As Corduroy embark on their spring 2019 UK tour to support their album Return of The Fabric Four, their bassist Richard Searle speaks to Jason Barnard.
Firstly, what should we expect from your new album ‘Return of The Fabric Four’?
A glorious return to the classic Corduroy sound, groovy, cartoon-ish, filmic and fun; funky drums, hammond organ, popping bass and elastic-band guitar.
‘Saturday Club’ has a joyous feel to it. Was this something you consciously aimed for – what was its inspiration?
Yes, Saturday Club is the song you play whilst getting ready to go out-out on a Saturday night, the rest of the album also.
Which other tracks from ‘The Return of The Fabric Four’ would you recommend new listeners seek out and why?
Magic Mountain, because it perfectly captures the cartoonish nature of the band, and Blackmail (I recommend that you look for the video of Blackmail on Youtube, paying particular attention to the paypal address at the end – that is how to pay the ransom. And you must pay the ransom).
What was it like writing and recording after two decades away – was the process similar to the first time around?
It was fun, it felt good to be back. The process is a little different because in the old days we recorded to two inch tape, now everything is recorded into a computer.
Was it important to be back on Acid Jazz – what does the label mean to you?
People associate Corduroy with Acid Jazz Records, so it was important to us that we returned to Acid Jazz to help place us back into the collective musical consciousness; but we also have some back catalogue released on another label called Well Suspect Records, a sister label to Acid Jazz.
Who are your influences then and now?
Then: Quincy Jones, The Who, Steely Dan, The Jam, Johnny Pate, Devo, Sergio Mendez and Brasil 66′, Sammy Davis Jnr and Ramsey Lewis. Now : the same.
Looking back, how did you all meet and form the band?
We all lived in Blackheath (South East London); I was in formally in Doctor & The Medics, Ben And Scott in Boys Wonder and Simon in a small jazz combo. We all went to the same pub. We formed the band to play a one off gig on New Years Eve in Greenwich, but we kept going.
How does the music scene from the 90s compare to the current music scene?
Due to the advent of music streaming, everybody expects to get their music for free now, so sales of records are tiny compared to the 90s; it’s almost impossible to make a living from record sales now, so playing live is more important…. which in itself is problematic as there are fewer music venues these days. The main difference is that we have less hair.
Despite having a distinct sound of your own Corduroy played alongside and were around many groups now badged as ‘Britpop’. What’s you memories of this era and was the musical climate at the time a help or hindrance to you?
Britpop was great! You could listen to the radio back then and hear cool band and new music, which is a rarity these days. We are invited to support Blur at Alexandra Palace, with Supergrass and Pulp. We never fully fitted into the Britpop scene as such but we are acknowledged as being a big influence on many of the Britpop bands.
What are your musical highlights from the albums you released in the 90s?
We toured Japan seven times, Australia twice, Hong Kong, Singapore, toured Europe too many times to count; we were chased through the streets of Tokyo by fans, met Kim Wild, Betty Boo, the cast of Neighbors and did a photo session with Barabra Windsor…..it is safe to say that we had fun.
Looking at the rest of the year, what are your plans – live shows, more recording?
We will be touring Return Of The Fabric Four (our sixth studio album) throughout this year, plus Acid Jazz have just release a rarities album of previously unreleased remixes, tracks and demos called Rare Stock, we will be selling a limited number of copies on our merchandise stall with the T-shirts. And we are planning and recording the seventh studio album this year to be released early 2020. Lots going on.
Corduroy’s Return Of The Fabric Four can be purchased here.
Tickets for their UK tour can be found on See Tickets.
