Mark Nevin rose to international acclaim as a songwriter and guitarist with his band Fairground Attraction who won two Brit Awards: best single for the Number-One hit “Perfect” and best album “The First of a Million Kisses”. However, as he tells The Strange Brew’s Jason Barnard, his story goes back much further: to the music that inspired him, his first forays in the industry to his work with Kirsty MacColl and Sandie Shaw.
After Fairground Attraction broke up Mark formed Sweetmouth, with Brian Kennedy on vocals, and released the excellent album “Goodbye To Songtown”. Also around this time he formed a song writing partnership with Morrissey, and recorded the “Kill Uncle” album plus a string of hit singles including “Sing Your Life”, and “Pregnant For The Last Time”. Moreover, one of their tracks for Morrissey’s next album “Your Arsenal”, “I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday” was covered by David Bowie for his album “Black Tie, White Noise”.
While continuing to write songs for and with artists such as Ringo Starr and Carole King, Mark stepped out into his solo career in the late 1990s and has never looked back. With a new universally acclaimed album “Stand Beside Me in the Sun” steeped in late sixties and early seventies influences Mark reflects on his fascinating career:
