCartney accepted his response to take part in a listening party “Six weeks later!” in the form of a simple ‘thumbs up’ emoji as one of his highlights. He also commented on how the listening parties has made appreciate and listen to music in a different way naming Spandau Ballet as an example of this.

Blondie’s Chris Stein also joined the panel via Zoom answering questions like ‘What was the best ever gig you played?’ Hyde Park, Glastonbury and Glasgow were named highlights alongside Susannah Hoffs (The Bangles) and Matt Johnson (The The) who also regaled the audience with endearing and funny ancedotes.

When asked what music has had the most impact on him, Tim revealed to the audience that it was The Buzzcocks album ‘Love Bites’ and how he likened them to the Beatles to his dad who swiftly disagreed with Tim’s appraisal which was a lovely insight into a teenage Tim.

1000 listening parties is a phenomenal achievement, but who is on Tim’s wish list now? “Kate Bush or Peter Gabriel would be amazing”

Tim Pope, Helen, Nitin and Charlatans guitarist Mark joined Tim on stage for an exclusive singalong which included some of his most-loved hits and a rousing edition of ‘Come On Eileen’.

What Tim Burgess has done is nothing short of amazing – bringing eternal sunshine to music lovers and enabling both musicians and music fans alike to reexamine and fall in love with both seminal albums and lesser-known gems in real-time.

The Charlatans’ boxset A Head Full Of Ideas and the Twitter Listening Party book are both out now. Head over to https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/ where you can replay every single listening party in real time.

Words: Emma Harrison, Music Editor

Combining a delicious combination of lo-fi, pop-punk, surf and indie, Icelandic band BSÍ are certainly one to watch and have recently supported rock-indie band The Vaccines on their UK tour.

Their latest single ‘My knee against kyriarchy’ from their debut album ‘Sometimes depressed…but always antifascist’ which has received much critical acclaim was just one of several tracks performed from a sparkling set at Bournemouth’s Old Fire Station.

The dynamic duo – Sila Thorarensen (drums and vocals) and Julius Pollux (bass guitar and keys) completely garnered the attention of the crowd with a combination of their own tracks such as ‘Vesturbæjar Beach’, ‘Ekki á leið’, and a cheeky cover of a Spice Girls classic ‘ Wannabe’

Ultimately, the band are looking to create ‘sweet songs against bad things’ and achieve this effortlessly. An impressive tour debut, Sila has a lovely tone and Julius is a skilled guitar player which he does whilst playing a keyboard with his feet.

If you are looking for chilled music with meaning, definitely check out the super cool BSÍ.

Combining energy, charisma and talent, singer Justin Young from The Vaccines has to be one of the best front men in the UK and beyond. From the second he made his way on stage; he had the crowd in the palm of his hand with his captivating performance alongside the rest of his band.

It’s been ten years since they burst onto the indie rock scene with their 2011 debut ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines’ and they are back meaning business with their fifth album ‘Back In Love City’

Always tight, the London-based band’s set was electrifying and showcased their impressive back catalogue and commanding stage presence. Kicking off proceedings with a barnstorming ‘Wanderlust’ followed by ‘I Can’t Quit’, the band demonstrated how much they had missed playing live with a stellar collection of tracks like ‘Jump Off The Top’, ‘All My Friends Are Falling In Love’ ‘Alone Star’ and more, the crowd were dancing throughout and fed off the vibe of the band.

Credit: Alex Dixon

‘Back In Love City’ is out now to purchase and stream.
Thanks to Alex Dixon (Photography) We Broke Free (Promoters) and The Old Fire Station for the images.

Tom Grennan’s second album ‘Evering Road’ has been the recipient of both critical acclaim and commercial success, achieving number one on the UK Albums Chart.

With support from rising star Dan D’Lion, Tom and his fantastic band hit the stage and kicked off proceedings with a rousing edition of ‘If Only’ closely by ‘Royal Highness’ from 2018’s Lighting Matches and the highly emotional ‘Something Better’.

Tom effortlessly engaged with the crowd with a delightful combination of charm, energy and humour – he had the audience in the palms of his hands as he continued with his amazing set which included ‘Oh Please’, the powerful ‘Amen’ and ‘I Might’ – all of which showcased his stellar performance skills and stage presence.

One of the highlights of the night was of ‘You Matter To Me’ where Tom encouraged the audience to ‘light up’ with their mobile phone torches which created a beautiful and touching moment. Other standout moments included ‘Found What I’ve Been Looking For’, ‘All Goes Wrong’ and ‘Little Bit Of Love’.

A humble and sincere performer, Tom clearly loves his fans and made a point of showing his appreciation for the support both at the gig and for ‘Evering Road’.

Vibrant, endearing, and unforgettable, Tom Grennan is a spectacular performer, and his impressive body of work and captivating performances continues to cement him as one of the UK’s top musicians.

His latest single ‘Don’t Break The Heart’ is out now.

Grammy-nominated band Goo Goo Dolls have just released a career-spanning compilation made up of unreleased gems, remixes, and live performances of their most-loved songs and more. ‘Rarities’ is a retrospective collection of the band’s multi-platinum selling career and serves both as a stellar introduction and a reminder of the bands prowess at writing and performing rock songs as well as cementing their status as one of the most influential rock bands of their generation.

House of Coco’s Music Editor Emma Harrison spoke to John Rzeznik and Robby Takac from the band about what motivated them to create this album, what they are most missing about playing live and why they didn’t anticipate the global success of ‘Iris’ and more.

House of Coco

Congratulations on your new album ‘Rarities’ – this is a collection of B sides, lesser known tracks and live performances. What motivated this particular release?

Goo Goo Dolls

During the pandemic, our manager Pat was cleaning out his office in the closet. He found boxes of these things called DAT tapes which back in the 90s were these little tiny digital audio tapes and that was the medium that everybody was using at that time to put their masters down and hold their recordings and things like that. So, I was with him in his office and it was like ‘Well, what am I going to play these on?! – I’ve got nothing to play these on!’ So I went on eBay, and I found him a data recorder for $400 bucks or whatever it was, and he just started listening to tracks and started marking stuff that he liked and he kind of put it together and then we said well you know, we like this – this is cool!’

