Rowetta says she’s ready to party on stage
ta says they’re better than ever before.
“I thought it would just be one reunion tour, so it’s a beautiful surprise that it’s become what it has,” she said. “We’re actually a better band now, because we remember it. We even remember the journey home after a gig, which would never happen before. And everyone makes the tour bus these days.
“We realise that we can’t stay up all night and then do a gig like we used to. We appreciate that people have paid to come and see us.
“It’s five years on since we reformed and it’s going great, we’re planning to do an album, but that will probably be in 2019. I’m really proud of the lads and what we’ve done.”
Following the Manchester terror attack, Rowetta says it’s more important than ever to make music a celebration of life. She said: “After the attack in Manchester I had to get on a train to London to play Royal Albert Hall and I was scared, but you can’t let them win. You can’t let them divide us and you can’t let them stop us playing.”
She says the band would have loved to be part of the One Manchester memorial gig, but the band, who helped define the Madchester music scene of the late ’80s and early ’90s with hits including Step On, already had a prior engagement.
“People were asking why there wasn’t more bands from Manchester on the bill, but we already had a gig in Bristol that night or else we would have played,” she said. “We couldn’t do it, but our hearts were there.” We have a pair of Friday tickets and a pair of Saturday tickets to Sunniside Live to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, answer this question: with which legendary Madchester band does Rowetta sing? Email your answer and contact details to Katy.Wheeler@jpress. co.uk by June 22.