9 years since the last
album…what have you and the boys been up to?
We've been touring a great deal taking in England, Scotland Germany,
France, Japan, Belgium, Spain including the Basque Country, France,
Italy, Denmark Norway Sweden Poland Czech Republic, USA, Argentina and
Brazil.
We've also recently recorded a live DVD for Secret Records which has
interviews with all the band and some of our followers. It's film
quality and we hope it’s going to be released soon.
What still makes
999 tick and want to carry on?
999 has been around since 1976 and yet we've only had two line up
changes Danny Palmer replaced Jon Watson 1986 and a couple of years
later he was replaced by Arturo Bassick. So we have worked together for
a long time as one of the original bands from the beginning of the
Punk/New Wave thing. Promoters want to put us on and people want to see
the band. We get people who have seen us at every stage in our career
and have also got lots of new followers over the thirty years we have
been together as a band. We are also always pleased that we go down so
well live, the music really connects with our audiences so as long as we
can do exciting live shows and people want to see us and listen to our
music we will do it. That's what makes 999 tick.
The new album is
a corker! How long did it take to record and how long to write the
songs?
Thanks for the encouragement and a great review. We approached a number
of companies to do Death In Soho but it was Overground Records who gave
us our chance.
We have been writing the album since early 2006 but really started to
get the songs finished by Christmas 2006. We then rehearsed extensively
in Darlington, Acton London, and finally with a number of rehearsals in
Soho London during April, May and June and then recorded the album in
July at Perryvale Studios in South London, Pat Collier's (formerly of
the Vibrators) place. We've known Pat for years and worked with him at
his Greenhouse Studio in 1983/4. Pat was an amazing help as we had not
recorded an album for nine years and the technological changes have
understandably been huge. 999 has had the lot vinyl albums,singles, 12
inch singles, 78 rpm single, DAT, CD, VHS,DVD, well its downloads now! I
wonder what's next?
What do you
think of it and what’s your favourites on there?
How do you rate it against past albums?
Funny thing Pablo said to me at the studio towards the end of the
recording sessions "Nick I think this is the best album we've done since
Separates", then Guy said to me later "I think this album is even better
than our earlier albums - if we had Death In Soho back then - wow". I
say it's the first album we've made that everyone unanimously thought
was good and which we still enjoy listening to. It's hard to pick
favourite tracks we've just started to play some of the songs live and
they are going down really well no doubt our audience will choose our
favourites for us.
I would like this opportunity to thank all our friends and followers for
nagging us to do a new album. The time was right. Death in Soho is out
and the feedback we've had has been great. Now it's time for us to take
the songs out on the road it's great to have new stuff to play to our
audiences. The tour will kick off in the UK and we will take the new
songs to every possible country in 2007- 2008 and beyond - so catch us
in a city near you.
I’m curious as
to your influences both back when you formed and now?
Back in the days before 999 were formed I played guitar in Kilburn and
the High Roads. Many of my influences then still stand now and it was
great to be in a pub rock band, what better training could you have for
Punk? I was considered for the position of guitarist in Dr. Feelgood
after Wilco left but 999 was already taking up much of my time and I've
no regrets. The Kilburns signed to Pye records and that was good because
I got a copy of The Golden Hour Of The Kinks who were a big influence as
were Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Eddie
Floyd, Wilson Picket, Mutabaruka, Gregory Isaacs, The Stooges, New York
Dolls, Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs, Ennio Morricone and The Who the
band gave Kilburn and the High Roads the support slot on the
Quadrophenia tour and it was great to watch them in action on that tour.
When 999 started in 1976 it was great and obviously influential to play
with all our contemporaries The Damned, The Stranglers, The Jam, Iggy
Pop the list is endless. It has also recently become very special to me
personally to have played with the Hearbreakers who were a cracking live
band. We played a few shows in the UK and the US including one very
memorable performance at the Peppermint Lounge, New York City with
Johnny Thunders and Walter Lure. It was very sad to see the decline. By
way of those memories I have included Pirate Love, one of my favourite
Hearbreakers songs, in my solo set. Somebody from Japan told me it was
"a really great thing that you do that song". It does bring a tear to my
eye all those great musicians gone - but not forgotten.
What are your
favourite things you’re listening to at the mo?
Amongst others some already listed above are The Stooges and The Briefs
from California
What does being
in 999 mean to you in 2007?
It means thirty years in the business and we're are really proud to have
a Death in Soho out once again thank you to all our supporters who
continue to come to our concerts listen to our music and won't let us
stop.
The music lives on - we live on - for the present. Long live the music
long live the people.
Nick Cash & 999
Live in Poland
piccie courtesy of Nick Cash
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