THE RETURN OF ROXY MUSIC
As the art rock icons reunite for a 50th anniversary arena tour, saxophonist Andy Mackay on why Bryan Ferry remains the suavest man in rock, the disappointment of playing Top Of The Pops... and how he almost became a vicar when the band split
FOR A decade, Roxy Music defined glamour. From the moment their classic debut single Virginia Plain became a Top Five hit in 1972 until they split up after the multi-platinum album Avalon a decade later, the artrockers epitomised sophistication.
Timeless singles such as Love Is The Drug, Do The Strand and More Than This are critically lauded to this day, as are their eight Top 10 albums. Both the music and the people that made it – singer Bryan Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera, saxophonist Andy Mackay and drummer Paul Thompson – were immaculately poised and cool.
Now, to mark their 50th anniversary, Roxy Music are back, with a UK arena tour which kicks off in Glasgow tonight.
And despite being in their mid-seventies, the band still epitomise the art of cool: not least Ferry, the impeccably attired frontman sometimes dubbed “the lounge lizard of pop” thanks to his suave demeanour.
Bandmate Mackay insists the singer’s dapper air is no act. The saxophonist tells the Express: “The person you see on stage is very much the real Bryan. He really is that suave and sophisticated. He’s very cultured and naturally stylish.”
Though Ferry, 77, grew up in Newcastle, while Mackay, 76, was brought up in central London, the saxophonist explains: “We both have working-class parents and went to grammar school.
“Our cultural backgrounds are the same: we grew up when US culture started coming into British people’s lives, and we both wanted to take advantage of museums and galleries. Bryan’s friends reflect how stylish and cultured he is.”
While Ferry has remained a beacon of glamour, forging an impressive solo career, Mackay’s life after Roxy Music split in 1983 was decidedly more down to earth.
KNOWN for his imposing quiff while bedecked in Roxy’s colourful 70s outfits, Mackay swapped pop for studying for a theology degree – and even toyed with becoming a vicar. Recalling his three-year studies at London’s King’s College from 1988, he reveals: “My two children were of secondary school age and the rise of CDs meant I had a reasonable amount of money coming in without having to do a great deal, so I could use my time creatively.
“I was brought up in a Methodist household and had always been interested in theology and religion.
“The degree was very interesting, I’m glad I did it. I thought about getting ordained as a vicar, but I was never cut out for it. I’m too selfish and self-indulgent.”
The saxophonist returned to religion when he made an album of Psalms, 3 Psalms, in 2018. “I’m Church of England, but not extremely religious,” Mackay reflects. “It’s in the background of my life. I go to church, but I’m hopefully not pious. Growing up in the church meant I grew up hearing the music of great composers.
“I wouldn’t say I have a transcendent religious experience every time I’m on stage, but there are some moments when you think, ‘Yeah, we’re really on to something special here’.”
That special experience was there from the start of Roxy Music.
Formed through a series of “Musicians wanted” ads initially placed by Ferry, the band got off to a breathtaking start with debut single Virginia Plain, a No 4 hit.
Mackay remembers: “It felt there was something great straight away once we recorded Virginia Plain. Whether we expected it to be a Top 10 hit was another question.
“You’re always happiest as a band when you hear your first single on the radio.
“Walking past a shop and hearing Virginia Plain coming out, that’s still one of my happiest memories of Roxy.
“We didn’t always know if a song would go down well, of course. More Than
This is our biggest song nowadays, thanks to streaming services, and it wasn’t one any of us thought would even become a single. We just didn’t think it was exactly the greatest song Roxy did, which shows the audiences know better than we do.
“What I’m also proudest of was getting the saxophone on to hit albums. I always wanted to make the sax a key instrument in a band, like the guitar. That hasn’t really happened, but I’m satisfied I integrated my sound with Roxy Music’s rock’n’roll.”
Mackay was also delighted when legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel championed the band. But he’s less keen on his memories of their appearances on Top Of The Pops.
Although Roxy – also including Brian Eno and Rik Kenton in their early line-up – became regulars on the BBC One chart show, Mackay confesses that it was only because the band was expected to perform.
He grimaces: “Top Of The Pops was a nasty experience. Many musicians thought it was one of the most wasted opportunities a publicly funded broadcaster has ever done. It was terrible. The producers always picked the worst song. If the choice was between a ghastly comedy record doing moderately well, or a new band who could have done with the break, they’d always pick the comedy song.
“Nobody could play live on the show, because the BBC’s technology wasn’t up to it, yet ITV had been doing live performances for ages. Musicians were embarrassed at having to mime instead, so everyone would
mess around. It meant there was a jokiness to Top Of The Pops which saddens me if I see one of its endless repeats.”
Marking 50 years since Virginia Plain and their self-titled debut album, Roxy Music have reformed for arena tours.
Having completed the US leg of the tour, Mackay is perplexed at how his band managed to play to 10 to 15,000 fans a night for 10 shows – because Roxy were a flop in the States when they were first together.
Mackay, who lives with his wife Lucinda in Somerset, recalls: “America isn’t natural Roxy Music territory. When we were releasing albums, European bands had to make the decision to either tour coast-to-coast in America for a full year, or stay in Europe.
“We chose Europe, which was an easy choice because we didn’t go down well in America when we first went.
“And that’s an understatement. Apart from two or three towns, most of America couldn’t puzzle us out at all.
“When the offer to tour American arenas was put to us, I thought, ‘We only played in Texas once, 50 years ago. Goodness knows why anyone thinks we should play to 10,000 people there now’. But the promoters were right and I was wrong.”
Having previously reformed for tours in 2001 and 2011, Mackay says he, Ferry, Manzanera and Thompson get along fine, noting: “We’re not as close as when we drove up and down everywhere in a van, or shared a dressing room in a club.
“None of us are super-close. But I’m friends with the others, and we phone each other to stay in touch. Also, there’s something special about the four of us when we play together.There’s a feel and a sound you don’t get with any other four people.”
MACKAY doesn’t rule out Roxy Music carrying on after the tour ends on Friday – and hints that a rumoured appearance at next summer’s Glastonbury Festival might happen. He says: “Festival offers have cropped up for next year, which we’ve neither ruled in or out.We haven’t really discussed what’s happening next.We haven’t all sat on a tour bus together to have that chat.”
Mackay believes audiences are in for something special at the UK shows after the success of the US run, enthusing: “The shows have been great. I’d had problems with my hands, but they’ve been dealt with and I’m very happy with my playing. Paul has had health problems on and off, but he’s been absolutely incredible. Phil is on great form, while Bryan’s delivery and the way he connects with an audience are impeccable.”
But, 40 years after revered final album Avalon, Mackay isn’t sure if Roxy Music should attempt new music.
They began sessions for a new record in 2007, but no music was released. Mackay ponders: “A new album would be the logical thing to do and I’ve said to Bryan, ‘We really should pick up on some unfinished tracks’.
“But the music business is in a very different era now. We could make a brilliant album, but it wouldn’t get through to an audience unless we do lots of touring. That’s not going to happen, because we’re too old. Maybe we should leave it to younger musicians, or maybe it’d be worth doing anyway – it might be fun to try.”
●Roxy Music play Glasgow OVO Hydro tonight, Manchester AO Arena on Wednesday and the London O2 on Friday. Visit gigst.rs/Roxymusic for tickets and information. Their compilation, The Best Of, and each of their eight studio albums, are available on remastered vinyl.