Peter Gabriel
“When I was a child, one of my favourite TV shows was Top Of The Pops 2. I loved it because it introduced me to so much stuff that I was never going to hear on mainstream radio, things that had kind of been left in the past but were nostalgic to people like my dad. Peter Gabriel would appear on these episodes quite often, usually showing one of his amazing stop-frame music videos rather than providing a live – or should I say mimed – performance.
“Regrettably I have only ever seen his live recordings and never had a chance to see him perform live in concert. I’ve seen Steve Hackett perform some of the Genesis Revisited stuff, which was great but obviously not the same experience. Attending the Progressive Music Awards in 2014, when Peter Gabriel was presented with the Prog God Award was a really cool experience for me. Just being in the same room as him was electrifying! I would have loved to have spoken to him, but I was a bit shyer in those days, and he had an army of bodyguards around him so instead I sat on the bank of the Thames and drank wine out of the bottle with Fish. It was a good night.
“I think as writers, both Peter
Gabriel and I are pop-sympathisers with prog leanings. That’s what makes his music so accessible, but thoughtful and intelligent at the same time. I’d like to think I share that quality, but it’s up to my listeners to decide if that’s true or not. He also really knows how to use complex harmony to create mood, something which I feel is missing from a lot of music, and I’m in love with the
creative journey he goes on with the production side of his music. Yes, the music itself is great and memorable, but sometimes it’s what we can do as producers that sets our music apart from the rest. It’s all very well to say good writing will speak for itself, as if just composition is enough, but I don’t always agree with that. Why stop there? Why limit yourself? Do what’s never been done before and do it fearlessly! That’s what I see with Peter Gabriel’s recordings.
“On top of that, there’s not a lot of other male artists out there who go as far as he does with the visual aspects of their performance, and I have a lot of respect for that, because it’s so important to me, too. You could say I have a lot to thank him for, as he was a pioneer of the performance style I now pursue!”