[none]When Supergrass first exploded onto the UK music scene in 1994 with their fantastic debut I Should Coco, they were the epitome of the Brit Pop movement - young, outrageous and producing some of the freshest music around. Twelve years on and, while the music may have matured a little; they're still having as much fun as ever. With a new record in the pipeline - their sixth studio album to date - and a load of festival dates on the horizon, I spoke to wide-eyed drummer Danny Goffey and asked him how the new album was going.
Well, we've just finished it actually. We wrote it at each other's houses at the start of the year and then went to a studio in Berlin to record. Our producer Nick Launay, who produces Nick Cave amongst others, is mixing it at the moment and he's sending me new mixes every day - it's great, like getting a little present every morning.
The Supergrass sound that we've heard on the last few albums has been a marked departure from your early music, which was largely defined by its upbeat, youthful feel. Was that ever a conscious decision or simply a natural progression for a band who've been together so long?
Well, I don't know. I suppose it wasn't really a conscious decision, but, you know, we've all got kids and I think you change quite a lot, you can't just do the same thing again and again - you'd go a bit mad. You can get a bit too absorbed in it, some of the middle albums are a bit deep and dark - we spent far too long on them probably. This one is definitely the most upbeat album we've done for years, we're going back to how we play quite well, that kind of slightly manic thing. We kinda just thought, lets do some stuff where we can really get off on it, play some loud stuff. It's a total departure from the last album we did.
You met lead singer Gaz Coombes whilst still at school and, along with bassist Mickey Quinn, the three of you hit the big time when you and Gaz were only just entering your twenties. Was spending those formative years within the music industry a difficult thing to do?
No, it was great! It was really good fun, we all lived in the same house together in Oxford and it was just like going on a big trip. The first two years were really amazing. I think if you're quite young like that, you don't really know what you're doing, but we had full control of it. We weren't told to write a certain way or anything so what we were doing was really organic and you know, it's amazing, travelling the world with your friends. I think it opened our eyes to a lot of stuff, the way you make music etc., we didn't really have anyone telling us how to do it.
And with the huge influx of young guitar bands dominating the charts at the moment, do you ever see a bit of yourself in them?
[none]Yeah, maybe, in bands like the Arctic Monkeys. I don't know if I see much of us in them, but the way that they approach their music, you can tell that in their songs they're trying to do something that's quite fresh and about them, not really about a scene or a type of music. They're pushing their music in funny directions and it kinda reminds me a bit of when we started because you can tell that they're really into what they're doing and they're into making new music as opposed to using that old indie rock'n'roll formula.
Talking of new bands, with the arrival of the Internet and all the opportunities it now affords musicians, do you think it's easier for underground or indie bands to break into the mainstream these days?
Maybe. Maybe it's easier to get your music out there, but I think you still have to have really good songs and have that really full-on ethic that 'this band is great'. I suppose it's a bit of luck as well, you know, meeting the right people.
And are there any new bands that you've got your eye on at the moment?
There's a few - I can't really think of any off the top of my head though! For the last two months I haven't really listened to anything, we've been turning German in Berlin! I listen to the radio and stuff, but I don't, like, read the NME every week. There's a great band called Acoustic Ladyland, they're an off-the-wall rock'n'roll jazz band. There's also a band called The Peth that my friend Rhys Ifans is in. They've just mastered their album, they've got a song called 'Let's Go F***ing Mental' which I'm sure will be a big hit. And Ed Harcourt's one of my favourite's too - he's my little daughter's Godfather. He's a genius.
In an age when new bands seem to disappear as quickly as they emerge, Supergrass are one of the few groups from the Brit Pop era who've managed to survive and who are still consistently producing new material. What's been the secret to your longevity?
I really don't know. It's been a struggle during some periods, we've all had a few mad times and gone a bit off the rails here and there and maybe not produced the sort of music we're capable of, just 'cause it's really hard sorting life out sometimes.
The recipe for a long-lasting band, with us I think, is that we all write songs and so there's quite a big creative force in the band. Some bands might just have one or two writers and if they dry up, that's the end of the band really. Like, on the last album I didn't have much to do with it, well no, I had quite a lot to do with it but in the finishing off of the album and the lyrics and stuff, I was a bit AWOL...but on this album I've had loads to do with it. We're just really strong at the moment and really into each other - everyone's very sorted in their lives at the moment.
[none]And you've been working on some solo stuff too...
Yeah, I've been doing the Van Goffey stuff, its just me basically, it should be really good. Hopefully that's going to be recorded at the end of this summer, and people like Ed will probably come down and record some stuff on it - we'll just have to see how that goes.
So, with the new album nearly finished, what have you got planned for the rest of the year?
Well, we're not too sure when the record's coming out, it could come out later this year or it could come out in January, we've got to work that out, but we're going to try and do lots of gigs around London and some other big cities, just getting in and doing some sweaty gigs and getting back on the road a bit more. We're really up for that; we always sound really good in small clubs.
Back in 2004, you released the Supergrass Is Ten Greatest Hits compilation to celebrate a decade in the business - do you think you'll be releasing a Supergrass Is Twenty?
Probably, yeah. That would be, what, 2014? Yeah, I reckon, I'm sure we've got a couple more albums in us. This album we've just done is by far our best and, as long as we're happy and the music's good we'll keep going - we're all quite youthful looking too, so we should get away with it!
And, looking back, do you feel proud of the Supergrass back catalogue?
Yeah, definitely. Occasionally my daughters and their friends will put on the Supergrass DVD that we made and, looking at that sometimes, over the ten, twelve years, however long it's been, there's some great moments. So yeah, I'm proud. I'm proud that I've held it all together and have got a family. I'm just enjoying life at the moment
Supergrass will be playing at GuilFest, Electric Gardens, Fflam Festival and Live At Loch Lomond this summer, as well as supporting the Arctic Monkeys at the Lancashire County Cricket Ground. For more details, click here.
Interview: Meg Rowell