But yeah, as he’s our manager, it was ‘curated!’

House of Coco

That sounds good to me. I like the word curated! So, in terms of the selection process how involved were you guys in terms of picking the songs that would feature on this album?

Goo Goo Dolls

I think it’s pretty exciting! He presented us with a bunch of songs, and we listened through them. It was a documentation of what was going on at that point in our lives. There was stuff from seven o’clock in the morning radio performances- you know stuff that we never thought we’d hear again, but I think it’s a great document of time in our life. Yeah, it’s like a warts and all – it’s fantastic feverish music!

House of Coco

Originally, the musical leanings of the Goo Goo Dolls or as you were previously known as the ‘Sex Maggots’ was very much steeped in punk rock. In terms of your influences, way back then – what were they and how do you feel that your musical leanings have changed in the last 35 years?

Goo Goo Dolls

At the beginning, I really loved The Clash and the Ramones and all those bands, and I still think the Clash was the most important band ever – in my life, the amount of ground that they covered in such a short time was pretty interesting!

We also had a lot of other influences. I mean we played punk rock because we liked it. I love melodic punk, you know, but not like power pop punk. It was also The Damned and Elvis Costello, it was such an eclectic blend of music that was that was being thrown around this little community of musicians in Buffalo.

You know, at the time we were just having fun. But, we had the safety back then, you know we had and loved all these different kind of music, but we had the safety of these really loud amplifiers and when it filtered through us, everything became really loud and really aggressive.

Yeah, I don’t think that’s necessarily what we’re thinking, but that’s the way it came out, and it took us a while to refine that. Yeah, it was a very interesting time because I had to play with tons of distortion, because I was just trying to fill in space. You know one of the most influential concerts I think I ever went to was The Who – they played at this tiny hall at the university that I was going to, and they were so loud!

It was so aggressive and the mosh pit was insane, but it was very melodic and beautiful, it’s like you’re hearing these beautiful melodies in this cacophony. You know in this madness. And I felt like wow, there’s gold in there, you know, and sometimes you got to go mining through your influences, you know, pick things out!

House of Coco

How did you get into music in the first place?

Goo Goo Dolls

You know I got sick of playing in rooms full of shirtless men that were beating each other up. So, I was like, I gotta write a song that a woman would listen to!

House of Coco

That makes sense! So, you guys have been together for 35 years.

What’s the secret to your longevity and what are your standout moments of being together in a band?

Goo Goo Dolls

I mean, this is just what John and I do – we figure out how to get to the next chapter of it and you know we’re both still smiling and making music and decided that we want to make more records and we’ve succeeded. We’ve been doing this together since we were kids, so I don’t really know any other way of life other than, you know, let’s figure out how we’re going to do this next, and make it great!

It was really kind of terrifying when the pandemic hit when they just cancelled everything. I’m a notorious workaholic, you know?! I have to keep moving all the time. I was like ‘what am I going to do?!’ So, we just went in and started making the Christmas record.

And then we were doing a lot of Zoom performances for charity and trying to help out as much as we could. So, it was a good time to be useful, you know, over here, it’s kind of interesting here right now.

It was best to try to stay as active as possible, musically, even though it was in a virtual manner. And then we got together and last spring we were up at Woodstock and just started working on a record which comes out next year. So, we’ve kept ourselves busy here and hopefully we were able to contribute in some way.

House of Coco

You mentioned your next studio album, what can we expect from that?

Goo Goo Dolls

All kinds of craziness!

House of Coco

I like that!

Goo Goo Dolls

All kinds of craziness! It’s really kind of a different thing for us and you know it’s fun, and some parts of it are tongue in cheek – which I’m looking forward to!

House of Coco

In terms of your approach to creating the new material for the next album – what comes first is it the lyrics, the melodies or is it just a mixture of both?

Goo Goo Dolls

I mean, for me, it materialises simultaneously, you know, I try to work the ideas. At the same time, John tends to write music first and then the melodies and then we sort of lean towards writing lyrics afterwards, but you know it can happen in all sorts of different ways, really. Yeah, I mean there’s days, I’ll pick up a guitar, and I’ll just go ‘Yeah! ‘and then you put it into your phone and everybody listens to it, then you go ‘That’s the biggest piece of shit I ever heard!’ Then we go back, and we start over again!

With this album, we invited the drummer, who plays with us to come into the studio and I had basic ideas. Then what we did was we played together, because this is the way we used to do it at the beginning of our career, we would be in the garage and would play for hours and hours, the same three chords, and then maybe when I got a better idea I’d say ‘ Let’s go to record this one instead of that one’ – so it’s a very organic process. The important thing to me was always that Robby, and the drummer or whoever was drumming for us at the time, locked up and put this solid rhythm section together. Then you play guitar and you kind of make a live recording of a very rudimentary thing and then you can sort of doll it up.

With the new album, we went back and we recorded it on analogue, so that we actually had to make decisions, you know, like when you’re working in the digital realm and this is really geeky and dorky, but I love it! I can have 500 tracks to decide, but when you’re doing it digitally, you get 24 tracks, so you can’t use the 19 guitar parts that you have – you got to pick your two good ones! You know, so it’s like just so. The record has been very sort of live ish, a lean mean kind of sound and I think it’s good – it’s big and open, you know, that’s just my record!

We went out for the first time in a really long time, for two and a half months, and we literally were like in the middle of the woods man with tick bites and dead animals laying in front of our dog, we woke up from being attacked by hawks!

We were in the middle of the woods, and we would wake up first thing in the morning and would roll out of bed and call each other up, go have breakfast, and literally play music, until we’re like, ‘we got to get out of here!’

I think that this record is gonna have a real special feel to it. I mean it literally had our undivided attention. Aside from the tick bites, and the hobo that was wandering about – it was a lot of fun, but you had to get into the spirit of being there!

Like, it’s an understatement to call the place we were at rusty! But it was beautiful- an incredibly gorgeous dump, you know, yeah, like the vibe and the memories and the ghosts that lived up in this place, it was just really fun to hang out with!

House of Coco

Sounds bloody marvellous to me!

Goo Goo Dolls

There was an old church set up on a hill at night, the moon would be above the church and the first couple of weeks I was pretty convinced that we weren’t going to make it to the top of the hill without being murdered! It’s a great place to make a horror movie!

It’s funny because our guy that works with us. He’s from Los Angeles and he’s never been out in the woods, ever! And he, for the first week he was kind of freaking out a little bit, because he felt like, I don’t know man, there’s just something so like murdery about that place! You know, Robby made friends with the hobo on the train tracks!

House of Coco

That sounds great! Do you have a date in mind for the release date for the next album, I know it’s next year?

Goo Goo Dolls

Yeah, it’s tough to call. We definitely have a tour that starts in June 2022 So, I would say probably early 2022, but now we have the luxury problem of having too much material!

House of Coco

That is a lovely problem to have! As seasoned professionals, what advice would you give to your younger selves knowing what you know now?

Goo Goo Dolls

The world has changed so much in the way people can think you consume music. And, you know, there’s not as much money in music as there used to be. My only suggestion, I never tell anybody what to do, but if someone asks, I’ll give them my opinion, that’s all it is. But I would work on really developing a live following and becoming a great live band. Because, at least in the States, because the playlists now are so tight, this dominant form of pop music. I think that here in the US (I don’t know about other places) it is very much about R&B, kind of hip hop, very urban – I mean you got to develop your live game, more than anything else.

I think really work on the areas of social media and things like that where you can develop a big following because there’s not a lot of money being made, streaming your songs.

House of Coco

I agree! I interviewed Groove Armada last year and they said, the amount of streams they get on Spotify, it’s not even enough to buy them a ‘half decent sandwich’ so that kind of says it all really.

When it comes to music, it’s only really touring and merch where there’s money to be made and neither have been possible in the last 18 months of course.

Goo Goo Dolls

No, that’s true. We’ve seen a lot of people that work in our industry, have to get out and find other jobs where they are going to be at home now. People don’t want to go back to touring now because they’re at home and they’re making decent money and they get to be home with their family.

House of Coco

What are your earliest memories of music and what motivated you to form the band and get into music?

Goo Goo Dolls

I was a scrawny little kid and I wasn’t good at team sports! I needed to figure out something to get girls interested. So that was the motivation! But our love for music and women was always the motivation for everything! You know it’s like the old thing about your ship that launched 1000 ships, the whole thing throughout history, wars have been fought and men have done ridiculous things to win a woman!

So, I learned how to play guitar. So, my first musical recollection that I have, was my sister having all these old 45 of The Beatles and I remember my favourite Beatle song ‘I’m Down’ when I was a little kid. I’m talking like kindergarten! (Sings!) ‘I’m down (I’m really down)’‘ because it had this guitar break that was just insane. Like, I thought that was the coolest thing!

And, yeah, that’s one of my first things, and, and I think growing up in a house full of women and their taste in music and me being exposed to their taste in music definitely has influenced the way I write. I remember when I was a kid I got a turntable for Christmas, and I remember my father letting me go through his record collection and pick out like the records I liked from his record collection to bring into my bedroom. And that was like the first time that I felt like, wow, I got like this sort of like musical identity!

I think those early memories and the agenda that grew up in Buffalo and there was this radio station here and I think it formed our generations musical vocabulary and you could hear it halfway down the East Coast. It was an incredibly influential radio station, and radio back in those days, which would break artists. I remember listening to a cut down version of ‘Stairway to Heaven’.

House of Coco

So, we can’t not talk about Iris – one of the most recognisable and most loved love songs of all time – when you released it on the ‘City of Angels’ soundtrack. Did you ever anticipate it would be the success that it was?

Goo Goo Dolls

No, absolutely not! When the music supervisor asked me to come in and watch the film, and he showed me the part, he said ‘I want you to put something in here and I asked him ‘Who else is on this soundtrack? and he said ‘U2, Peter Gabriel and Alanis Morrissette ‘and I’m like ‘I’m in!’

Because I just wanted our name to be in the same company as all these iconic people. You know that’s all I wanted, because it looked really good to be on the same album as U2. Yeah, it gives the average person the impression that like you and Bono are hanging out having drinks you know making the record!

I saw the clip of a film, and it just went like that in my head. It was like, ‘Oh, my!’ – the subject matter is right in front of me, you know. So, I thought to myself, what would I say if I was that guy to her. I was so in love with her, and it’s a pretty heavy kind of story when you think about it.

I thought ‘Wow, this guy’s willing to give up his immortality and everything that he has, as an angel – he’s willing to take that risk of living through all the pain of being a human, just to feel that feel things you know’. I kind of understand that – I think we all understand, there are times where we all sort of feel like we’re standing outside looking in on the lives of other people.

House of Coco

Completely! Going back to ‘Rarities’ – do you think the whole concept of B Sides is somewhat of a lost art due to how people are kind of currently digesting music?

Goo Goo Dolls

I mean, attention spans are very short, but at the same your ability to go unbelievably deep on a subject is there as well. You know, I guess it’s just the type of person you are, you know, if you’re the type of person for whom music is a surface experience, then maybe you’ll know ‘Iris’ and will come see us and that’ll be awesome. Otherwise, we’ve got an awful lot of material for people to explore, so yeah!

I’m always into playing all the hits, when we go out on tour because it’s expensive to go see a show and people want to be entertained and Robby and I always are about entertaining people, as well as trying to be a ‘quote unquote’ artist, or whatever!

I love when you can connect with an audience, especially in the UK! I love playing the UK because I can literally grab my microphone stand and turn it around to the audience, and they’ll sing all night – that makes my job easier. I mean, they would sing all night, and that’s a different thing I think. It’s strange because our audience over there, and correct me if I’m wrong, is a little more male, and it’s younger than here.

I would say it’s different – people listen to music and get into music and avoid a deeper level than they do here, because we’re all on our phones – it’s like we were all winding up, I mean I think culturally everybody is winding up with super, super short attention spans, but it’s interesting we will play a deeper cut or an older song, and how these younger people are – yeah it’s interesting!

House of Coco

Have you got any plans to come to the UK to tour?

