For those that were around at the end of the 80’s in the UK when Pop ruled the airwaves and Hair Metal was a continent away (and Grunge still over the horizon), there was a thriving music scene that looked towards the 70’s for it’s inspiration. Bands like The Quireboys and Thunder along with The Dogs D’Amour emerged with their own take on Rock and Roll and the music of bands like The Rolling Stones, The Faces and Humble Pie. It was The Quireboys though that best understood that Rock and Roll was just as much about the party, and that music was to be celebrated ideally with a room full of like-minded souls at a live show with a bottle in hand. 30 years later that very band who are still producing excellent records are on their way Downunder and we can’t wait. We caught up with Guy ‘Griff’ Griffin to find out the latest from the band who just celebrated their 35-year anniversary.
Griff: Hi Mark how you doing alright?
Mark: Not too bad, it’s a bit late for you there mate?
Griff: It is, but I’m all good, no worries.
Mark: We’ve been wanting to talk to you since the dates were announced.
Griff: We love the Rockpit, you played a big part in us getting the gigs. You really helped us out.
Mark: Thank you, it’s fantastic that you’re getting over. I know it’s been a long time coming and I know there have been a few conversations in the past but to finally get you over is what it’s all about and I’m sure there’ll be a plane load of us heading East from Perth to see the Melbourne show.
Griff: That’s amazing, it’s really amazing, just for us to get over is fantastic, it’s kind of a dream come true really because it’s always been a thing that we’re going to play in Australia. We’d play Japan and think we’d then go on to play Australia but it never worked out for whatever reason. But now it’s here, it’s a good thing for us, we’re so excited.
Mark: The Quireboys was always one of my favourite bands, and always a great live band, I think the first time I saw the band was way back in ’86, a few years have passed since then! The last time I think was probably Donington in 1990 which was an iconic gig for a lot of people. But there are a lot of fans Downunder and you even had singles released down here under the name The London Quireboys.
Griff: Well for obvious reasons I guess, because of the Australian band The Choirboys, they’re The Choirboys, we’re The Quireboys it’s spelt differently but it sounds the same on the radio. It’s quite funny actually because the singer of the Choirboys in Australia has been in contact with us over the years as well suggesting that we do a tour together (laughs), it might have been quite funny!
Mark: For me the music of The Choirboys has always been timeless, a combination of that old school Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll with that real party feel that bands like The Faces did so well. And one of the things that always tied it all up for me was Jim’s (Cregan) involvement as co-producer on that first album, who of course worked and played with Rod (Stewart) for many years and Steve Marriott’s drummer Ian Wallace was on there too.
Griff: Oh Jim Cregan? He was great to work with.
Mark: I think he also played with Bernie Taupin back in the day?
Griff: Yeah, they had a band The Farm Dogs, a bit after the fact.
Mark: It’s great to have those treads tying it all together, a real deserving part of Rock and Roll history. The thing that really disappointed me though for bands like The Quireboys who went against the fashion of the time is that you still got caught up in that whole Grunge thing.
Griff: Well we got caught up in that, and the sort of Hair Rock thing as well (laughs) but our music always stayed the same, we didn’t look at anyone else or follow any trends, and that’s really good for us now – the music is the same and it hasn’t really dated – we were just playing Rock and Roll, you know what I mean.
Mark: And the best thing is that you guys sound just as good as you did 30 years ago, the latest album ‘Amazing Disgrace’ is right up there in contention for our album of the year.
Griff: Oh thanks Mark, that’s great.
Mark: The only one though that’s threatening to knock it off its top spot seems to be the new Down ‘n’ Outz album!
Griff: Well, the thing is you now when you’re a musician but you’re still such a music fan? We did that album with Joe (Elliott – Def Leppard) and it’s been going on for three or four years just doing bits and pieces here and there, and then after all that time it comes out and you think “That’s a fucking amazing album!” Sorry for swearing, but what a great album! And then you think “Oh shit, I’m on that!” (laughs).
Mark: (laughs).
Griff: That’s me playing on it with Joe! When somebody’s written so many great songs on one album, and Joe’s been doing his thing with Def Leppard, but these are the songs that have been stacking up for a few years, and some were influenced by playing with us, there’s a couple of songs there. But I can actually say that it’s a great album because I’m not involved in the song-writing side of things. I’m really proud to be part of that album, and I think it’s an album that I think will live on for some time because the songs are so great.
Mark: They are, the originals are wonderful, and there’s that one cover, a surprising one maybe but also a timeless one – The Tubes’ ‘White Punks on Dope.’ It just shows how great music was back in the70’s when you can cover a band like The Tubes who really defy classification.
Griff: And that’s kind of what we’re celebrating you know, all of the bands that we grew up on, that we all have in common. That as musicians and as fans we all love. They were so off the wall, and you might not listen to a whole album by some of these bands, but there’d be a single or a song that you’d hear and they would just stick with you forever. Like The Sparks, or The Tubes.
Mark: All great bands. You’ve had a busy year playing live in 2019, I think you just have one more show to go?
Griff: Yes one more tonight.
Mark: And then a break till January and next thing you know you’ll be Downunder. Just recently though you had the digital-only release of ‘’35 and Live’ from the Kentish Town Forum Anniversary show.
Griff: Yes, that’s just come out.
Mark: A lot of people have been asking me about the video from that show, when will it get a release?
Griff: Well if you go to Amazon Prime it’s up there right now!
Mark: Oh wow!
