we're working on our 15th studio album yes 15th at this moment right so you're doing it right
now yeah oh wow and how's that going it's quite fractious and nasty but good I don't know James
looked up then like Nick is doing a lot more music down yeah since you're all alone is not enough
um I've pitched him with a couple of lyrics um we've co-written music together
um I've asked him to add some words to my words the other day but he still hasn't done
that he hasn't showed you we've I can't see if you want to turn this into therapy session
welcome backstage to the Isle of Wight Festival I'm joined by two legends James Dean Bradfield
Nikki why good evening how's it going yeah we're all right we're limbering app limbering up takes a
lot you know good a three-hour warm-up these days but we're getting there you're at half ten tonight
and we just had a conversation about how that's too late it's too late to be starting a gig isn't
it that's my bedtime we're usually really winding down with a couple horlicks or something by then
but I'm sure we will gather ourselves yeah I'll be tucking in some 24-hour room service tonight after
work definitely the dream the dream was playing festivals live for you these days because do you
have to change your kind of show or do you not really bother um no you can have you do you have
to change it because obviously you assume that you know the crowd is not there just for you
um and it just might be a lot of floating voters that know floating voters
um and but then you've got to try and put some D Cuts in there as well for the for the dedicated
and uh devotional that are there as well so you've got to kind of mix it up a bit differently but you
can't you can't go do uh too deep you've got to do the greatest hits as well you attempted to ever go
and just throw in like a really obscure B-side oh yeah we just did a warm-up show our first
in the UK for nearly a year and um we did lots of obscurities and all that but we're chickened
out when we did the Saturday there are a few though we're doing a few tracks of lifeblood
which we haven't done for a long time so yeah there's a there's a few little cool balls in
there kind of old school entertainers slightly addicted to Applause yeah um you uh remastered
know your enemy I came out last year what was the decision behind that and why why now well
I just think it it was just when we released it in never say that brilliant and we it was totally
remixed totally reordered reorganized reimagined read something else so is it kind of an itch you
you wanted there was a plan to release it in this format originally um which was kind of his idea to
have two separate albums yeah and I kind of kite Bosh that because I thought it was too ambitious
um so um this was just like I suppose this was just printed out in its in in in its an
original form the way it was intended in the first place yeah before I messed it all up
we're really happy with it what happened you know you could tell the fans were as well I
mean went back in top five album when it was released re-released so uh yeah it's it's the
true representation of The Madness of that era yeah it's nice you can come back to that kind of
and reimagine things absolutely yeah we're lucky enough yeah that we're working on our 15th studio
album yes 15th at this moment right so you're doing it right now yep oh wow and how's that going
quite fractious and nasty but good I don't know James looked up then like we just don't
know where it is I think the main difference is usually we have some kind of mission statement
which we follow kind of vaguely follow when we do a new album but at the moment this just seems
like a collection of songs at the moment this one yeah good song sir yeah good songs there's
no concept there at the moment I don't think no there's not Ultra Vivid lament was much
more conceptual and lonely and sort of distance from itself but this one just just it does feel
like we're just writing songs at the moment but I'm sure I can mold something together
uh make a concept fit as long as you've already written actually exactly I love that record the
old privilege it was so good um so speaking of the concept that's quite interesting so do
you actually literally sit down beforehand and think this is an album we want to make and then
tailor the ideas you have around that or does it come from I think a thread is important our
best records have definitely had a thread even you know whether it's the Holy Bible or this is
my truth they have heard something some kind of interior monologue that that fits fits the way
we uh pursue a goal and it just gives us it frames something so it it makes it easier for us actually
yeah of course and you've got like a blueprint I guess to follow that yes indeed um how has that
changed over the years has songwriting within the band changed or has it kind of stayed pretty much
yes yes change a lot uh kind of um Nick is written a lot more music down yeah since your level alone
is not enough um I've pitched him with a couple of lyrics um we've co-written music together
um I've asked him to add some words to my words the other day but he still has
we're always saying can you please write yeah kind of Rock the Casbah because top of here
from from the class you know kind of famously broke their their biggest hit really yeah
um but um we're constantly nagging Sean to do that as well and to place trumpet again which he is
just so stubborn drummers are the most stubborn people in the world he does that especially on
stage but yeah he just will not pay his trumpet anymore I think we're a bit more Freer to whatever
may happen now oh yeah right um Nick I want to talk to you about Tottenham if that's all right um
I'm a Spurs fan what there's been lots of changes it's been a busy old couple of years uh what do
you think about the whole the whole situation the whole mess I'm gonna go with the worst thing about
it it just becomes so boring and tedious that you actually become indifferent that the actual
hatred or ecstasy as as dissipated into almost not here not that that's I don't care yeah but
you know that's even worse when you just become indifferent it's just that's the worst feeling
of all you know champagne for you guys no no no no no it's just stripped all the joy away from it
if you came for a threat to the new album maybe joyless I can inspire you if I hear that phrase
we got the best stadium in the world one more time I will do something very bad to myself you
should take it out on the next album I'm giving you dramatic license to do it um just before I
let you go can you uh share music or artists or albums you've been enjoying recently I'm always
Keen to know what artists are listening to is there a particular thing you've been listening to
yeah just the new Jenny Lewis album I really I'm a huge fan of hers it's taking me a while to get
into this one but uh it's quite saccharine lyrics a word player just there's something that grabs
me about it just has such an amazing lyrical flow and she's really honest and lays a lot of emotions
base so I've been I've been enjoying that James I think for you I still enjoy really enjoying
the uh big Moon album from last year and I'd wife as well yeah so like uh they've sustained me for
quite a long time now uh gentlemen thank you so much enjoy the big top tonight thank you very much