Shakin’ Stevens changes his tune for a new generation
He was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s. Now a revitalised Shakin’ Stevens is bringing his bold new musical style to Yorkshire on his latest tour. Charles Brown reports.
THROUGHOUT HISTORY, the human race has always had an affinity with an underdog story. David and Goliath, Rocky and Carl Weathers, Leicester City Football Club in 2016. And in the early 1960s in a sleepy Cardiff suburb, an underdog story of monumental proportions was starting to form.
At the time Michael Barratt was in his early teens, singing in school, and working in the wood yard on a Saturday.
From the age of 15, he was forming bands, performing in pubs, clubs and church halls, eventually even getting them a gig at the famous 2i’s. Starting from nowhere, and with “just pure determination” as he puts it, Shaky soon became an unrelenting force in British music, being one of the most successful acts of the 80s, and the most successful charting Welsh artist of all time.
“I’m a great believer that you only get what you put in – and I put it in everything I could,” says Shaky. “When I started we were travelling in vans, at that time we couldn’t afford B&Bs, so after the gig the band would all climb in the back of the van with our fish and chips and then wake up in the morning– six sweaty musicians, all the gear around us, and you’d think ‘oh God,’ he laughs. “Then we’d go have a shave, a wash down and on to the next gig. So it’s perseverance – I was determined to get there in the end. It took me a long time to get there, but here I am.”
Here he is indeed, and his new tour: Greatest Hits – and More! sees him travel across 18 cities in the UK, as well as all over mainland Europe.
“There will be hits,” he says excitedly. “Some I haven’t sung for a long time. Songs from my record collection and of course newer tracks from the Echoes Of Our Times album.”
Shaky has 15 UK Top Ten singles to his name but still feels honoured to be supported by his fans after 40 years as a recording artist.
“It’s really good that they’re still coming and even better that as my music moves on they move on with me. [Back in the day] it was mums and dads that were the fans, and then they introduced the kids to the Saturday TV shows and Top Of The Pops, then they bought their kids to the gigs. On the last tour I met a couple of people backstage who were not kids anymore! They were in their 30s and 40s and telling me they’re still coming because they love it – and they’re the core of my audience. The added bonus is that they also want more of the new material, which they have really taken to.”
Shaky hasn’t just been busy touring either, but he’s also had strong success with most recent album Echoes Of Our Times, which was released in late 2016 and became his highest charting album since 1984. A personal, story-driven record based on Shaky’s ancestors, it received critical acclaim for its bold change in style. The denim and white boots went long ago, it’s all about the music, whether it be hits or the newer tracks, and in the Echoes Of Our Times album, it was a rootsy and gritty guitar sound that felt like an homage to the dirty Americana of late Johnny Cash records.
“People must have been able to relate to the stories and enjoyed the different style on the album. It also let me explore more musically and lyrically which I enjoyed.”
Not one to rest on his laurels, he’s already working on a follow-up to Echoes of Our Times which will “keep on with the rootsy style,” Shaky says.
“It suits and it’s a move forward for me. We recorded songs at the same times as Echoes so we’ve got stuff there to look at that could fit in. There definitely won’t be a photograph of me on the front cover, we’re not going to go back to that. I’ve got a lot, lot more to give yet.”
■ Shakin’ Stevens performs at Harrogate Royal Hall on March 15, Hull City Hall on March 23 and Leeds Town Hall on March 24.