Thanks again so much to Ian Finney for the interview! I interviewed Ian about his band Christopher as I had written about them on the blog as one of those obscure band’s I wanted to know more. I couldn’t let pass the opportunity to ask him about The Tempest, the much more known band he was in, and whose singles I really enjoy! The band released 4 singles and their album still remains unreleased to this day. A classic band of the 80s for me and very happy to learn more about them!
++ Hi again Ian! Thanks so much for being up for another interview! Are you still in touch with the rest of The Tempest members?
Hiya Roque. I’m in touch with most of the band. I lost contact with Mike but I’m on social media with Steve, Stuart and Lyn. I’ve worked with Steve since the band split and we’re in regular contact.
++ Last time we talked about Christopher so what would you say were similarities and differences between Christopher and The Tempest, if any?
The Tempest was a completely different setup to Christopher. The band was Mike’s show entirely. We all had a lot of space to add our own original parts and arrangements but the songs were Mike’s and it was mainly his gig.
Christopher and The Tempest were both guitar-based bands with similar influences. My guitar playing had evolved a lot since The Tempest and I was trying new things. I was a side man in The Tempest, a lead guitarist. I did have some creative control over what I did and there was some input from me on other things while the album was being recorded, but not as a songwriter. Christopher was my band and I was basically in Mike’s position. It was a mirror image of The Tempest.
++ How did The Tempest start as a band? How was the recruiting process?
Mike had a band called Going Gah Gah with Lyn, another guy on guitar (Pete, I think), Stuart on bass, Lyn on backing vocals and Mark Olly on drums. Mike and Lyn were from Liverpool and Mark and Stuart were Warrington-based. The band had a residency in Warrington at Abbey Green studios and demoed the songs there. Pete left the band and they were looking for another guitarist. I’d heard about the audition from the manager at Dawson’s Music in Widnes and phoned the studio and then successfully auditioned for the band.
++ You were telling me you were underage when you were in it, what about the other band members? Were you all so young?
Yes. I was seventeen, Stuart eighteen, Mike was twenty-one and Lyn was ‘ancient’ at twenty four.
++ Had the other band members been in other bands before The Tempest?
I’m not entirely sure. Stuart was a studio player and Mark Olly had been in other bands, but I’m not clear on the details with the other guys.
++ Was The Tempest also based in Halton? Or where did you usually get together? Where were the other band members from?
The band was based in Warrington but were a Liverpool band. We used to meet at Abbey Green studios or directly at rehearsals in Liverpool or London. When we were recording we were all based in hotels or guest houses in Stockport and London.
++ Were there any lineup changes?
It was like Spinal Tap. We were always changing drummers. Mark, Mick, Jon, Steve.
Mark Olly left the band just before we signed. Mick Burland was auditioned and he played on three studio tracks then Jon Sumpton was with us for a while and finally Steve Dolder (ex-Prefab Sprout) joined. It’s worth mentioning since we are from the same home town, that Damian ‘Diz’ McMullen nearly auditioned for the band but Jon came into the audition and blew Mike away with a ten-minute Jazz solo, who hired him on the spot.
++ How was the creative process for The Tempest? Where did you usually practice?
Mike was the songwriter and we either learned his songs from the demos or during rehearsals. To my knowledge nothing new was written during the time the band was signed. We practised in Warrington at first and after signing we rehearsed in Liverpool then later in London at The Clink, Nomis studios and also Lipstick Studios.
++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
We changed the name from Going Gah Gah to The Tempest after signing and I think the record company asked us to do that. Mike thought of the name.
++ And who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?
Mike was certainly influenced by The Beatles and his passion for the band got me into them too. I was a jangle-pop guitarist back then and I was into The Byrds.
++ How did you get the attention of Magnet Records? Did their people come to gigs? Did you send demo tapes?
The groundwork for all this was done before I joined so I can’t tell you any more but demos were sent out and there was a wooing period with EMI, Stiff Records and Magnet. I was very fortunate to be in a position where I joined a band just as they were about to sign a recording contract. It wasn’t an easy ride and I certainly earned my place there.
++ And were there other labels interested in releasing your music?
