We had a chat with Feeder frontman Grant Nicholas about his new solo project, songwriting and the problems with radio…
Why did you decide to release Black Clouds as a mini-album, instead of waiting and releasing another full-length album?
I think it would’ve been too soon to do another full-length album. I had a lot of other tracks that I could’ve probably gotten ready in time to make it a full album, but I didn’t want to wave goodbye to my last album Yorktown Heights just yet. That record’s been a real slow-burner, and I didn’t want to feel like I’d left it behind. Sometimes people just don’t register your new stuff if you put it out too quickly, so I thought it was best to just take my time and let the last album run its course before I moved on to something else. Releasing the album obviously helped to raise my profile a bit, and this is something that I’m intending on doing for a long time, so releasing Black Clouds was really just my way of reinforcing everything that I’ve done with Yorktown Heights. It also gave me something new to play on the second half of the tour, which is always nice!
What made you want to make a solo album?
There was no real plan for it, to be honest – it just sort of happened! I wanted to take some time out from Feeder, because I was just a bit sick of having the same cycle. My plan was to just focus on a few little projects that I had going on. I wanted to write for other artists, so I started planning that, but that was never really something that was at the top of my list of priorities – I prefer doing my own stuff. My writing for other people just kind of became my own solo record. This was mainly just down to my friends and family hearing the songs and really liking them, so I thought that I’d just keep the songs and maybe use them for Feeder or just give it to my family. It was written with no pressure, so it was a really enjoyable process.
Do you approach your solo songwriting differently than you approach writing for Feeder?
Not really, to be honest. I write most of the Feeder stuff on an acoustic guitar. I’d say that the main difference is that with Feeder we always have to consider how it’ll work with the band, whether the fans will like it, how it’ll suit the indie-rock style… There’s just a lot more to think about, and when you’re an established band with a particular sound you have to try to make sure the new songs fit in with your old songs. Having said that, there are still some very acoustic Feeder songs, so I’ve always written the sort of songs that are on my solo records – I just always considered these to be a little more left-field, and not always totally suited to the band. In fact, Feeder actually got signed off the back of my acoustic stuff, but then we got picked up by Kerrang and grouped in with the whole ‘indie-rock’ movement, but it was the acoustic stuff that caught the attention of the record label in the first place.
I’d actually say that, lyrically speaking, my solo project gave me a little more of a blank canvas. I’d say that I started to write about things that are a little closer to home – there’s a song on there about my son, for example, whereas with Feeder I always had to think more about the chemistry of the band than what I particularly wanted to write a song about. I’m not saying that there are no songs on Feeder records that are based on true stories and experiences, but I think that this solo record is definitely a lot closer to home with regards to what the songs are actually about.
What’s your favourite song from your solo album?
That’s a tough one… I really like Soul Mates (from Yorktown Heights), just because it’s so simple. It’s a classic song – it sounds like it could’ve been written in the sixties, and I think that those songs are just really hard to write. I also think that Soul Mates came as a shock to some of the people who listened to it – some people had me down as this real indie-rock guy, so for me to come out with a classic acoustic track… It was a little bit of a surprise for them. I also really like Joan of Arc. It’s very different to Soul Mates, and it’s quite an atmospheric track. I think that it’s more like what someone might expect to hear Feeder come out with.
What do you think is the best song you’ve ever written?
I don’t think I’ve got one. I love some of the stuff on the solo record, like Joan of Arc and Soul Mates, and out of the Feeder stuff I really like Forget About Tomorrow. I just love the strings on that song. I’d also say Just The Way I’m Feeling, because of the way that it connected with people, but I’ve also still got a soft spot for High. It was just a song that we desperately needed at the time, and it was the first song that really broke us in America. It’s so simple, and those relatable songs just don’t come along very often, so High is definitely a special song to me.
What made you want to start making music?
