ROCKIN’ ALL OVER THE YEARS
Stereophonics mark 20th anniversary
IT’S been 20 years since the Stereophonics smashed onto the pop scene with their debut album Word Gets Around. To celebrate - and to mark the release of their tenth release Scream Above the Sounds - they’ve just announced two massive open air gigs in Wales next summer.
It will include a return to Wrexham’s Racecourse ground, where last year the band became the first artists to play an open-air show there since the 1982 Wrexham Festival.
The band - currently Kelly Jones (vocals/ guitar), Richard Jones (bass/piano), Adam Zindani (guitar) and Jamie Morrison (drums) - are clearly excited at the prospect.
So just how have the band managed to stay fresh after 20 years?
Kelly: “The rest of the band are really pretty generous in the way they let me just get on with song writing. They let me write the songs. But the music industry has really changed over the last twenty years and we have had to change with it.
“But we like experimenting with new things. I’ve got a little studio where I like to write and we try things out. I put something together and the others contribute where they see fit.
“I mean, I don’t want us to be remembered as that one band from that one era that had that one hit album.”
Formed in the Welsh mining village of Cwmamman in the Cynon Valley in 1992, the Stereophonics went from playing in working mens’ clubs to selling out stadiums in a relatively short period of time.
Starting out as a three-piece with original line up of Kelly Jones, Richard Jones, the late Stuart Cable the band called themselves Tragic Love Company. This name was dropped in due course and the group later became the Stereophonics.
In 1996 they became the first artists to be signed with Richard Branson’s newly formed record label V2. However this leap into stardom was nearly thwarted by Kelly’s mum, who unwittingly hung up on the billionaire.
Kelly: “When Richard Branson called my house, my mum answered. He was asking for me, Richard and Stuart - for some reason he thought we all lived in the same house. When she asked who was calling, he answered ‘Richard Branson’.
“She thought it was someone taking the mick, so she said ‘If you’re Richard Branson then I’m Elizabeth Taylor’ and slammed down the phone.”
Thankfully Branson called back, and the Stereophonics skyrocketed going on to sell more than 10 million records worldwide. The band have enjoyed a string of number one albums, chart-topping singles and sell-out concerts.
The band have played alongside some huge acts, including The Who, The Rolling Stones and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. But they have a favourite.
Kelly: “Right guys, who has been our favourite? It’s got to be David Bowie hasn’t it?
“It was so surreal doing sound checks with such a massive icon. Playing football with Ziggy Stardust - it was so surreal.”
However, there was only one collective answer when asked which musician(s) they would perform with given the chance. Kelly: “It has to be Led Zeppelin.” Richard: “Yeah, definitely Led Zeppelin. We love them.”
The four-piece have recently been named as the most played Welsh band in the last 12 years - beating Sir Tom Jones and the Manic Street Preachers to the top spot.
However, despite being known as the biggest band from Wales, 50% of the four-piece is in fact English.
So naturally we have to ask the question if the English half of the band have felt they’ve had to embrace the Welsh culture, Adam: “Good question. But in a word, no. We’re English but we are very fond of Wales. We’ve spent a lot of time in Wales - granted mostly while inebriated - but we haven’t had the culture thrust upon us. I do love those things though...teacakes...no...Welsh cakes! I prefer knickers thrown on stage but you can throw a Welsh cake my way anytime.”
Jamie: “He does love the knickers though.”