Stiff Records, EMI and Magnet were interested. Magnet promised Mike more creative control so he chose them, but later we found this wasn’t true. I think if we’d signed with Stiff or EMI the outcome of everything would have been very different.
++ Your first release was the “Always the Same” 7″, right? Was wondering if this was the first time, because of your age, going to a proper recording studio? And if so, how was that experience working with Glenn Tilbrook?
We spent time with Gus Dudgeon in CBS Studios recording a version of Bluebelle before we met Glenn, so that was my first time in a recording studio and I loved it. There was a feeling of deja vu and I was completely at ease with recording.
When I was sixteen I saw a poster of Duran Duran standing in a recording studio with a stand full of guitars behind them. Something struck me about it. “This is what I want to do” I thought, and I was absolutely certain I wanted to be a recording artist. Not to be famous, but to be a professional recording guitarist. I practised so hard. This is what got me expelled from college – I was playing music all the time. I would pretend to be recording live takes in front of a tape machine. When I actually got into a studio and started recording, the engineer Pete Hammond said he couldn’t believe I’d not done it before because I was very precise with playing my riffs and licks and deadened the strings in all the right places during parts of the songs.
Glenn asked me to come up with a solo for ‘Always The Same’ on the spot and I mentioned that I’d been jamming a new phrase at home but it was partly chords. They asked me to play it and I recorded two takes then Glenn asked me to add a few bits on and it was done.
We met Glenn on October 31st 1984 at a rehearsal room near the river. We ran through ‘Always The Same’, ‘Bluebelle’, ‘Tonight’ and ‘The Tempest’. It was a bit surreal to meet him because I’d bought every single Squeeze had released up to that point while I was at school just two or three years earlier. I loved collecting those and they were nearly all released on coloured vinyl.
Working in the studio with Glenn was disciplined and methodical but laid-back. I really enjoyed it. We socialised as well and spent time in the pub and at his place. He remains a friend and we meet occasionally when he’s in the area. He’s always been very complimentary about my playing and my work. I think he is one of the most original British songwriters ever. Squeeze are utterly unique. Pete Hammond and Femi Jiya engineered on the album. Pete is a mixing legend. He engineered nearly everything you heard on UK radio in the 80’s and he’s behind nearly all of PWL’s output. If you’ve been Rick-Rolled, Pete is the guy responsible for that. Femi went on to work with Prince at Paisley Park.
++ Many of your releases were to appear in different formats. Not just 7″s but also 10″s and 12″s for them. What was your favourite format for your music and why?
10”s were interesting because we could get three or four songs on them.
++ Who usually take care of the art for your records? And who appears on the cover of the “Bluebelle” single? And was this the photoshoot that Jill Bryson from Strawberry Switchblade helped with?
Mike thought of the concepts and professional artists developed them. I still have Mike’s original concept sketch for our first single’s cover (Always The Same).
That’s Mike on the cover of Bluebelle. That photoshoot was with Peter Arthur who was the partner of Jill Bryson from Strawberry Switchblade at the time and Jill was at the session. I loved Strawberry Switchblade. I chatted with Jill throughout the day and she learned that I was single and hinted that Rose from the band was looking for a boyfriend. I never chased it up. I can’t remember why. It’s one of those inexplicable mysteries. I think Strawberry Switchblade are remarkable for the cultural influence that they had on Japan that exists to this day. If you look at what they wore back then, you’ll see it. They aren’t copying a certain Japanese Manga style, they invented that look. The band were huge in Japan and that image obviously had a huge influence. I mentioned this to Jill fairly recently and she was very modest about it.
++ But I think I read that there actually “Bluebelle” was to be the first single that it was recorded in 1984 with Gus Dudgeon. What had happened?