Goo Goo Dolls

If somebody wants us, we’ll come! It would be great if we could. You know I love playing the UK as we always do the academies. Yeah, it’s like the history and the grunge emos of those rooms, you know. They’re so charming but at the same time – these rooms rock! They are loud and sweaty and smelly and awesome. It’s what rock and roll is supposed to be! Before the world went down, we actually were lining up a tour in the UK, so I know that there’s some things going on already, so hopefully we’ll rekindle those situations and get there very soon.

House of Coco

I really hope so! I think the O2 Academy is a great venue. I think the next band I’m seeing is Inhaler, – this amazing Irish band. I am looking forward to seeing them live – they’re doing some fantastic stuff at the moment.

What do you most love about playing live? And out of all the tracks from ‘Rarities’ – what are you most looking forward to revisiting in a live performance?

Goo Goo Dolls

Well, as far as playing live, I just can’t wait for it! I mean that’s been such a huge part of our life. And I know John and I were talking about it a while ago. I can’t believe how much I missed that situation. You know that give and take that happens between the audience and such. I can’t believe how much I missed it and I can’t believe how much it had become such an important part of how we live our lives.

It was quite a disruption, I’m looking forward to it because, because at least you’ll be in a room where no matter what anybody disagrees on, here everybody agrees on the one thing that they’re there for and that’s the band. To see a moment or have a couple hours like that, you know, is rare.

House of Coco

What’s been the best gig you have ever been too? Who has blown your socks off?

Goo Goo Dolls

Yeah, I’ve seen The Who – they were amazing. Yeah, I mean even now! Jesus Christ, these guys are amazing! Springsteen and Oasis – when they were just getting big here in the States and we played on the same shows, it was amazing how they could just have the swag; how good they were- they just blew me away! They were the greatest band in the world at that time.

House of Coco

I definitely would agree with that! They were amazing! In terms of critical acclaim and nominations like the four Grammy nominations that you have received. How important are awards to you?

Goo Goo Dolls

Well I gotta say – the nominations – so we got nominated for four Grammys!

I had a t shirt made underneath my suit that said, ‘I was nominated for three Grammys, and all I got was this lousy t shirt!’

I pulled it off, but we were doing press afterwards. And I had this T shirt on and I had to make light of it – I mean, did it suck to lose? Yeah, kind of, but I didn’t expect to win! We were up against Cher, Celine Dion and Aerosmith and all these monsters, you know, so I didn’t expect us to win anything like that, but being nominated definitely gives you so much public exposure and it’s good. It’s good. It helped our band!

We used it to sort of generate more business. Yeah, for sure, I mean it was fun. It was fun to go to the whole party, and it would have been way more fun if we would have won!

But that being said, I mean you know that experience was amazing for us and you know it just went to show that I don’t care personally so much about that kind of stuff, but it just goes to show that we got recognised by the mainstream enough to be there, and that’s pretty cool. Yeah, you know, what was interesting about is you take a band like us, who three years before that record came, we were making and as we grew as musicians, because we were learning to play when we started. We were listening to music and were learning things from those artists and then we add our own sort of natural innate melody in our heads. So to go from being considered like a goofy punk band to being nominated for a bunch of Grammys for something against Celine Dion!

House of Coco

What are you influenced by right now musically? What are you listening to back at home you’re kicking back and enjoying a cup of cocoa?

Goo Goo Dolls

I found myself listening to super old music that I did listen to then because I was so far up my own indie rock that I couldn’t even listen to David Bowie. There’s a guy named Sam Fender who I love and every time someone asked me like who’s new that you love and Sam comes into my mind. I think that guy is or could be the voice of his generation. If you dig down into his lyrics and read them. It’s like he’s capturing what his generations is dealing with. And it’s amazing because he does it in such a succinct articulate way, and the songs are super hooky. I just heard some of this music by Olivia Rodrigo – she’s great. I just hope she doesn’t get put through the music business meat grinder and turned into the same old thing again because she’s got something special, and I hope people around her understand and just leave her alone. Let her grow because she’s incredible.

House of Coco

I agree! In terms of future plans, you have the new album out next year, what else can we expect from the Goo Goo Dolls?

Goo Goo Dolls

Well, you know – lots of stuff blowing up on stage and, we’re just gonna keep going and I think having a couple years off was actually probably good for us.

Yeah, it’s like when you’re married you, go away for a long weekend and you’re very happy to see the people you live with and have a crazy break to have a little bit of time to see your kid grow up for a little while before you get to go out and be away again.

It gets harder and harder to be away and to spend time on the road. But, you know, by the end of making this – by the end of the sessions that we did up in Woodstock, which was like 10 weeks. all I could think to say to these guys was, I’m really looking forward to getting a chance to miss you!

So, you know, we do what we do and, and try to do it better. That’s what I’m always striving for, is to learn something new from somebody.

House of Coco

In terms of ‘Rarities’ which is out now is there anything else you want to share with us at all that I can pass on to the readers, I think we’ve covered quite a bit already, but if there’s anything I’ve even had missed?

Goo Goo Dolls

I think you have covered it well and once our manager finishes going through that box, we might have five more albums like that. So, there we go!

I personally want to thank you Emma for not bringing up to ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ in this interview! (laughs)

House of Coco

We can talk about that if you want but that wasn’t really on my list, so don’t worry! I’m a Brit after all so I can’t understand the game of baseball at all. It’s not really a game I’m familiar with, but it looks like fun?!

Goo Goo Dolls

I think it’s like cricket, only, you know, it doesn’t take 40 days to play and you don’t have to sweat in a wool sweater! There’s something soothing about it!

The Goo Goo Dolls latest album ‘Rarities’ is out now to stream and to buy.

The Euros are underway and social media sensations Woody & Kleiny have teamed up with The Hoosiers to deliver a holler-along song that is sure to get the party started!

Irwin Sparkes from The Hoosiers spoke to our Music Editor Emma Harrison about how the collaboration with social media sensations Woody & Kleiny came about, collaborating with Naughty Boy and how ‘Route 66’ is the song to celebrate all things English.

“It used to be a song called PC Wilson and we (The Hoosiers) were going through a bit of a Small Faces period. We parked the song for over twenty years and Al thought that there could be something in there for a football song, but that it wasn’t quite right for The Hoosiers. Al then met Woody from Woody & Kleiny at a New Year’s Eve party who was blasting his way through some karaoke numbers and thought (this is Al’s own words) There’s the front man I’ve been looking for. He has magnetism. I’ve seen him. It’s true. They are very charismatic as well.”

