We delve into the world of Nick Saloman, the driving force behind The Bevis Frond. In this interview by Jason Barnard, Nick covers his musical evolution, the background behind Fruits De Mer’s latest compilation ‘An Introduction To The Bevis Frond’, the group’s upcoming European tour, and future plans.
The Bevis Frond has a rich history dating back to 1986 with the release of ‘Miasma’. How has your music evolved over the years, and what are some of the key influences that have shaped your sound?
Well, I’d been playing in bands since about 1968 (when I was 15) with little or no success, and I’d genuinely come to the conclusion that I was never going to get anywhere with my music. I had a bad motorbike accident in 1982, and injured my left arm quite seriously which meant I couldn’t play guitar for about a year. I got some compensation for the accident and used some of the money to record an album. Basically, it was a vanity project. I just wanted to get what I was really all about musically on to vinyl, so I stuck a bit of everything on it. That was ‘Miasma’. I gave copies to my mates and stuck the rest in the attic. One of my friends, Alan Kidd, sent a copy to Funhouse Records in Margate, and much to my amazement they really liked it and bought all my left-over copies (about 200 I think). They advertised it on their sales list (very influential at that time), and things just went nuts. I pressed up another batch for them, and then another, then distributers from Europe started asking for 100 copies here, 200 there. I couldn’t believe it.
After a while people started asking when my next album was due, so I made another album (Inner Marshland) and it just progressed from there. The music has always been a kind of amalgam of stuff I like fed into a virtual mincer with a little bit of my music and lyrics chucked in, and a Bevis Frond sausage comes out the other end. I guess it’s changed over the last 37 years. Let’s be fair, it would be really difficult to keep on doing exactly the same thing without being a tad repetitive. I think my tastes and motivation haven’t changed much. I still make music for the same reason – because I love doing it. But I’m 70 now, and a 70 year old guy would be an idiot to pretend he’s still 33. So I guess my lyrical content has changed quite a bit. There are more songs about what affects an old bloke I suppose, (death, illness, grandchildren etc) because the songs have to have a ring of truth about them. I couldn’t sing about affairs with girls or trucking down the highway because that would be totally ridiculous, if not a bit disturbing.
What was the motivation behind putting together the compilation, ‘An Introduction To The Bevis Frond’, and how did you choose which songs to include?
Ah, well I didn’t really have any input in that. Keith from FdM asked if he could put out an album of my stuff, and as he’s a good bloke who has supported our endeavours for years, I couldn’t say no. Basically, I sent him a bunch of out-takes, unused tracks and stuff, and he put the album together from that. I have to be honest, I’m not totally overjoyed with the title. It’s definitely not an introduction to The Bevis Frond. That kind of implies that it would be a sort of ‘best of’ type album, and since there aren’t any of my better known songs on it, I feel it’s a bit misleading. I would have titled it after one of the tracks, or given it a more imaginative, more representative title. But there you go it’s out now, and as it’s Keith’s label I guess he’s allowed to call it what he wants.
Can you share some insights into the creative process behind your material and how you incorporate diverse sounds into your music?
I don’t think there’s much of a process really. It’s very straight forward. I play guitar every day and I’m always making up new tunes. When I come up with something I think is decent, I’ll start trying to write some words that fit the melody. Usually I end up with a piece of shite, but now and again I come up with something I’m really happy with, and when I have enough material I’ll think about making an album. Usually I have an idea in my head how I want the song to sound, but sometimes it kind of evolves while I’m recording it. Also I have a great bunch of musicians playing with me, and they always add that certain something I hadn’t thought of.
You’ve been a prolific artist, with more than twenty albums under The Bevis Frond name, as well as collaborations and releases under various pseudonyms. Is there any particular material you are most proud of?
Yes, definitely. However, I find I can only judge my tracks or albums accurately in retrospect, because whenever I’m recording new stuff, I’m convinced it’s the best thing I’ve done. So it’s only after a few years that I can listen back with perspective. Not that I spend much time listening back to my stuff, because I’m always more interested in my new material. At the moment there’s a new studio album in the can waiting to come out in early 2024. It’s called ‘Focus On Nature’ and I’m utterly certain that it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Ask me again in a couple of years and I won’t be so sure.