The official line at the time was that Magnet Records thought Gus “wasn’t the right guy for our sound”. The truth is much different. One of the other band members had been talking about John Lennon and Gus had been a friend of John. Some things were said and I saw that Gus wasn’t impressed. Then towards the end of the week someone played a joke on Gus in the studio that he didn’t find amusing. I heard him as he turned to his engineer and said “I can’t work with this”. I’m taking a reasonable guess that he quit after that. It’s a very great shame he did because I really liked Gus and admired him for what he’d done for music. He produced Space Oddity by David Bowie, The Zombies ‘She’s Not There’, Elton John’s entire classic 70’s catalogue of songs and John Lennon, who he told me he was ‘”in awe” of. ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ was one of Gus’ songs and it’s a lifelong favourite of mine. He was a legend. I got him to autograph a copy of Elkie Brooks ‘Pearls’ that he’d produced. He was genuinely touched and flattered that I’d asked him to sign it. It was the only autograph I asked for during that time. He passed away with his wife in 2002 after a motorway accident. I still feel terrible when I think of it.
A month after the session with Gus ended we got a message that we were rehearsing in London near the river for pre-production sessions with Glenn Tilbrook. It was around the time he was going through his split period with Chris Difford and was interested in producing us. We spent a few days jamming the songs and were rehearsing next to The Cure, who we heard through the wall in the next room. We started rehearsing Bluebelle and they stopped their song and suddenly began playing ‘Boy’s Don’t Cry’ maybe because they were the same chords and they thought we were ripping them off.
++ These first two singles were released in 1985, and the next two would appear in 1986. You know there was the “C86” tape that year, and I wonder if you felt akin to what would later be the C86 scene? I can see your sound and style part of it myself, but what do you think?!
Interesting observation. We might have been part of that scene. Magnet and other things messed up a lot of things. Records were not in stores. Singles were getting saturated airplay on major national radio and people were walking into shops to buy our records and they weren’t on sale. Who knows what would have happened if people had done their jobs.
++ Then came the “Didn’t We Have a Nice Time?” single. I have to ask, where was that photo from the front cover taken?
That’s West Wycombe Forest.
++ On this single we see that Bobby Valentino played violin! How was working with him?
I think I briefly saw him. I didn’t really talk that much to anyone back then. I still don’t (laughs). He also played violin on The Bluebell’s Young At Heart. Did you know he’s the brother of Anne Dudley (Art of Noise)?
++ You made a promo video for “Didn’t We Have a Nice Time?” which is really fun! It was filmed at Wimbledon Chase Middle School! I wonder how easy it was to work with children, and was the teacher actually the class teacher? I am sure many of the kids must remember that day!
That school was also featured in the film P’tang, Yang, Kipperbang (classic British movie). It was a two-day shoot with interiors in the school on day one and exteriors on day two in a muddy field. I got food poisoning overnight and they had to hire a portable loo for me for the outdoor filming. Thankfully I didn’t need to use it but it was a tough day. One of the film crew was a bit older than me and she was giving me flirty looks but I felt like death. The kids were all surprisingly well-behaved. Thirty years later one of them got in touch with me through my blog. He was the kid scratching his head in the video. The kids loved it and lined up for autographs after the filming. A kid asked me to sign his plectrum. I was only five years older than them and had left school less than two years earlier. It felt very, very surreal. The Teacher was an actress. I think one of the band had a crush on her.
++ Then you released a cover of the Small Faces’ “Lazy Sunday” on 7″ and 12″. There is even a “Crazy Version” of this song on the 12″. Was this song part of your live repertoire? Or how come you choose to release this cover version? Were there other covers that you usually use to play?
We never played it live when I was in the band and I don’t think they did after I left either. We’d released three original songs and it was entirely our A&R man’s plan (James Todd) to release a cover version. I hated the idea. Absolutely hated it. For me it was the last straw in a long line of disagreements over artistic differences and my role within the band. I told Mike I was leaving after our studio session with Steve Levine. He tried to persuade me to stay but was quite understanding about my decision.
++ And lastly the album. What happened? Why was it never released?
The band were dropped a few months after I left and Magnet Records shelved it.
++ But as you say there are copies out. How many copies do you estimate are or were in circulation?
Who knows. A couple. A few. Maybe more. They obviously manufactured some and I’ve seen at least two copies out there for sale, both at ridiculous prices. The last one I saw online was on sale for over a thousand euros. Maybe these were test pressings – or maybe not – maybe Magnet pressed a run and have them in storage and some got nicked (stolen) or leaked. Either way, a few got out there.
