Dodgy
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| Dodgy From Left to Right - Andy Miller, Mathew Priest, Nigel Clark
STAND UPRIGHT IN A COOL PLACE the most recent album from Dodgy was a
long time coming, 15 years to be precise since the double platinum selling
‘Free Peace Sweet’ and from the four and five star reviews and many media
plaudits the new album has received, they have successfully overcome the often
tricky task of a band reinventing themselves, to make a contemporary and
relevant album. Creating a sound with “golden harmonies and echoes of CSN&Y
and Fleet Foxes”, and prompting The Word magazine to say "They’ve just
made the record of their career by a country mile"
A result for which the contribution by mixer Matt Pence, known for his
work with the likes of Midlake and John Grant, should not be underestimated.
The first time round, Dodgy were only together for seven years but in
that time they sold over a million records worldwide, released three albums and
12 Top 40 singles, including Staying Out For The Summer, In A Room, If You’re
Thinking Of Me and the Top 5 hit Good Enough, still a staple of the radio
playlists. They sold out the Brixton Academy for three nights in a row and were
awarded an unprecedented 90-minute Saturday evening slot on the Pyramid stage
at Glastonbury Festival in 1997 just before Radiohead. Not bad, considering
that they also partied harder than an Ewok.
Since the release of Stand Upright In A Cool Place in 2012, Dodgy
haven’t really stopped as live gigs and festival appearances have always been
an important part of the Dodgy experience, for many they are the perfect
festival band & Summers 2012/2013 were no exception, with Dodgy ripping it
up at prestigious festivals such as BT LONDON LIVE, Camp Bestival, V Festival,
Wychwood, Beautiful Days, Jamie Oliver’s Feastival and Kendal Calling, as well
as many other boutique festivals around the UK.
2014 sees no let up for our heroes, signing a brand new world wide
record deal with Cherry Red Records and the collection of new songs, due for
release in August 2014 is, according the band “the best we’ve ever written”
“Dodgy's new album is a revelation” Guardian ****
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Ten
questions with Dodgy
1
– You released your critically acclaimed album ‘Stand upright in a cool place’
in 2012, your first for over a decade, what made you guys decide to record
again?
Unfinished
business. As you get older you realise that you don’t really create something
special with many people. It’s just the chemistry of the 3 of us together that
works and we’re at our peak creatively, so it would be criminal not to see
where it leads.
Plus,
there’s f**k all else we can do!
2
– Were you excited by the reception the album got and by getting to record
again as a band?
Yeah,
it felt good but we absolutely made sure that it was the best album we’d
recorded to date. We knew the knives would be out if it was anything but
outstanding.
3
– What would you say is the secret to the longevity within your band?
None
of us have had to give up drinking yet, as soon as that happens then I give it
2 months tops.
4
– Back in the nineties whilst most of the music press were obsessing over the
Blur Vs Oasis battle, a lot of good UK bands didn’t get the recognition they
deserved. Did it bother you, or enable you to carry on with less pressure of
being in the spotlight?
It
didn’t bother us, it’s what they wanted, and we were never very good at being
cartoon, media darlings.
5
– What has been your most memorable gig ever, and why?
Our
gig at the Jazz Café last November was particularly wonderful. Great crowd,
great vibe.
6
– I remember with every release, an excitement at discovering the next ‘Ways of
Dodgy’, what was the inspiration behind these messages?
My
brother really, he was the designer and co-spiritualist. It started on our
first release in 1991 when there was more of an appetite for that kind of
hippy, E- fuelled nonsense J
7
– With hindsight and your years of experience, what advice would you give your
younger selves?
Shut
everyone else out, it’s you 3 that are the most important. Take your time.
8
– Which artist or artists have inspired you most?
The
Who, Neil Young, Hazel Dean.
9
– Is there one song that you wish you had written / recorded yourselves?
We’ve
done it – Grassman.
10
– With your live album having been released at the end of last year, what is
next for the band?
Just signed new
worldwide record deal with Cherry Red, and started recording a new album,
should have it done by April.
With the band hard at work in the studio, I really appreciate Mathew Priest for taking the time to answer the questions posed to the band. Having always been a fan of Dodgy, I'm happy to leave him in peace now so the guys can carry on making the new album and I cannot wait to hear it!
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Links
for Dodgy
Website - http://www.dodgyology.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dodgyuk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/dodgyuk
Website - http://www.dodgyology.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dodgyuk
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/dodgyuk
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