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BBCi:Vince,
I recall you saying that you would never tour again. What's changed
your mind?
Vince:
(With a huge sigh) Oh I don't know...
BBCi:
Oh dear! Sounds like you're sounding like you're regretting it already...
Vince:
No, I mean it's been good so far. We've only done two dates, it's
early days. Basically it's more difficult to get press and promotion
if you're not touring - that's kind of the reason. And it's been
five years since we last toured and some of my cynicism has disappeared.
BBCi:
Will it be back by the end of this tour?
Vince:
Well I don't know, I mean both myself and Andy are looking after
ourselves a bit better this time round.
Andy:
I think I've picked up bit of the cynicism from him...
BBCi:
So by the end of this tour it's going to be you that says never
again?
Andy:
I don't know...
Vince:
It's a terrible thing to be cynical
Andy:
It eats you up.
BBCi:
When Sometimes became such a hit did you ever think that you would
still be doing this 17 years later and still enjoying this level
of success?
Vince:
The way the single charted was a surprise to every one it was very
nice. It's great to see that there are still some fans out there
and also fans still coming along to the gigs. You look out into
the audiences now and you see people you recognise which is really
weird.
Andy:
They're always at the front, I just don't know how people can afford
it. They must take their whole holidays for the year and come to
the show every night and stand in the same place every night. I
just think... I wouldn't do it.
Vince: It's
very flattering though.
BBCi:
Is there any one event in those 17 years that you can pick as a
high point?
Andy:
I think having the keys to the city of San Francisco. That was very
nice.
Vince:
We did this gig in Czechoslovakia while there was a communist government
there just shortly before the government was about to fall. We did
this venue and there were about 10,000 people there and because
you couldn't buy records we started the gig and there was a sea
of faces and about half the audience held ghetto blasters above
their heads recording the concert for the duration of the concert.
That was amazing to see.
BBCi:
Why bother recording other people's songs when you're excellent
songwriters in your own right?
Andy:
It was just a change really and something that I'd always wanted
to do and promised myself I would do. From a singers perspective
there's always loads of songs that you can imagine yourself singing
- you know the standards like Autumn Leaves. So it was basically
that - going from there and choosing our own favourites.
BBCi:
Was there any song that one of you really wanted on there and the
other said 'absolutely not'?
Vince:
Well we did discuss doing Black Dog by Led Zepplin...
Andy: I
didn't listen to it enough times to get my hear round it... it's
just the heavy metal tag.
BBCi:
Have you been surprised at the success of the single and the album?
Andy: It's
nice... It's weird having done a cover version project and that's
the one that gets played on the radio. That's kind of the disappointing
thing as your own material's just as good I think... it just wasn't
the time and you can't have everything all your own way, but it
was the same thing with the Abba-esque thing, you know, with that
being no 1. But we're just going to keep on writing anyway, so it's
not going to make us go away.
BBCi:
Have you had feedback from any of the people whose songs you've
covered?
Vince:
No... When we've been covered its very flattering, the fact that
someone would bother to think that that song's good enough to sing.
So I can't imagine anyone sitting down and going oh that's a terrible
version of my song... They're just going to be thinking ooh there's
some lovely little royalties coming in.
Andy:
I've been hearing the Steve Harly song quite a lot on the radio,
the original version, and that's one thing that we came up against
as well, all the capital gold stations were saying they like the
original better, so they've been loathe to play it some of them,
but we managed to get in there.
BBCi:Is
there anyone that you would really like to do a cover of one of
your songs?
Andy:
Madonna
BBCi:And
what song would you like her to do?
Andy:
Breath of life or siren song... something like that.
BBCi:Is
there any song, that you think should never be covered?
Andy:
And I'm telling you I'm not leaving by Jennifer Holliday and dream
girls
BBCi:Why
not?
Andy:
Because you can't even go near it - it's a whole soap opera in three
minutes.
And
so we take our leave to let Andy and Vince get ready for the evening's
performance... However before they go on stage, they have one more
vital appointment - meeting our (very excited) competition winners.
To find out more see the gig review >>
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