++ Do you think there will ever be a chance for it to be properly released someday? Have there been any attempts to do so?
Not that I know of. Maybe some fans could contact Warners Music and get them to release it digitally. It would be nice.
++ The photography in the album looks like from the same photo session as “Didn’t We Have a Nice Time?”. Am I right? Or not?
Yes. Same photo session and sadly I’m responsible for that look. There was a meeting about what image we should have next and I said it might be interesting to try something a bit Victorian, like ‘Doctor Who’. So that’s my fault entirely. It could have been something very 80’s instead but I persuaded Mike to go with the historical look. In hindsight maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. You’ve seen what some bands look like in the 80’s. I think I was the only artist at showbiz parties with a Beatles haircut and sideburns.
++ And how different was to record an album compared to the singles?
It was the same, it just takes longer. There’s a lot of discipline involved in professional recording sessions. You need to be focused and ready to give your best performance. No messing about. You can also get asked to come up with new ideas on the spot. I love that environment. When I’m required to be musically creative I feel alive.
++ Aside from the releases you appeared on a few compilations. One that surprised me is on a Spanish LP compilation called “Ráyate”. This one has “Didn’t We Have. Nice Time”, twice, on the A and B sides. It looks like they had been DJ mixed, but I can’t say as I haven’t heard them, but have you? Do you know how did you ended up in this 1987 comp?
I’ve heard that Spanish fans love the band but this is new to me. I’ll have to check it out.
++ There are two other Spanish compilation featuring this same song. Do you know if this song was a big hit all over Spain? Or perhaps in some select cities like Valencia, where I happen to hear some UK jangle pop songs became DJ mixed and became big dancefloor hits at the discos?
I know we are popular in Spain, but not details. Again, I’ll have to check this out.
++ Then you are in a South African compilation called “Now That’s What I Call Summer” with “Lazy Sunday”. That’s quite cool. I guess that’s as international you can get and appearing next to ABBA, The Beach Boys, that must have been quite something?
It is and I’ve only just discovered this. It’s an odd release because that was from 1986 when the band was still signed and no one knew about this. It doesn’t surprise me though, that’s what record companies are like.
++ And are there more unreleased songs by the band? Aside from the album of course?
There are lots of demos that were made at Abbey Green and I also made a few demos with Mike after I left, as a favour for him. There is the unfinished Gus Dudgeon version of Bluebelle, which I own the only copy of and several other tracks which didn’t make the album. I think they are ‘The Tempest’, ‘I Cannot Be Sure’ and a few others. I have copies of all of these.
++ I think my favourite song, the only one I’ve heard so far!, is “Bluebelle”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?
To be honest with you, I have no idea – it’s Mike’s song.
++ If you were to choose your favorite The Tempest song, which one would that be and why?
Always The Same, the first single. It was my first solo on vinyl and I think it is the best song The Tempest made. My mum would turn the radio up full when it came on and run to the bottom of the stairs and shout “Ian, your song’s on the radio!”. My parents were so proud of me. My dad couldn’t believe I’d got signed. He made me a wood pedal board for my guitar effects pedals and I still have it. I’ve used it for over 30 years. My parents are no longer here with us and every time I hear the song I think of their excitement and how fresh and exciting it all was for everyone in my life and in the band.
I remember coming back from London after weeks of recording. I was exhausted and homesick. It was 3am and my parents were asleep in bed. My mum knew I was returning home that night and had left a covered plate of sandwiches on the kitchen table for me with a note on it which said “eat if hungry”. I made a cup of cocoa and sat drinking it in the semi-darkness and had a startling moment of clarity. I know it sounds soft but I remember feeling profound love for my parents and gratefulness for everything they had done for me. I thought that I’d remember that moment all my life and I did. Every time I hear the song it reminds me of that moment.
++ What about gigs? Did you play many?
