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First & Last: Singing Adams

Tea, orienteering & Duran Duran

Posted 7th May 2011, 1:30pm in Features, by Harriet Jennings


What better way to spend your Saturday morning than reading someone else's Firsts & Lasts? Steven Adams from Singing Adams chats to DIY about tea, orienteering & Duran Duran.

Things you've done today?
First: Drank a cup of tea and listened to the news on the radio. Heavy news day. Had another cup of tea.
Last: I just ate a delicious sandwich.

Instrument you learnt to play?
First: I had a really horrible keyboard for my 13th birthday. I didn't really learn to play it properly, but I had a Duran Duran songbook, so I used to play the 'autochords' and sing along.
Last: Last night I tried to play the tambourine. Does that count?

Time you played music live?
First: In a community centre in the Forest of Dean with a really lame punk band. It was just a practise but some older kids came in to be our audience. They pretended to like us and then teased us afterwards, which wasn't really in the spirit of hardcore, but we were crap. We did a cover of 'Just Be Good To Me'.
Last: A few weeks ago in Brighton.

Song you wrote by yourself?
First: I think it was a song about orienteering called 'We're Orienteering'. It had a call and response thing, so it was great for singing whilst orienteering. I only did orienteering once and I can't really remember what it was. Maps?
Last: The other night I was trying to finish a song about Agatha Christie that I keep coming back to but I got sidetracked.

Time spent in the recording studio? 
First: Years ago. A publishing company in Parson's Green paid for the band I was in to record. I think we thought we'd made it but all we got was a really badly recorded cassette of our awful music.
Last: Last night. Me and William from Records Records Records were locked in their studio, a bit hysterical.

Record that inspired you?
First: Maybe 'Wild Boys' by Duran Duran. I never knew music could be so meaningful.
Last: I've just realised I'm nuts about A. L. Lloyd singing 'All For Me Grog' in the last couple of days. It sounds kind of absurd now, because it's pretty

Musician you met?
First: I guess it would have been a Spanish guy playing Phil Collins covers in a hotel on holiday. He seemed nice enough, and he could do all the drums and everything with his keyboard. 
Last: I saw Ray Davies on Sunday but I didn't speak to him. That'll have to do.

Gig you went to?
First: Ah. It was John Paul Jones' Blues Band but Ian Hunter from Mott The Hoople was supporting. He didn't have any shoes on and he did 'Working Class Hero' by John Lennon. I was blown away by a man with no shoes on swearing. The Blues Band were pretty dull I think. 
Last: It was Flats and Mazes at the Dublin Castle. Mazes were really good.

Favourite band / act?
First: Duran Duran. This is unfairly weighted towards Duran Duran.
Last: At the moment I think I'm back to The Walkmen. They distill so much of what I love about music into what they do, and their songwriting just gets better and better.

Musical collaboration?
First: I think it was that punk band. We were called The Ayatollahs for a while and then changed the name to Misery when we got a bit heavier.
Last: Singing Adams!

Format you bought music in?
First: 7" single. Probably 'Goody Two Shoes' by Adam Ant. It's really catchy.
Last: I just downloaded some old music hall recordings the other night.

Music magazine you regularly bought?
First: Smash Hits. It used to be really funny, and you'd get important facts about pop stars from it.
Last: Terrorizer. Not all the time, but I do love it.
 
And what'll you be doing next?
I'm off to see some friends, bye.

Singing Adams debut album 'Everybody Friends Now' is out now on Rcrds Rcrds Rcrds Rcrds
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