‘Route 66’ is the epitome of all things English and is a celebration of traditions such as a cup of tea, a Sunday roast. The song aims to be an anthem of the Euros and it flew into the top of the iTunes chart at number 1.

Irwin explains:

“We thought the best way was to make it inherently English and all the fun levels of bonhomie and that that involves. You can hear elements of the Small Faces, Chaz, and Dave – it’s literally a knees up!

I think if it came out sounding like something like Dark Side Of The Moon, it would have been a failure in terms of what it was trying to accomplish – which was to be a really upbeat positive song. It’s full of celebration and after the year we’ve had, I think the timing couldn’t be better. It had to be catchy, and simplistic that you can sing along with it before it’s even finished, after you’ve heard it for the first time.”

All proceeds of the single will go to charity, something that both The Hoosiers and Woody & Kleiny wanted to do.

“We don’t want to just do it for its own sake – it was something that was really important to Woody & Kleiny as well – to make the track about something bigger than ourselves, which is why we settled on aligning ourselves with the charity CALM which is stands for the Campaign Against Living Miserably. Proceeds from the single, especially the download will go to them – a cause which is close to our hearts”

CALM is leading a movement against suicide. Every day 125 people in the UK take their own lives and 75% of all UK suicides are male and CALM are looking to change this. They have a confidential helpline and webchat service that is available to anyone who needs help to talk about life’s problems.

The video for the track takes place on an old school red double decker bus and on the pitch at the London Stadium features the likes of Naughty Boy, The Wealdstone Raider and Two Weeks in Nashville who all make cameos.

Filming the video was a lot of fun but had to be completed in one day prior to The Hoosiers gig at the Clapham Grand where they were supported by Two Weeks in Nashville. It was directed by Henry Oliver who was instrumental in ensuring the video was completed in time.

Irwin explains:

“Honestly, it was a very intense day because we had to get it all done in one day. And if we’d have gone for either other day, would have been absolutely pissing it down with rain. And it would have changed things dramatically on an open top bus with a drum kit and a bond amp

The video included Naughty Boy who made his first ever cameo in a music video. Moving forwards, there may be a further collaboration with Naughty Boy.

Irwin teases:

“We may have some more involvement with Naughty Boy which we will be announcing very soon. He’s been really keen and very supportive of the project. He’s a lovely chap!”

There are two new Hoosiers album in the works, one of which is currently being mixed. The Hoosiers are in the process of moving to Patreon ‘because we want to give an awful lot of value back to everyone for supporting us’ which will allow Hoosiers fans to really connect with the band.

The band are excited for the forthcoming releases but are proud of ‘Route 66’ and the impact that it will have. Irwin says:

“It’s the only original football song that’s been released this year. I think it is a really successful song in terms of what it does”

Route 66 is out now and can be downloaded for just £0.99 with all proceeds going to CALM.

Moby’s new album ‘Reprise’, a collection of his hits, re-recorded with a full Philharmonic Orchestra features artists like Gregory Porter, Alice Skye, Kris Kristofferson and more.

House of Coco’s Music Editor Emma Harrison finds out more from the seminal electronic dance legend.

Q)

Tell us about your latest album Reprise which sees you revisit your musical highlights from your notable thirty-year career.

A)

So, the genesis of it was I did my first ever orchestral show with the Los Angeles Philharmonic about four years ago and after the show I was asked if I wanted to make an orchestral, for lack of a better term greatest hits album.

I immediately said yes for so many different reasons. One, I never made an album with an orchestra and I just thought it would be such a fascinating approach to making a record because normally when I work on music, I’m by myself in my little studio.

By working on an orchestral album, by definition involves a lot of people. More, I guess, more relevant, perhaps it was just simply the idea and my desire to almost avail myself of the unique ability that orchestral, orchestral, and acoustic music has to communicate emotion. Because to sort of state the obvious, the utility of music is communicating emotion. I love the way electronic instruments communicate emotion, but there’s something so special and by definition, again, organic in the way that, you know, you can create emotion with an orchestra with a string quartet and with a gospel choir. And so that really is the ultimate inspiration is just to revisit the songs. In many cases, like with Gregory Porter and Amythyst Kiah on the track ‘Natural Blues’, like with singers, sometimes as opposed to samples, and to just expand upon the original emotional quality of all of these original songs. It’s great!

Q)

You have worked not only with Gregory, but a lot of really fantastic collaborators. Can you tell us how you choose your collaborators for this album?

A)

Well, when I was really young, I wanted to be a great singer. I remember being 12 or 13 years old and thinking how phenomenal it would be to be David Bowie to have this amazing voice. And then I started singing in bands. And I learned pretty quickly like I was good at yelling, you know, I could yell punk rock songs pretty well. I could do a pretty good impersonation of Ian Curtis. But I didn’t have a huge, beautiful voice. So, in the late 80s, when I started making music under my own name, I realised that to have beautiful voices on my records, I had to work with people who had beautiful voices. And so for this album when it came and before we even started recording, I just made a list of the songs and who the ideal singers could be. I wasn’t looking for perfection. You know, I mean, it’s wonderful when people are talented. But, you know, like, in many cases, the best-case scenario is when you have great technical ability attached to that sort of ineffable sense of beauty and character. You know, I would say Gregory’s vocals are a perfect example like that. We get that he has phenomenal technical ability, but his vocals are anything but generic, you know, they’re emotional and they’re resonant. And they’re so reflective of him as a person, you know. So, when I was looking for singers for this album, I wasn’t looking for people who would be singing soap commercials. I wasn’t looking for generic voices. I was looking for voices that had that emotional resonance and personality.

And my job was just to sort of sit in the background as like the insecure white guy and play guitar while artists sing – I hope they don’t pay attention to me!

Q) You mentioned that this time you wanted to work with an orchestra, but you weren’t really there. So, can you elaborate a little further on that?