We played dozens of gigs as support: The Bluebells, 10,000 Maniacs, The Cardiacs, The Climax Blues band and The Higsons are a few that come to mind. The Higsons (Charlie Higson’s band from The Fast Show) had such a huge rider (free food, drinks etc. that a band asks for at the venue) that I thought we’d walked into an off-licence (liquor store). We played at all the major venues in the UK. The gigs at the original Marquee are ones that come to mind. We did two full British tours. The first supporting The Untouchables, a U.S. Band that had a chart hit at the time. I think that was three weeks of touring and we supported Squeeze on their Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti En Routti tour which was the 6th to the 15th of October 1985. We finished the tour with two sold-out nights at Hammersmith Odeon and then had a great end-of-tour party with Squeeze at some swanky private club in London. It was filled with artists, actors and BBC Radio 1 DJs. The ‘Comic Strip Presents’ actors were there. I got snapped by Paparazzi in a shot with Glenn and Rik Mayall while I was stood at the bar with Robbie Coltrane. Sarah Greene and Mike Smith were grinning at me – I was dressed like I’d stepped through a 1960’s time warp.
++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?
So many great gigs. I’m proud of playing at the long-gone Marquee Club on Wardour Street. Who played there is a list of rock history: The Rolling Stones, Bowie, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix…the list goes on and on. Standing on the same stage, using the same dressing room. You could feel the vibe.
At King Tuts in Glasgow I walked into a room and there was a Roman Soldier in full authentic armour with two female Roman ‘Nymphs’ dressed in togas. I apologised and left the room. I have no idea what was going on.
++ And were there any bad ones?
Everyone’s strings went out of tune at one gig and it was hideous. It was insisted that we change strings each day on tour – even bass strings. There had to be one venue where the humidity and temperature caused absolute mayhem with the metal strings. We got in tune again but it caused frayed tempers onstage.
++ When and why did The Tempest stop making music? Were you involved in any other bands afterwards?
The Steve Levine session was the last one we all did together. I sneezed all the way through as I had terrible hay-fever.
I left the band at the end of summer 1986 and they carried on for a few months but got dropped. There were plans to record with William Orbit but it never happened. I’d had offers to remain in London and Indians in Moscow’s manager made me an offer to manage me but I turned them all down. I was secretly suffering from undiagnosed agoraphobia and I just wanted to get back home.
As you know from my previous interview with you, I formed The Snakeskins. It was a break from the discipline and stress of being in a professional band. I felt like I’d missed the middle of the 1980’s, even though I was right at the heart of everything that was happening at the time. As soon as I left I started regaining my lost teen years. I’d been in the band from when I was 17 to 19. I’d been single for three years and on a professional leash. I got a girlfriend, started writing songs and began to enjoy life. It was great. The pressure I had been under in The Tempest was huge.
++ What about the rest of the band, had they been in other bands afterwards?
I don’t think Mike did anything and he put music behind him, as far as I know. Stuart formed his own music company and wrote music for TV. Lyn formed her own band, Carbon 13, and is now solo, Steve joined The Coal Porters and is now one of the highest-paid live drummers in the UK. He also formed a music company with Martin McAloon, Prefab Sprout’s bassist (Steve is a former member of Prefab Sprout).
++ Has there been any reunion gigs?
Noooo.
++ Did you get much attention from the radio?
Tons. We had saturated airplay on BBC Radio One and played Radio One sessions for Andy Peebles, Richard Skinner (I think) and a few other BBC DJ’s who I can’t remember – I was very nonchalant about what we were doing and didn’t take much notice. We certainly weren’t strangers to BBC Maida Vale Studios.
++ What about TV? Made any promo videos?
There was a video for ‘Didn’t We Have A Nice Time and we got airplay on BBC TV on kid’s TV, The Money Programme and Wogan. Possibly others, I didn’t really pay attention to what was going on at the time.
++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?
Every major music publication got us on board. The NME, Melody Maker, Smash Hits, No 1 Magazine, even the girl’s mag Jackie did a feature on us as well as a bunch of other UK magazines. There were so many.
++ What about from fanzines?
Not that I know of.
++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?
That’s a tough question. There are so many high points that it’s hard to pick just one. For me, personally, the best thing was getting to work with so many great people.
++ Thanks again Ian! This made my day! Anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you Roque, it’s been a pleasure.
I’m looking forward to releasing my first solo music, so please keep an eye out for that on social media.
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Listen
The Tempest – Bluebelle
