The song that turned things around when my old band Big Day Out became a three-piece and told us
we could continue without our lead guitarist (and one-time driving force)
was this:
Prior to his leaving, I didn’t have much confidence in my ability as a songwriter or a front-man. While I’d co-written a lot of the material with him, I'd never felt comfortable with our partnership, mainly because I was intimidated by his ability. He was always coming up with ideas he was hugely cocksure about (which is intended as a compliment), and while there was a crossover in our musical taste, I was more into songs that were truthful while he was more motivated by a good riff.
His leaving was ultimately a good thing as it cleared the field and took away my fear. The three of us who remained were on the same page and shared the same sense of humour. It gave us a burst of energy that could have driven us to great things if the tours I took when I left drama school hadn’t got in the way and led to our eventual sad, yet amicable split - but that’s another story for another day.
Slow Down was one of the first songs I put forward to Mark and Chris after Rich left. It’s barely a song really, more a series of riffs, but it has a quirky edge that personifies what we were about. The recording doesn't do it justice as it's pretty primitive, but live, it was great.
The bit where the distorted guitars kick in at the end still makes me smile eighteen years after we recorded it: it’s best heard through headphones; that’s my tip.
Prior to his leaving, I didn’t have much confidence in my ability as a songwriter or a front-man. While I’d co-written a lot of the material with him, I'd never felt comfortable with our partnership, mainly because I was intimidated by his ability. He was always coming up with ideas he was hugely cocksure about (which is intended as a compliment), and while there was a crossover in our musical taste, I was more into songs that were truthful while he was more motivated by a good riff.
His leaving was ultimately a good thing as it cleared the field and took away my fear. The three of us who remained were on the same page and shared the same sense of humour. It gave us a burst of energy that could have driven us to great things if the tours I took when I left drama school hadn’t got in the way and led to our eventual sad, yet amicable split - but that’s another story for another day.
Slow Down was one of the first songs I put forward to Mark and Chris after Rich left. It’s barely a song really, more a series of riffs, but it has a quirky edge that personifies what we were about. The recording doesn't do it justice as it's pretty primitive, but live, it was great.
The bit where the distorted guitars kick in at the end still makes me smile eighteen years after we recorded it: it’s best heard through headphones; that’s my tip.