A)

Well, so the recording sort of started here in Los Angeles. There’s a studio in LA that I love. Studio three at East West. It’s like a time capsule from the 50s. Everybody has worked there – Lou Adler recorded The Mamas and the Papas there. Frank Sinatra used to work there. In fact, they still have Frank Sinatra, his grand piano in the studio. And you all feel like, it should be a Spinal Tap moment, like you look at Frank Sinatra’s piano. And you almost expect someone to say like, ‘No, don’t even look at it. Like you’re certainly not allowed to play it’.

But it turns out you’re allowed to play Frank Sinatra’s grand piano. And then there’s the mixing desk they have with the mixing desk that David Bowie used to mix Ziggy Stardust. And so that’s where we recorded piano, you know, my parts into, you know, guitar, bass, Electric Piano and percussion. And we recorded the drums and then we brought in a string quartet.

There’s something about sitting in this control room, which is unchanged from the 60s with a phenomenal String Quartet with a beautiful two microphones, as you’d say, UK valve microphones. It, it was just so rich and special like that. I think that the song that features that the most on the album is called The Great Escape, because it really is more about the string quartet than the distro. And then we went to work for you when I say we I’m excluding me because I didn’t go to Hungary because at the last minute I realised if I went to Hungary, I’d be sitting in the control room on like a crappy leather couch, listening to the orchestra, three speakers. And I was like, because I’m not a conductor, like I can do arrangement, but I don’t know how to communicate to a giant Hungarian orchestra. And so I stay at home and listen to remotely. And then one of the most challenging aspects of the recording was the gospel choir, because everything we had done up until this point was right before the pandemic. So what I did with the gospel choir is I invited each member of the gospel choir over to my studio. I set up a microphone outside and everybody recorded with like phenomenal safety and social distance every member of the gospel choir recorded their vocals outside like if you listened really close to you might even hear like a car horn or some birds chirping when the choir is singing.

Q)

You wrote all the songs on this album apart from one, do you want to tell us about that?

A)

Yeah, so this might have special relevance then. So, my favourite musician of all time is David Bowie. The first job I ever had; I carried golf clubs as a caddy just long enough to save money to buy some David Bowie records when I was 13. Then, in 1999, we became friends. And he and Iman actually moved to an apartment across the street from me in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. So, we were friends, we were neighbours. We went on tour together, we had holidays together. And we had this one phenomenal morning where he came to my apartment. And we sat on my sofa, I had this green mid-century sofa. We played an acoustic version of Heroes; it was just the two of us on a beautiful Saturday morning drinking coffee playing heroes. And I still can’t believe that that happened that I was able to play the greatest song ever written with the greatest musician of all time. And so the version of Heroes that song reprise is a testament to the song, a testament to David Bowie a testament to my friendship with him. But it’s supposed to be almost like an emotional homage to this moment of sitting on my couch playing heroes with David Bowie.

Q)
When you use the samples of blues artists on the original Play album, did you hear the sample first and then build your song around that? Or did you have the basis of the music already written but needed a suitable sample for bill to fit into?

A)

I am very, sort of like shy, almost apologetic humility around these voices, because I fully understand as you know, a middle-aged white guy, like, it’s not inherently my place to avail myself of a tradition that I’m not a part of like, and I am aware of that, and I owe a phenomenal unpayable debt, to the musical tradition that was represented by Zero Hall. unnatural moves the original sample or and why does my heart feel so bad? Like? So, to the question, the songs were written around the vocals, you know, the Volk, I heard these vocals, and I fell in love with them, and wanted to sort of pay tribute to them by writing the arrangements around the vocal. So, the only the only function of those songs is to sort of celebrate and pay tribute to those voices.

One thing that made me really happy is after the album play was released, a label in the UK, I believe, released a CD of all of the original tracks, the original vocals, and it ended up becoming sort of a best seller, because a lot of these vocals were as obscure as they could be. No, there was this languishing of obscurity. So, it did make me really happy that in my own miniscule way, I was able to help draw attention to these voices and the musical tradition they came from

Q)

How has your approach to song writing different from the early releases?

A)

Well, I mean, the early records I made were very electronic. And, you know, the first album I put out was in 1992. It was a technical record. You know, which is funny for me, because people think of me as being involved in electronic dance music. But in the 80s, especially in the early 80s, like I was into Joy Division, I was into the class, and electronic dance music scared me a little bit. And then by hanging out in New York, I fell in love with early hip hop with electro with freestyle, and then house music when it was invented. So my early records are, you know, songs that I wrote that were just completely inspired by early electronic music and the rave scene. And then as time passed, I think the music I’ve made has become a lot more idiosyncratic, a lot more eclectic. Sometimes a lot louder, sometimes a lot quieter, but definitely different than the early electronic club music I made. Right.

Q)

What was your initial market anticipation when releasing the album Play? Did you ever expect the global success to fall?

A)

No, before Play was released, the album before play was called ‘Animal Rights’ in 1996. It was this aggressive, dark, challenging, almost potentially unlistenable (according some people) album. After I released ‘Animal Rights’, my North American record label Elektra dropped me as quickly as they could.

The only reason ‘Play’ was released. I’m convinced of this is because Daniel Miller who owned the records felt sorry for me. You know, like I was, I was battling alcoholism. I was battling addiction. My mom had just died. I was battling anxiety, depression, and I really think Daniel let me make ‘Play’ because he felt bad for me like he was like, ‘Oh, I can’t drop this poor guy’ – he let me record and had never dropped an artist so when ‘Play’ was released, no one expected it to be even moderately successful, you know, like the original tour for ‘Play’ was a month long. My first show for ‘Play’ was in the basement of a Virgin Megastore for between 20 and 30 people.

To put it in perspective, one of the last shows on the play tour was Wembley and we sold that out and had to book in an additional date. Brixton Academy was the small show, and the small show was 5000 people. It was like a weird trajectory – no one expected it but I am obviously very grateful that I was able to go through that that strange experience.

Q)

What do you people will love about this album? It’s an opportunity to discover music from those original artists to see where your inspiration came from?

A)

One of the things that made me so happy when I released the album ‘Play’ was the increased attention that was paid to these original recordings and to those musical traditions. Hopefully, the new album will draw attention to people, you know, people listening to everyone from Amythyst to Gregory Porter. Hopefully, it is renewed attention to Kris Kristofferson, and all the other people are on the record as well. Right?

