4 minute read
10cc Interview by Martin Hutchinson.
10cc
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Interview by Martin Hutchinson Photography by Reinoult Bos, except where stated.
10cc have announced a new UK tour for 2022, where they will celebrate the hits which have seen them recognised as one of the most inventive and influential bands in popular music. The ‘Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour’ will begin in Liverpool on March 25th, and take in venues around the country, finishing in Gateshead on April 9th. Led by co-founder Graham Gouldman, 10cc are heralded in equal measure for their ability to craft ingenious songs that also resonated commercially. The icons of Art-Rock achieved eleven top ten hits, and over fifteen million albums sold in the UK alone, with three number one singles: ‘Rubber Bullets’ (‘10cc’, 1973); ‘Dreadlock Holiday’ (‘Bloody Tourists’, 1978) and the ubiquitous ‘I’m Not In Love’ (‘The Original Soundtrack’, 1975).
The current 10cc line-up features Gouldman (bass, guitar, vocals); Rick Fenn (lead guitar, bass, vocals); Paul Burgess (drums, percussion) – both of whom have been with the band since the early years - Keith Hayman (keyboards, guitars, bass, vocals) and Iain Hornal (vocals, percussion, guitar, keyboards). In a message to fans, Gouldman says, “It’s difficult
to express just how much we have missed playing live and how much we want to be back playing concerts for you. We look forward to seeing
you all again in 2022”. In recent years, 10cc have toured worldwide, playing in Australia, Canada, Japan, Iceland, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, the USA, and across Europe and throughout the UK, including sold out shows to over 60,000 people at British Summer Time (BST) in Hyde Park, and numerous sold out shows at the 5,200 capacity Royal Albert Hall.
The band came to prominence in 1972 with the ‘50s Doo-Wop pastiche ‘Donna’ (UK#2, ‘10cc’) and for the next few years were hardly ever out of the charts. Even the fact that one half of the band (namely Kevin Godley and Lol Crème) left, the hits continued with
both Gouldman and Eric Stewart. Now, Graham Gouldman remains the only original member, although as previously mentioned, guitarist Rick Fenn and drummer Paul Burgess have been part of the touring line-up since the very early days.
Relaxing at his home, before starting rehearsals for the tour, Graham tells me that he kept himself busy during lockdown. “I found it quite a creative time”, he says. “I recorded
three albums of library music and a solo album called ‘No Words Today’ [the title is a play on the 1966 hit Graham wrote for Herman’s Hermits, ‘No Milk Today’ (UK#7, ‘There’s a Kind of Hush All Over the World’, 1967)]. It’s an instrumental album of songs by other people that I
really like.” And the album is helping his musician colleagues: “Yes, the
proceeds are going to the ‘Help Musicians’ charity, as the pandemic has hit the industry very hard. I also put a studio in my house. I’ve resisted doing this for many years, but it’s proved to be a godsend.”
10cc in 1974. Clockwise from top left: Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme
The title of the tour, using the word “ultimate” might sound as though it means that this could be 10cc’s last tour, but Graham is quick to put the matter straight. “No, it doesn’t”, he affirms. “It just means that this is the
‘ultimate’ hits package, as there
won’t be any more 10cc hits.” And Graham promises us more than the hits.
“Yes, I’m hoping to do two newish
songs”, he says. “One I wrote with
Iain Hornal. He was recording an album [‘The Game Begins With the Lights Out’, 2017] and there is this track called ‘Say the Word’, which is very, very 10cc. Also, a song called ‘Standing Next to Me’, which is the opening track of my last solo album ‘Modesty Forbids’ [2020]. Also, we’ll have my old bandmate Kevin Godley on the video screen performing ‘Somewhere in Hollywood’ [‘Sheet Music’, 1974], which we’ve done in previous tours. And among the others that don’t get performed all the time is ‘Clockwork Creep’ [‘Sheet Music’] and we hope to do ‘Baron Samedi’ [‘Sheet Music’]. I’m very wary of set lengths, it evolves as
we go.”
As well as 10cc, Graham wrote hits for The Hollies, The Yardbirds and Herman’s Hermits, so he has a vast catalogue of songs, but which song is he most proud of? “That’s a difficult
question to ask a songwriter as I’m proud of all of them and there’s very
few things that I regret doing.”, he replies, “but, if pressed, probably
‘Bus Stop’ [The Hollies, UK#5, ‘Bus Stop’, 1966]. To me, I came the nearest to what I wanted to achieve.”
Not content to pause much, Graham has a few things in the pipeline: “I’m
doing another solo album and later in the year one of my ‘Heartful of Songs’ solo tours. Also, I’m appearing at The Barbican in London in a show entitled ‘Songs in the Key of London’, arranged by Chris Difford of Squeeze. With 10cc, we’re doing some dates with Toto in Sweden and Denmark, then we’re off to Holland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as appearing at some festivals. In fact, I think we’re doing more gigs these days than we ever did because we’re not taking time out to do albums.”
Tickets for the shows are available from the Box Offices and all the usual agencies. For all 10cc tour dates and other news, visit the links below:
10cc.world
www.facebook.com/ 10ccBand
