In The Words Of

… and just like that, I’ve been to a few events in April, but I will mention only the one due to the limited space I have.

Normality is back with a vengeance. So, the only thing necessary to mention in the week ahead is the Local Government Elections:

PLEASE DON’T VOTE for LABOUR or the CONSERVATIVES!

Go out and vote for something entirely different from those two, as both have made a mockery of running the country and seem to be the same old story, no matter who you voted in to run Parliament. If we all decide to vote for anything but one of those two, then surely things can/could change for the people of Wales.

TV/FILM

The final and fifth season of Gomorrah aired on Sky Atlantic, and it was worth the wait. I rate this as my favourite drama series that I have enjoyed watching. It might be in Italian and Neapolitan, but don’t let that put you off. It’s better than Breaking Bad and The Wire. And, I would put those two shows as numbers two and three of my favourite drama shows, in that order. Gomorrah is brutal yet doesn’t make it all about glorifying it. The plot keeps you guessing, often taking you by surprise as to who dies next or where the story is heading. I feel privileged to have watched it all. You will not regret it if you have not seen it or have always put it on the to-do list of viewings.

MUSIC

Bastille played the Cardiff Motorpoint in April, and attending it, I did! I’ve been a fan of this band since they appeared on the music scene many moons ago, and watching them live rewound the clock for me. The stage show was an impressive feat to witness, with a vast erected video screen adding to the spectacle that the light show also did. With a few albums of material to choose from, it was the ones that the crowd - if asked in advance - would have put on their wish lists. And to see lead singer Dan climb into the crowd to continue singing, walk the length of the venue (and back) to just below where I was seated, was a highlight for me. And proof that normality in concerts is back!

INTERVIEWS

James Haskell may have played rugby for England, but I got to find out that he actually started off playing for Wales at some point whilst he was still a junior. I chatted to him ahead of his event with Mike Tindall and Alex Payne [The Good, The Bad And The Rugby] at St David’s Hall on Wednesday 4th May.

Also at the same venue, but obviously on a different night, is The Divine Comedy [St David’s Hall - Thursday 12th May]. The leading man, Neil Hannan, took a bit of time out of his touring schedule, albeit whilst also having a bad hangover, to chat with me today, the same day I am writing this up for you all to read.

Have a great May; see you all next month,

Carl Marsh

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by Carl Marsh

Carl Marsh You’re coming to Cardiff to do The Good, The Bad & The Rugby Live at St David’s Hall on May 4th. This is all off the success of one of the podcasts you do with Mike Tindall and Alex Payne: how did this all get to come about in the first place?

James Haskell So, we all used to work for a company with a podcast, and we all decided to leave and set up on our own… well, actually, the company went into administration, and, it’s a long story, but we liked the job and thought that it’s a perfect opportunity to do something ourselves. And we decided that we were going to go out and create The Good, The Bad & The Rugby. We knew that we had good chemistry; we enjoyed what we’d done, and even the trailer for the very first episode went to number one in all of the podcasts across the world. And so we were pretty excited that we were going to be on to a good thing. So, we basically built that from there, where it’s a sort of show that doesn’t really talk about rugby, but it focuses on the personalities, the stories, you know, it’s quite forthright, and some of the stuff it talks about, it’s not frightened to come forward and have an opinion. You see, we’re not here to talk about the minutiae of the game. We’re here to entertain and be honest, you know. James Haskell I think (it’s) the simplicity of life and knowing exactly what you’re going to do and playing on the big stage, but otherwise, not a lot. I quite enjoy what I’m doing… I mean, I don’t miss getting beaten up. I’m still paying for… you know, 18 or 19 and a half seasons of rugby.

Carl Marsh So, what do you miss most about playing rugby? What is the biggest thing you miss the most? Carl Marsh Many people won’t know that you played for Wales as a teenager but then went to play for England as an adult. So, why did you switch allegiances?

James Haskell I’d missed out on England Under-16s, and as I was committed to playing… obviously, my mum is Welsh, and I’m also Irish and Scottish qualified, but I really enjoyed going down the Welsh route. But in the end, I just had to decide. And actually, it turned out there were two opportunities at England Under-18s than at Wales, and I felt that I was more strongly English than I was Welsh, and I made a tough decision, but it would have been an amazing honour. And I certainly would have won some more Grand Slams if I’d made it through. And, you know, with Sean Edwards and Warren Gatland as the coaches, it would have been an amazing adventure, but as all the Welsh fans remind me, I probably wouldn’t have got into the team. [Laughter]

A minimal number of tickets remain at the box office for this event. So, St David’s Hall is your port of call(ing)!

Carl Marsh I can only assume it’s good to be back on the road again [St David’s Hall - Wednesday 12th May], especially after the last few years of not knowing ‘what’s what”, if you know what I mean?

Neil Hannon - Divine Comedy Yeah, totally. It was just a lack of knowing when we’d ever get out again, which was the annoying bit. In the end, we’ve had layoffs probably of a similar length over the years, but you know, it was the not knowing when it would happen again. That was the tricky bit. And also, the guys not getting any money from anywhere that are in the band, or the crew.

Carl Marsh This new tour is all about your greatest hits album, which came out in February; can you believe it’s been 30 years?

Neil Hannon - Divine Comedy No, I am long in the tooth, which is ironic because I have legendarily small teeth. I don’t know if anybody’s ever noticed… maybe I don’t open my mouth very much in photographs? [Laughter] But I remember going to the dentist once, and he said, “Oh, what small teeth you have”. And I thought, “Do you say that to everybody? And to rate the size of their teeth!” I feel like I’ve gone somewhat off-topic? [Laughter]

Carl Marsh No, it’s okay. I’m looking at pictures of you now, and I can’t see your teeth! [Laughs]

Neil Hannon - Divine Comedy … and right, yeah, so, 30 years… that’s sort of being kind, actually. I suppose I started more like in 1989 or 1990. We’ve just been nostalgic for the last two or three years with the box sets, reissues, and the ‘Best of…’.

Carl Marsh So, over those 30-odd years, there have been some tracks The Divine Comedy has released that have been large scale productions. And what I mean by that are the ones with an orchestra involved. So, at what stage, when it came to the songwriting process, did you choose which songs warranted larger scale versus those songs that had “just” the band performing them?

Neil Hannon - Divine Comedy It’s funny because, you know, the orchestration has always just been another bunch of colours on the palette, or, whatever you call that thing that painters hold up. Yeah, probably, yeah. Yeah. And, you know, sometimes… well, I use it a lot, let’s face it! [Laughter] The size of the orchestration is and can be so huge and vast. It can be 40 or 50 people, or it can just be like a little string quartet. And then, you know, I’ve done an awful lot of songs that have had nothing on it, except the band or a bunch of synthesisers. I think it all depends on the music, what the song decides and what it sort of asks for. And you try not to bring economic thoughts into it too much, because obviously, it’s always cheaper not to use an orchestra! [Laughs]

The Divine Comedy are performing at St David’s Hall on Thursday 12th May. A few tickets are remaining at the time of going to press.

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