Q)

How do you feel about the current state of music compared to the music that you grew up listening to?

A)

Well, that’s a hard question for me to ask, because I’m old! There’s an inherent bias that we old people have towards the music that we grew up in, you know, like, I do find myself wanting to say things like these kids today are there, you know, but the one thing I will say, is, when I was growing up, and I assume maybe some of the people on the call when we were growing up, music was so central to our lives. You know, and when I was 16 years old, listening to an album, you as I said, you’d have to work for two weeks to save up enough money to buy an album. And then you took the album home, and you listened. You sat like on the floor of your bedroom, and you listened to both sides of the album. And then again, both sides of the album, digging into the deep tracks, etc. And I will say I think that most kids today, which is of course a dangerous thing for an old person to say, but most kids based on what I’ve observed. Music is the background while they are dming on Instagram and posting tik tok videos and watching Netflix and maybe doing their homework and vaping. And looking at Snapchat, if that still exists, and texting their friends, like they’ve got like, eight screens going on. And in the background. Some music is playing but the music is really just like for a lot of people. I think it’s become the ancillary background to 10 other things that are going on and I must say I, I love growing up at a time when you paid attention to music without distractions? Yeah, definitely!

Q)

You have spoken before about the motivation to write and release songs being the pressure to maintain status and remain in the public eye. So how have these motives shifted? And in what way? Do you think that has impacted your work today?

A)

Yeah, so I had this terrible period that I’m sort of ashamed of, but I hope I learned from it where, after the success of ‘Play’, I wanted to keep the success going. So as a result, I toured constantly. And, you know, I would try to I was trying to make music that I love. But I was also trying, if I’m being honest, even though it’s shameful, I was trying to make music that would keep the attention coming my way. You know, I loved the external validation that I got from being a public figure musician. But then, time passed, and like, the media sort of turned against me, I stopped selling as many records as possible and for a while, it drove me crazy. Like there was a period, before I got sober, especially where like, the diminished sales diminished attention was really challenging to me. So, I drank more, I did more drugs, I, you know, went out into the world trying to find anyone who would give me external validation. And then I think two things happened. One, I got sober. And part of sobriety for me was like looking at the underlying issues that were compelling me to seek validation externally. And that was really helpful. And also, David Lynch saved me. And what I mean by that is, I heard him speak at BAFTA. And he said this one simple thing that kind of altered the trajectory of my life, he said, creativity is beautiful. That’s his direct quote, because he speaks in very simple ways. And in that moment, I suddenly realised I was like, Oh, I became a musician because I love music. I love music’s ability to communicate the emotion and transform the space in which it’s being listened to. I didn’t become a musician. for commerce, I didn’t become a musician for external validation. And in that moment, he reminded me my only job My only focus needs to be on the creative aspects of music on the integrity of music. And so almost in an instant I decided to sort of kind of ignore press ignore reviews, ignore radio, ignore sales, ignore everything, because those things are all too dangerous for me. So as a result, today, I don’t read reviews. I don’t read press. I don’t read comments. I don’t ever know anything about record sales. I just live this naive the life where I make music, put it into the world and I have no idea what happens after that.

Like, I love my healthy ignorance. So much like every now and then someone will send me something saying like, I can’t believe they wrote this terrible thing about you. And I’m like, No, don’t tell me. I don’t want this. Like I love not knowing like my naive little world where I think everything’s fine.

Q)

Do you prefer creating music or listening to music?

A)

Yeah, that is a tough one. I enjoy the process of making music. And, but inevitably, during the process of making music, I beat myself up about not being trying. Not being as meaningful as the people that I admired so much. So, if you if you have your influences as Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, the God’s music, you’ll never text him, you’ll never touch the hem of that gun. And so, making music can be frustrating in that way. But I enjoyed the process, I enjoyed the journey of making music, the process of making music starts way before you get into the studio, I think it’s a feeling even the first feeling that you get that inspires you to do something. I think that’s powerful.

Yeah, that makes so much sense. I remember being very depressed. I don’t know, at some point a few decades ago, when I realised, I was never going to write a song as beautiful as heroes by David Bowie, I was never going to make a record as phenomenal as what’s going on. I was never going to be able to sing like baby Huey. I was never like, it’s sort of depressing. But then, for me, once I accepted it, it was kind of liberating. I was like, Oh, I can be inspired by the gods of music. But I can also understand, I’ll never touch them, like, I’ll never come close to them. It’s almost sort of like maybe going to Mount Everest base camp, and being like, Okay, I got to Mount Everest base camp, and I’m looking up at Mount Everest, and there are a lot of people up there, and I know that I will never join it.

Q)

In 2008, you took part in ‘Songs for Tibet’ – will there be a follow up?

A)

I was if I’m being honest, I was very tangentially involved in that, like, I believe they asked for a song. And I gave them a song for free. One of the more interesting aspects of that was I got to hang out with the Dalai Lama. And what I learned is the Dalai Lama has a great sense of humour. But it’s what was in maybe this is, maybe I should keep this to myself, because I don’t want to cause problems. But what I also learned is that by definition, human beings are human. Like the Dalai Lama is a wonderful, inspired, inspiring man. But he’s human, you know, we hung out together. And he was lovely, but he’s human. And I, it made me realise like, there are these people in our world who are alive now or have been alive in the past where we venerate them, and we give them superhuman abilities. But I believe that something about humanity by definition, we’re all human that you can’t, you can gain wisdom around your humanity, you can accept your humanity, but I don’t think anyone can ever technically transcend humanity. If I ever get to meet the Dalai Lama again. I might ask him about that, you know, because he’s called his royal holiness, HRH Dalai Lama. And I don’t know what his perspective is, if, if he sees himself as divine, or just a human who has phenomenal insight and wisdom around the human condition. So, whether there’ll be a second one. I don’t know. I mean, obviously, you know, the situation between China and Tibet is long standing and complicated and not getting simpler.

Q)

Wonderful! Do you believe musicians hold any sort of responsibility to draw people’s attention to matters like press freedom issues, human rights abuse, and armed conflicts?

