THUNDER are one of Britain's best loved blues-rock 'n' roll bands who released some truly stunning albums during the 90's and put their hearts and souls on the line every single gig they played. After splitting up in 1999 after their awesome 'Farewell Tour,' we'd best praise the Gods of Rock... for THUNDER have reformed, released a brand new album - AND are ready to tour once more! Here their brilliant frontman DANNY BOWES thankfully brings us up to speed...
1. HI DANNY, HOW ARE THINGS?
[DB] Fine thanks, apart from a little back trouble, but that's nothing new.
2. ARE YOU AWARE THAT THERE ARE A MASS OF THUNDER FANS WHO AREN'T ACTUALLY AWARE YOU'VE REFORMED AND ARE ACTUALLY AN ACTIVE RECORDING AND TOURING BAND ONCE MORE SINCE YOUR SPLIT IN 1999?
[DB] I'm sure that's the case, after all not everyone has internet access, or knows about our website (www.thunderonline.com) and we're not exactly in every rock magazine every month. Assuming that situation doesn't change, we have to do all we can to alert the fans in every other way, including interviews with your good self.
3. WHAT WAS THE PRIMARY REASON FOR YOU GUYS GETTING BACK TOGETHER SO SOON AFTER PARTING WAYS?
[DB] I was co-promoter of the Monsters Of Rock Tour last year. When we discussed the bill and who we'd have on, Clearchannel basically made it plain that they wanted Thunder to be there. Having been away for two and a half years, they felt we'd help sell the tickets. I was in two minds, as I didn't really want to do it, but the other guys in the band didn't need convincing, and I knew it was the only way to get my event off the ground. Having decided to do it, we knew we had to make a record (a tour and then nothing would have infuriated the fans), and we weren't about to repeat the mistakes of the past and sign to a dodgy label, so we formed our own label, recorded four songs initially and sold them at the MOR shows. The income funded the recording for the rest of the LP, and to be honest, though I wasn't too hot on the idea initially, it was brilliant to do the shows, and having our own label meant we could do it the way we wanted. We released Shooting At The Sun in April, and so far it's selling very well. It's hard work but it's nice to be in control.
4. ARE YOU STILL WRITING, RECORDING AND PERFORMING JUST YOU & LUKE?
[DB] I presume you mean Bowes & Morley? If so then the answer is yes. We enjoyed making and touring our first LP (Moving Swiftly Along, released May 2002), though Thunder getting back together overshadowed it a bit, it was interesting to change style with different musicians. We're in the middle of recording a second B&M record right now, this one will have some covers on it as well as original tunes. It should be out next Spring 2004.
5. WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING IN THUNDER, AND ARE THINGS ANY DIFFERENT THIS TIME AROUND COMPARED TO YOUR RAGING ROCK STORM THROUGH THE 90'S?
[DB] Can't say it ever felt like a raging rock storm, but it was certainly very enjoyable. The vibe in the band is as good as ever, and the shows we've done have been amazing. The real big difference between then and now is having our own label. I have to wear a few hats now so that gets a bit complicated sometimes, but I've done deals for the LP to be released right across Europe as of the end of last month and we're currently doing loads of promotion. The new LP has gone down very well, everyone seems pleased that we've gone back to the style of the first two LPs, so I'm pretty hopeful we can do some good things.
6. DO YOU STILL GET THE SAME KICK OUT OF TOURING AS YOU DID IN THE EARLY DAYS?
[DB] It's harder now, firstly because we're older, and secondly there's more material to choose from. Getting a setlist together gets more complicated with each record, deciding what to leave out is the hardest bit. I still love the live experience, and the crowds still come to enjoy themselves. The shows in the UK in May were probably some of the noisiest we've ever done, so God knows what November will be like. We will see..
7. COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US SOME MORE ABOUT YOUR NEW STUDIO ALBUM?
[DB] It was written in the first 7 months of last year, and recorded in two sessions (September and December), around the Monsters Of Rock tour. Day one in the studio was the first time we'd all been in the same room together for two and a half years, but it felt like the time in between hadn't happened. We clicked in and smashed it out, playing live and fixing bits as we went along. As you can imagine a certain amount of drinking ensued and some things got broken but that's pretty normal for us. I'd say it was very much business as usual in the studio...
8. HOW MANY 'FAREWELL' LIVE ALBUMS DID YOU RELEASE IN THE END?
[DB] What do you mean? We recorded the Dingwalls show in May 2000. It was released as They Think It's All Over later that year, and featured most of both sets (we did two, acoustic and then full on). Papillon subsequently evolved the acoustic set into a separate LP called They Think It's All Acoustic, and put on the missing songs. We did a farewell tour of Japan in 2000 that JVC released as Open The Window Close The Door.
9. WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVOURITE THUNDER SONG - AND WHY?
[DB] Loser, because it's on the new LP... ha ha! Seriously it's impossible to choose with such a huge body of work to sift through. It changes all the time.
10. WHAT DID YOU DO IN YOUR TIME OFF FROM THUNDER APART FROM THE 'BOWES & MORLEY' SET-UP?
[DB] I briefly got into managing a band, and a girl singer, did production work for MTV, filmed live music shows, consulted to a new record label, and became a promoter. I was never idle.
11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT UK MUSIC SCENE, AND DO YOU PREFER THE MUSIC SCENE IN THE US BETTER?
[DB] The music scene in the UK is schizophrenic to say the least. The radio is losing listeners, the record labels are fretting about the internet and lost single sales, and lots of good bands are being ignored by them while they worry about their jobs. The US is better. At least there's a circuit there where bands can learn to get good at playing live. It's times like these I'm glad I have my own label.
12. AND, MOST IMPORTANTY, WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU WILL PLAY A GIG IN HULL OR YORK AGAIN? (They're the closest cities to me and I'm desperate to get to one of your gigs! - Ed.)
[DB] In the past we always tried to play different places on each tour, and we went to Hull and York more than once, but the plain facts are we sell more tickets in some places than others. Apart from that we've only just come back, so we can't take anything for granted. If it goes the way I hope it will go, then there'll be a new LP next year and perhaps we'll be popular enough again to play in your area... So spread the word baby!! www.thunderonline.com