I’m not sure. I was from a small town where there wasn’t much to do, and a lot of my mates used to play guitar in bands, so they were the first people who really got me in to both making music and rock music itself. It was also just a way of standing out a bit in school. I wasn’t particularly academic, and music was always something that I really enjoyed doing. I wouldn’t say that I was ever a dedicated singer – even now, I always say that I’m a songwriter who sings! I think that it was just a way of doing something different, to be honest. I think that it was a confidence thing, too – I was never an extrovert in school, and I would’ve been terrified to get up on a stage and do a speech or a play, but to get up there and play guitar was fine with me.
Have you got any tips for aspiring songwriters?
All I can say is that you need to put the songs first. For me, the secret of Feeder’s longevity is that we’ve written some great songs. It’s all very well being cool and looking good, but if you haven’t got the songs to back it up you’re not going to be around for very long. I’d say that it just comes down to a lot of hard work, a bit of luck and a bit of talent. There’s definitely a lot of luck in this business – a lot of it comes down to just having the right song at the right time, or being in the right place at the right time, and I think that Feeder have made a habit of just getting it right over the years. You’ve just got to hone your craft. There are no rules – if I knew the golden rule to making a song immediately successful then I’d be a billionaire. Just believe in what you do and keep doing it. As long as you’ve got the talent, you’ll get somewhere. You don’t even have to be a good musician – some of the biggest songs in the world have only got three chords in them. It’s just about finding something that connects with people.
Out of every song ever recorded, which do you wish you’d written?
I’m not sure I could pick one. There are so, so many… I love Strawberry Fields Forever, Imagine, God Only Knows… It’s really hard to pick one. I don’t think that there’s one song that I could pick, because I get so much out of every different song. Strawberry Fields Forever had a big impact on me when I was younger, so if I had to choose one I’d say that. I like a lot of more recent stuff, too – I love Pyramid Song by Radiohead, and the nineties had some absolutely classic stuff too… I could go on forever!
What does the future hold for you?
I just want to carry on making music and being involved with this industry for as long as I can. I’ve loved doing my solo stuff, and I think that it’s the sort of thing I could do when I’m older without making a fool out of myself. I’d also like to do some more Feeder stuff. I mean, I’ve never given up on Feeder – it’s just that what we originally planned to be a short break has turned into something a little bit longer. I know that it’s frustrating to some people, but the fact that it’s been a long break might mean that people have been missing us a little bit when we do decide to come back. When I get a chance I’ll do another solo album, and then maybe do another Feeder album after that… Who knows! All I know is that I want to be involved with music for as long as I can be.
What’s the secret to Feeder’s longevity?
I’m not sure. I wouldn’t say that we’ve been overly hyped in any way; we enjoyed a few years of being played on the radio, but no matter who you are you’re not always going to be played on Radio 1. We’re just not seen as being relevant to their listening audience any more. I don’t understand radio – for me, if you have a great band and a great song then you should be getting played. It’s very hypocritical. I mean, you’ve got Dave Grohl being played on Radio 1 at the age of forty-seven, and you can’t help but question why he’s on there – I mean, I know he’s Dave Grohl, but is he really relevant to Radio 1’s target audience?
I think that if it’s good music it should be played and people should be allowed to make their own minds up, but unfortunately it isn’t like that anymore. I suppose that the great thing for a band like Feeder is that we’ve got a really good fan base, and the fact that we’ve always toured regularly means that we’ve still got people who want to come to our shows. That’s like gold for a band nowadays, because it’s very difficult for a new band to come along now and achieve that longevity. Some people can – I mean, Arctic Monkeys have done it, but are they really a new band? There aren’t many guitar bands from the last ten years who can now headline a major festival. You need a big bag of hits to be able to headline festivals, and that’s why bands can reform and go straight to the top of the bill. I’m not trying to put a downer on it, and I’m sure that more bands will come along, but I just think it’s really important that radio stations support new bands.
Describe yourself in three words?
Probably not! Hmm… Passionate, driven and sensitive.
Listen to Soul Mates:
