Music, Style & Culture

A To Z: Francis Neve

DIY catches up with Francis Neve to find out a bit more about him, letter by letter.

Ahead of Francis Neve's ‘Dance Around The Fire’ EP release next month, DIY catches up with the man himself to find out a bit more about him, letter by letter.

A is for… Allotments. They are a great way of spending your free time. Good to unwind whilst at the same time eating sustainable and responsibly grown food. Many a writing session has taken place in amongst the potato rows.

B is for… Brad Verlander - the untapped genius behind all our videos and artwork.

C is for… Calpol, a wonder drug invented for babies. Half a bottle’s worth is perfect for sending an average sized grown man to sleep within 20 minutes. Useful on those long laborious drives between shows.

D is for… Drum machine. Because a drum machine will never ask you to play “one of their songs”. I really wanted to put Dim Sum here but the drummer joke was too hard to resist.

E is for… Electricity. Without electricity, live music would be really quiet and it wouldn’t be very easy to upload songs on to YouTube or send to people in an email. I thank you universe for this mystical device of nature.

F is for… Flava Flav. Without this iconic American rapper, the idea of wearing a full size wall clock around your neck as a fashion accessory would never have caught on. Many of the greatest performing artists of our time would have been arriving late for sound checks throughout the 90’s.

G is for… Girlfriends, the reason for many a heartfelt lyric and depressing album.

H is for… Herbie Hancock, watermelon man.

I is for… Invention..keeps our drummer's mind young.

J is for… June, the beginning of summer...enough said

K is for… 'Killing in the name of'... A lyric that became “the morning prayer” of our drummer's teenage years.

L is for… Louis Theroux – documentary making genius

M is for… Michael Jackson – Icon and inspiration to those of us that enjoy a good dance

N is for… Nirvana - life changing

O is for… Orbital - 'In Sides' album

P is for… Pizzerias – Regularly save our guitarist Nicholas’ life. It’s hard being the only vegetarian in the band.

Q is for… Quantum of Solace. According to Paul (our keyboard player) this is one of the best Bond theme tunes ever but for some reason didn't get the recognition it deserves. And he’s not even a fan of Alicia Keys.

R is for… Radiohead. Doesn't need any explanation.

S is for… Supertramp. Proof that you can be unattractive and geeky and not have a great voice, but still write awesome songs and be a piano-led group

T is for… Tottenham Hotspur. Only 3 people in the band like football, and all three support Spurs, through the good times and the bad.

U is for… Underground by Ben Folds Five. The first song of theirs Paul (our keyboard player) had ever heard. Ben Folds made him want to write music and he wouldn't be doing what he is now if it weren't for that tune …Ahhhh

V is for… Voodoo People, always a classic when standing in a field & hovering just outside the usual boundaries of the human mind.

W is for… William Shatner, As well as brilliant Pulp covers, if it hadn’t been for the Shatner then John Carpenter's Halloween would have been somewhat different. Legend has it that due to budget restrictions the makers of Halloween used a discarded plastic cast of the Shatner’s face that had been tossed in the bin by the Star Trek studio next door for the original Myers mask!

X is for... XOXO, hugs and kisses, we don't really need them but do really need them.

Y is for... Yellow Cap Mushroom (Amanita Muscaria). A great source of inspiration when the pen has run dry. Auditory and visual distortions, mood changes, euphoria, relaxation, ataxia, and loss of equilibrium can be expected.

Z is for... Zlatan Ibrahimovic, not as good as Jermain Defoe.

Francis Neve's new EP 'Dance Around The Fire’ will be released on 5th December via FRR Records.