I’m A Runner Singer and Feeder frontman Grant Nicholas

I'M A RUNNER GRANT NICHOLAS

THE FRONTMAN OF THE ROCK BAND FEEDER, 54, ON SURVIVING THE 1990S AND SONGWRITING ON THE RUN

I’M FROM SOUTH WALES, SO OF COURSE I PLAYED

RUGBY. I remember finding running pretty hard work when I was at school. For quite a few years I swam every day – I discovered that laps of the pool are good for switching off the mind. I didn’t start running properly till around 2014, when I was finishing my first solo album, Yorktown Heights. Like swimming, I found it was good for my head. I tend to overanalyse things a lot of the time. It keeps me calm.

RUNNING IS A CREATIVE

TIME FOR ME. My head’s in a different place from when I’m at home. I get lyric ideas, or if I’m working on a song I’ll have the demo on repeat while I’m out. It’s good for learning the lyrics of new songs, too. Feeder have been around for a long time – the new album is our 11th – so we have a lot of songs, and I don’t want to be one of those singers who needs an autocue!

I’D RATHER RUN ON A TREADMILL

THAN GET LOST. When you’re on tour in a new place and don’t know where you’re going, it’s hard to relax, which is what I want from running, so I’ll get on a machine. At home in north London I’ll head to Finsbury Park. I wouldn’t necessarily want to go round there at night, but when the sun’s out, it’s actually a nice place.

I’M NOT OUT TO TRY TO PROVE

ANYTHING. I do go out most days, maybe for 10km or so, but I’ll just do what I feel like. I’m no spring chicken. Sometimes I get achy knees, or my heels hurt. If I’m not feeling it, I don’t have to do it.

‘Idogoout mostdays, maybefor10km orso,butI’ll justdowhatI feellike. ’

I FIND RUNNING SUCH AN UNPREDICTABLE SPORT.

I can have a pretty heavy night, go out for a run the next day and find it easy. But on the other hand, I can also get loads of sleep, have a really restful week, go running and it feels like really hard work.

SOME OF THE NEW FEEDER ALBUM WAS WRITTEN WHILE I WAS OUT RUNNING.

I didn’t like taking my phone out with me when I went running before. But during these mad pandemic years I started doing things a bit differently and writing more observational stuff. I’d stop and type lyrics or ideas for titles on my phone’s notes app.

Feeder’s new album Torpedois out now

PEOPLE THINK I’M STRANGE FOR GOING RUNNING ON SHOW DAYS.

They say: ‘Why are you going for a run if you’ve got a gig tonight?’ But I’ll only run for about half an hour, and I think it actually helps my lungs and is good for my singing. I do drink alcohol, and sitting on planes and tour buses all the time is not the most healthy lifestyle. Running balances it out a bit.

I GET LOW WHEN I

CAN’T RUN. I broke my foot during lockdown. It’s not a very rock ’n’ roll story –I was going down my garden steps with my reading glasses on, looking at something on my phone and not concentrating. I didn’t want to sit around, so after about a week I was going down to Finsbury Park again in my air boot and on crutches.

WE’RE ALL MORE HEALTH-

CONSCIOUS NOW. A lot went on in the 1990s, and thankfully there were no mobile phones or social media to record it. We still have fun times – we’re still basically big kids – but you do need to balance it a bit more. When we started out we were doing half-hour sets. Now it can be two hours, so you need to be in good shape.

IF I EVER DO A RACE, I’M SURPRISINGLY COMPETITIVE.

I haven’t done much, only the Crouch End Fun Run a few times – but even that has some good runners. When I see the guys in the club vests, I want to hunt them down. Look out, the old rocker’s gonna catch you up!