A)

I hope so, I mean, the greatest musicians of all time have used their voice to draw attention to issues. Obviously, some of the greats have been able to write phenomenal songs around it. You know, I mean, like, you know, Public Enemy road FIGHT the power, you know, we, earlier I was talking about Marvin Gaye and ‘What’s going on’ and ‘Mercy, mercy me’ but what I’m saying now, what’s in what I think is interesting, is, musicians have so many new ways of communicating, you know, obviously, interviews, zoom calls, but social media. And I do think, even if a musician like me isn’t great at writing issue-oriented songs, I should still try to use the audience that I have to address important issues.

Q)

Your thoughts on animal rights are at the forefront of people who go look up anything about you on the internet? Do you think the companionship of animals will be appreciated more in the future due to the joy that they have brought during this pandemic?

A)

That’s a lovely question. I mean, I hope so. I mean, I feel like so many people. And maybe this is very obvious and self-evident. But so many people struggle with loneliness, and struggle with isolation. Even people who are in families, even people who have friend groups, they still feel that sense of isolation, where maybe they don’t feel seen, you know, they feel like they can’t be their authentic selves. But a lot of those people feel like they can be their authentic self with animals, you know. And that’s so I think that’s such a lifesaver for so many people, like the unconditional love that animals have for us, and that we in turn oftentimes have for animals. And what I find is, of course, it’s wonderful to spend time with a companion animal like a dog. But it’s also really wonderful. And I don’t know if you get this up in Bakersfield as well, but like, I go hiking in the mountains, and I see animals who have nothing to do with us, you know, coyotes, mountain, lions, rattlesnakes, bobcats, etc. And there’s something really profound about seeing animals in an environment that has nothing to do with humans like I, there’s this I presumptively feel like there’s a transference that can happen in that environment. And a lot of times when people live in big urban environments, they don’t get to have that experience.

Q)

You’ve done many interviews over the years. But if the roles were reversed, who would you personally like to interview? A personal hero or inspiration?

A)

Um, wow, what a wonderful question. And the person who comes to mind, and maybe this is a very obvious answer, but I just would love to sit down and ask him all these questions would be President Obama. You know, because in human history, no one has occupied a more unique place than this one person. You know, and also, I’d like to ask him about aliens. I’d like to say, well as President, what do you know about area 51? Like, have you been there? Have you seen the grey aliens? Aliens in your cabinet? But I, and also because he’s had, like, I’ve read his memoirs. And his background is, in a way similar to ours. Like it’s very, he had a very normal, very sort of thoughtful upbringing, you know, especially in dreams from my father. There are some wonderful moments about him growing up and how, you know, like, he did drugs, he listened to loud music, he went to parties, he acted like an idiot. I was like, it’s so relatable. And so, I guess that would be my answer is like, if I could sit down and interview anyone, I guess it’d be him as long as he’s willing to be honest, because I think there’s always that caution that a lot of people have in being honest. Like another thing. He’s dishonest. But he’s also like, a very accomplished public figure politician. So, he’s very good at expressing himself in a way that is protective as well. Yeah!

Moby’s latest album Reprise is out now. Moby Doc, a powerful new feature-length documentary film is now available on digital platforms is also available to buy and stream now.

Hayley Bieber, Kendal Jenner and Selena Gomez are big fans, Chrissy Teigen raves about it, so what is the buzz around lymphatic drainage therapy? I booked myself onto a course at SHE Studio to find out more about the latest celeb wellbeing trend and discover if it can improve your health.

Your lymphatic system is part of your immune system. It is essentially a network of tissues and organs that help rid the body of toxins, waste and other unwanted materials protecting you from disease by transporting infection -fighting white blood cells throughout the body.When the system gets blocked you hold onto toxins that the body does not want. Drinking plenty of water and exercise help keep your lymphatic system heathy but lymphatic drainage therapy helps move the fluids around the body and rid it of toxins quickly.

SHE Studio offers Lymphatic drainage roller treatment, Roll Slender, that delivers a 60-minute massage targeting the body in key areas. Four times more effective than a manual lymphatic massage, the Roll Slender activates the lymph system, breaks down fat tissue and tones the skin. Owner and lymphatic massage expert, Alex Martin recommended I start with two to three sessions a week for four weeks to notice a change. The treatment involves straddling and moving over the roller in various positions for a couple of minutes at a time to hit the key spots and encourage fluid to move around the body more effectively. The rollers rotate gently across the area mimicking the same technique as a massage. The treatment encompasses the whole body, massaging the back and front of your legs, tummy, arms and bum. At the same time the infrared light helps to heal your skin and muscles as well as increase collagen production to improve your skin’s strength and elasticity. My first session left me feeling a little itchy. “That’s great, it means its working” exclaimed Alex. The itching is a result of the toxins breaking down and moving about the body so its important to drink plenty of water during and after the treatment.

The lymph is connected to immunity, digestive wellbeing and even mind health. A sluggish lymphatic system can result in fatigue, poor digestion, brain fog, bloating and frequent headaches. Roll Slender treatment circulates immune cells around the body, improves the absorption of excess fluid which flushes out the toxins, helps balance your nervous system and prevents inflammation. As well as health benefits, when coupled with a healthy lifestyle it can support weight loss, reduce cellulite and tone the skin. According to Alex “The main benefits of the rollers is to stimulate the lymph nodes, distribute nutrients around the body and eliminate toxins. Regular weekly sessions can boost your over health and wellbeing.”

While lymphatic drainage therapy is big with the A-listers in Hollywood it is also nudging its way into the wellness routines of the UK’s rich and famous. Alex is discreet about her clientele but while I’m there a well know TV personality drops by to roll and I overhear another client talking about a famous singer who lives close by and regularly comes to the studio. SHE Studio is also filling the feed of the Instafamous who live in the surrounding area, with their posts and stories capturing their roll.

I was eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly while undergoing the Roll Slender course, but I noticed a change in my body shape and the texture of my skin. My tummy is a stubborn area I struggle to lose fat from but after using the roller it was visibly flatter and more toned. My bum and thighs were also less dimpled. At the end of my four-week course I had lost a total of 19 inches across my body. All I need now is a holiday to show off my new bikini bod.

To book a course of treatments or enquire about purchasing a Roll Slender contact Alex at SHE Studio.