Musical merry-go-round as Fairground Attraction return to the recording studio...and it’s Perfect
Group finds harmony after rekindling friendships 34 years on
The first time around for Fairground Attraction was fast, exciting and all too brief. Now, 34 years after splitting up, the band is ready to take another ride – one they intend to enjoy with a hardearned maturity.
Since announcing their reformation last month, the four-piece – Eddi Reader, Mark Nevin, Simon Edward and Roy Dodds – have been touched by the reaction. A new single, What’s Wrong With The World, has been released, a new album is recorded and tickets for a tour later this year – which includes dates in Perth, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh – are on sale.
Having not seen each other for decades, why did songwriter Mark and singer Eddi decide now was the time to reconvene?
“Life is short and, as you get older, you realise the things that are important to you,” Eddi said. “It felt miraculous that we had ever met, that we happened to have been around at the same time. Mark was looking for a singer and I was looking for songs. It was kismet.
“I was in London for three months last year, revisiting my 30-year-old self. Mark and his beautiful family were very supportive and it felt like a friendship was being rekindled.”
Mark said: “I’ve been in touch with Simon for years and we’ve played together, and Eddi and Roy played together, but Eddi and I didn’t see each other for decades. When we reconnected, I came to Glasgow to spend time going through songs and it was a bit like being with a ghost – a weird, surreal experience, but in a nice way! We went through experiences after the band broke up that were unique to us both, but the only person we never spoke to about these things was each other.”
Mark recalls being asked to support Mike Oldfield at Wembley Arena in one of his first solo gigs, a terrifying prospect for someone who had intended to write and perform songs, but never sing.
For Eddi, she returned home to Scotland after the band broke up and feared her career might be over, until she recorded a career-defining solo album.
“I got a bit broken-hearted by London,” she admitted. “I was missing my family so much, and when I came home I thought that was it, that I wouldn’t be singing again. But I did the Robert Burns album and that gave me a solid ground for a while musically.”
But before the break-up there was the massive mainstream success – a
No 1 debut single in Perfect, a platinumselling album called The First Of A Million Kisses which reached No 2, and two Brit Award wins.
Mark said: “It all happened so fast. Me and Eddi went from playing a few songs in the alternative cabaret scene, along with jugglers and comedians like Vic and Bob, to having a No 1 song and winning Brit Awards.
“It was like stepping into a Morris Minor and discovering it was a space rocket. We crashed but now we’re older and wiser and can have a sense of humour about it. The most important thing is to make great music and we think that’s what we’ve been doing.”
They have lots of special memories from that first run.
“It was great to go around the planet and have people singing back at you,” Eddi smiled. “Paul McCartney invited us to this event and we were in the queue for lunch and he walked over and said, ‘Love the album, man’. I didn’t know what to say,” Mark smiled. “David Byrne was a big fan. He listened to the album all the time on the tour bus.”
Eddi continued: “Elton John played our music on stage before his shows during a tour of America. Some people have come to my shows and said they first heard me at an Elton gig.
“And I met Cliff Richard last year in London and he asked how the band was. I wondered if I should tell him we’d split up 35 years ago, but I just said we were fine.”
And they are fine, and no longer split up. Stepping back into the studio together after so long apart, they say, was a special experience.
“It was effortless ... like we’d done it the day before,” Mark said.
“It’s effortless for them but I’m not the singer I was; I’m an aging singer and I’m ok with what it’s turning into, but it’s different and I was worried they would think ‘Eh?’, but they didn’t,” Eddi said.
“I’m not the same girl – not better or worse, just older – and I’m glad of it. When I was in my 20s I thought it would be all over by the time I was 35, but I’m still singing and I hope to keep singing when the Zimmer frame comes out and the teeth are all gone!”
While Mark believes they had to split up to get to this point, he is now eager to see where the future takes them.
“With Perfect, people all over the world sing that song and it encourages them to strive for something. It has a cheerful vibe,” he said.
“We’ve heard so many stories about how it’s affected people’s lives. It’s incredible to have had a hand in that, so if we can do a little more of this, then our job is done.”