Griff: It’s officially released tomorrow or whatever but if you go on there it’s up now, I just watched it and it’s great. The people who filmed it did a great job and the fans that were there made it an amazing night – two and a half thousand people. But it’s not just the show, it’s a documentary of the whole thing with the gig in there too.
Mark: And it’s great to see a couple of songs off the new album in the setlist too, they stand up so well. ‘Original Black Eyed-Sons’ is a great song and live it sounds awesome.
Griff: I love that one as well, you have to put them in there and hope they’ll stick in there, you know.
Mark: I think that one certainly will. All of the music you’ve released on Off Yer Rocka, those last six albums have been great, it’s a massive burst of creativity these last six or seven years. I’ll bet the writing for the next one is underway too?
Griff: (laughs) I hope not!
Mark: (laughs)
Griff: (laughs) Unless someone tells me I have to write a bunch more songs! But we’re always putting stuff out there but inevitably we’ll be doing another album soon. Sometimes I get a little bit of a thing where I, or Spike or Paul will say I’ve got a song idea and when we work on it that inevitably kick-starts other things, you know what I mean?
Mark: Now some perspective on a wonderful career so far – it’s amazing to think that ‘A Bit of What You Fancy’ is thirty years old next year?
Griff: Well that’s it you know. I’m 50 years old, so there you go (laughs)
Mark: (laughs)
Griff: I was 20 years old when I was in Los Angeles doing that record. I wasn’t even old enough to drink in a bar over there! You had to be 21 so I remember it well! (laughs)
Mark: (laughs) And the good think about getting older is you get more Anniversaries, and when you get even older they all start to come in the same year! I imagine there will be one almighty party of an Anniversary tour for that?
Griff: Let’s milk it! (laughs)
Mark: (laughs)
Griff: Hopefully we’ll make some money from that, or at least pay some money to the Record Company! (laughs)
Mark: You’re coming to Australia for the very first time in that Anniversary year and also playing the Monsters of Rock Cruise again next year: who’d have thought that 30 years ago that we’d see stuff like that – a bunch of Rock bands playing on a boat in the middle of the Caribbean?
Griff: (laughs) I can’t foresee the future but when I was twenty years old I didn’t see that coming, but I’m not worried, I’ve got a nice suite with a balcony. (laughs) But it is a great thing – everyone can see all the bands they want to see in one place, the world changes and that works for me. It’s not like going to a Festival, paying loads of money and waiting all day to see the only band you want to see, there you get the comfort to do what you want to do and see the bands you want to see.
Mark: And you’ve got one of my very favourite bands supporting you when you come down here, ‘Palace of the King’ who recently headlined The Rockpit’s 10th Anniversary Birthday party in Melbourne.
Griff: Palace of the King are fantastic! I love that band, fantastic videos, I love the Hammond and they have a great front man. It’s brilliant, I can’t wait to play with these guys, it’s gonna be fantastic! They’re a great Rock and Roll band.
Mark: And they’re an amazing band live, and I think fantastic for the tour. Two great live Rock and Roll bands. I can’t name a better Aussie Rock and Roll band – it’s going to be a seriously good night.
Griff: It definitely is, we’ve been waiting for this for a long time.
Mark: Now I know you’re a big AC/DC fan and that they really kicked things off for you so I’ll be interested to hear your next answer. If you could have been a ‘Fly on the Wall for the creation of any great album just to see how the magic happened, what would it be for you? What would you have liked to have seen being made?
Griff: Well, fucking hell that’s hard, obviously ‘Back in Black’ that must have been a whole weird atmosphere, you know trying to get everything going again. AC/DC when they first came to England they played places like The Red Cow in Hammersmith and lots of small pubs off the back of that first album High Voltage and I’m fascinated by all of it. Obviously ‘Back in Black’ and Mutt Lange was huge, but doing ‘Highway to Hell’ and then that huge thing that happened and the returning with ‘Back in Black’ and that sound was incredible. It’s not my favourite though by the band, that would be ‘Powerage.’ The first song I ever heard by them and the song that really got me into them was off ‘Let there Be Rock’ – ‘Overdose’ it was just so raw and to a twelve year old you’re thinking “What the hell is this?” It’s not a well-known song but it did it for me.
Mark: But a great one… and an easy one to close “What is the meaning of life?”
Griff: …. Stay alive.
Mark: (laughs)
Griff: Stay alive as long as you can until it’s no longer fun… and keep making music, but mainly stay alive.
Mark: (laughs) That my friend is a rather unique answer. February sees you all hit Australia for a whirlwind tour – four dates in four days starting on February 20th in Adelaide before hitting Sydney. Melbourne and Brisbane. It’s going to be a great night out.
Griff: I can’t wait.
Mark: And we will hopefully get to buy you a beer in Melbourne, as they are quite expensive over here.
Griff: That’s what I’ve heard (laughs) It will be brilliant mate, good to speak to you.
Mark: You too Sir, see you soon.
TOUR DATES
Thursday February 20 – The Gov, Adelaide
Tickets: http://thegov.oztix.com.au/?Event=107439
Friday February 21 – Factory Theatre, Sydney
Tickets: http://www.factorytheatre.com.au/events/2020/03/21/the-quireboys
Saturday February 22 – Prince Bandroom, Melbourne
Tickets: https://princebandroom.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/ea243568-b8ae-4991-9ad1-870bd7b8ca19
Sunday February 23 – The Triffid, Brisbane
Tickets: https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/b41c2fb5-cb7a-4c8f-be34-8837911b4efd
