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 Born on the 25th April 1964 in Peterborough, England, flamboyant gay icon Andy Bell, better known as one half of eighties pop synth sensation band Erasure has released his new solo album Electric Blue, to be released globally on the 3rd of October 2005.
HKClubbing caught up with him from his London studios to talk about the album and his views on the global pop revival.
NILLY: What made you wade virgin territory and go solo?
AB: Well, the whole thing happened quite unexpectedly! I have been thinking about solo projects since 2000 and ended up releasing Other People’s Music in 2003 with Vince (Vince Clarke is synth-master and the other half of Erasure). I had a lot of original material, but no fixed ideas. Then in 2004 the Manhattan Clique (Philip Larsen and Chris Smith) approached me with an idea for a four- track collaboration project. At the same time Vince was expecting a baby and I had some free time. I really don’t like to stay idle! Phil lives round the corner from me in London and I started going round to his place in the evenings for rehearsals. Suddenly we had twenty songs and then the idea of a solo album came about. We signed with Sanctuary and the rest is history.
NILLY: Wow! So the whole thing was totally spontaneous?
AB: Yes completely spontaneous! Vince and I have worked with Phil and Chris before and we work very well together so this unexpected solo project kicked of nicely. The three of us have a heavy schedule ahead with the next three weekends blocked in for gigs.
NILLY: How’s preparation for that going?
AB: Well actually the nerves have got to me and I didn’t sleep last night. We’ve been rehearsing for the first PA in Berlin this Saturday. The following week we are back in London doing Madame Jo Jo’s, Heaven and Ko Ko. Then we have one gig planned for early December in Birmingham.
NILLY: So a really busy first half of October! What’s the reception for the single been like in the UK?
AB: Too early to say anything about the reception. The single was launched on September 26th and honestly I haven’t had time to read any press.
NILLY: You collaborated with Claudia Brucken (Propaganda and Act) and Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters). Why did you choose to work with them specifically?
AB: Again, the collaboration ideas were spontaneous as well! I have been a massive fan of Claudia’s. She was one of the first female vocalists part of the pop-synth revolution and I had all her albums and singles. Then Chris suggested the idea of collaborating with Claudia. Chris and Phil have previously worked with Claudia before as well. So we met at a Christmas party last year and talked. I honestly didn’t realize how much of a Claudia fan I really was. Her voice is so charismatic and distinctive and she’s such a lovely lady. It was great to work with her on “Love Oneself”.
With Jake, we just met by fluke at a photo shoot. The Scissor Sisters are one of the few modern electro pop bands that are really doing it right. I love the impact they’ve had in New York and thought it would be great to work with them. Jake and I got talking about lyrics and recording. We both thought it would be a good idea to work together and just went with it. I spent quite a bit of time in New York and it was great recording out there with Jake, Chris and Phil.
NILLY: In many of your previous songs with Erasure such as “Hide Away” and “Don’t Be Afraid”, you send messages about gay pride. Electric Blue seems a fourteen-track love letter. Is that a good guess?
AB: Yes totally! Although I don’t want to make any personal comments the album is an expression of my feelings and the tracks have a romantic yet twisted take on love.
NILLY: Any specific favorites?
AB: I think Electric Blue because it is the most electronic and a trademark of our style and I’ll never Fall In Love Again because it is personal and expressive.
NILLY: What amazes me is that twenty years on and your voice has not deterred the slightest. What’s your secret?
AB: The funny thing is that I don’t treat my voice very preciously, but before a huge gig I do try and get lots of sleep. Sleep is key! But most importantly it’s because I enjoy singing and that help’s keep my voice in check. Also variation in the tones when you are singing makes the voice sound fresh every time and I try and exercise this in my gigs, rehearsals and every time I sing, really.
NILLY: Staying on the topic of variation, what are your views on other eighties pop-synth artists of your generation who are altering their music styles to adapt to something more in the now, but not really cutting it on the popularity front?
AB: I think it’s a real shame to change for popularity sake. Vince is dedicated to his antique-synth mastery as I am to my style and so fans recognize us for our unique style and respect us for this and keep listening to our music and coming to our gigs. I think this is really healthy. Drastic change not only loses the originality an artist is known for, but it really affects the integrity they have for music.
NILLY: What about the pop revival that are making the charts with so many new bands trying to emulate the style of your genre?
AB: I really see myself as a “Pop Uncle”, so to speak. I’m at the third pop revival cycle and I must say there is some really good stuff that happens on an underground level. There are quite a few young artists, mainly in the early twenties who are doing great things with minimalist electro sounds and this revival is healthy. On the commercial side there are bands like Girls Aloud and Sugar Babes who are great and trying to give what Siouxie and the Banshees gave us in the eighties. But like I said I’m at the third cycle and nothing really cuts it.
NILLY: What’s your view on the general pop scene at the moment?
AB: In all honesty, what I see coming out of the UK is that the healthy influence seems to be diminishing. I think the problem with these reality TV shows, which are not reality at all, really takes away the essence of what music is and should be. The art of music making and music itself is not so much for the love of it. Having said that, there are some great Indie bands that are seriously underrated. This is because the industry is only interested in hyping the same type of artist, image and sound, regardless of genre. It’s not a good thing. However, there are great pop bands like Scissor Sisters in New York, who are doing what they believe in and doing it right.
NILLY: Do you have any plans to tour Asia and at the same time have a peek of what is happening here as well?
 AB: I’ve been to Hong Kong quite a few times and I’ve never been to Beijing. It would be great to have gigs in Asia, but lets see what happens in the coming months. It’s quite expensive to travel with a PA and so much luggage, but Vince and I are working on an acoustic project and that could work for something more international.
NILLY: You’ve been to Hong Kong before what are your memories?
AB: I love Hong Kong. I haven’t been to the new airport but landing into the old one was always exciting. The city is great. All my favourite silk pyjamas are from there. I love the market stalls, the food and just the busyness of the city. I would love to go back again one day!
Electric Blue is released on Sanctuary Records
www.andybell.com
Interview by Nilly Chaudhuri |