Could you share some details about the band’s upcoming European Tour in April and May 2024? How did the UK dates in September go, and what can we expect from the live performances next year?
The September ‘23 UK tour went very well indeed. It wasn’t terribly long, ten gigs in ten days, but we really hit our stride right from the beginning. All the gigs were well attended, several sold out, we got paid, the van didn’t break down, there were no arguments, we played really well, what can I say? The European tour kicks off in Spain on April 11th, but at the moment I don’t know where or when it’s ending. We have about 2-3 weeks worth of gigs booked so far, and there are definitely going to be more to come. I’ve been told by the agents that it’ll end around the 13th of May. We have a UK gig booked at The Lexington in Islington on May 18th, so we will have to back for that. What can you expect? Well, what you expect and what you get may well be two different things. I guess more of the same as we were doing on the UK tour with maybe some different songs. I mean it’s the same band, with the same equipment doing some of the songs. I doubt if it’ll be very different.
‘Little Eden’ is your latest double album, which was released in 2021. Can you tell us more about the themes behind this album, and how it reflects modern Britain?
‘Little Eden’ is, as usual, a collection of the best of my most recent songs of the time. I suppose since it was largely created during lockdown, and in the wake of Brexit, it tended to reflect my dissatisfaction with the state of the UK. I mean there’s not a lot you can do about an international pandemic, except of course we now know for sure that our government badly mishandled their response (and that’s me being nice). I mean I think we all knew that at the time anyway. And then, just to compound things, we have the single most stupid thing I think our country has ever done during my lifetime and I’m old enough to have seen quite a selection of idiotic decisions, and that, of course, is Brexit. Once again, I apportion blame to this corrupt, unpleasant, thieving, lying bunch of self-aggrandising traitors who have the temerity to call themselves a government. They lied to the public, and managed to convince a lot of right-minded people that Brexit would be a great thing for the country. Well, we can all see how well it’s worked out. I hated the idea of Brexit from day one, and how it was suggested that if you didn’t agree with Brexit, you were some kind of anti-British traitor, when in fact, it was the exact opposite. Who wants to be complicit in the ruin of your own country? But I guess that now, we kind of all are. I get absolutely no pleasure from being proved right about it. The current batch of Tories should be in prison for what they’ve done to The UK.
Fire Records has re-issued The Bevis Frond’s catalogue plus Fruits de Mer has sporadically released some of your material. How has the experience been working with those labels and has it affected your music?
I’ve never really had much time for record labels, but Fire have been great. I realise that, of course, it’s a business and it helps everyone if they can actually make some money back out of my music, but they have been very supportive and encouraging, which for me, is a new kind of experience. We seem to get on very well, and I’m very grateful for their trust in me, and how they try to further the cause. I hope it continues for a long time. My relationship with FdM is a bit different, it’s more of a friend thing. They don’t release my new studio albums, nor am I signed to the label. We just put out releases whenever something crops up that might be mutually interesting. I don’t think either deal has affected my music at all, but Fire have definitely raised the level of interest in the band quite a bit, as have FdM, but probably less so than Fire.
With such a rich musical background, what do you hope listeners take away from The Bevis Frond’s music, and what are your future projects?
Well, though it’s a bit cliched, I hope the listeners find something interesting and uplifting in my music. Without people liking what we do, I don’t have a career, so I’m always very grateful. Well, as I’ve said, there’s a new double studio album coming out soon, we have quite a lot of gigs planned for 2024. Other than that, there’s nothing definite. I just want to keep on going while I’m fit and still enjoying it.
Further information
The Bevis Frond, An Introduction To… is on sale early December 2023 through Fruits de Mer Records
Absolutely spot on Nick regarding the country and government at the moment. Nick’s music means so much to so many people, each album is full of fantastic songs absolute unsung genius, but he’s our genius!