Still game
It may be 15 years since the last album by Happy Mondays, but as Neil Cooper finds out, Shaun Ryder refuses to act middle-aged
‘ olal‘ Shaun Ryder ix _itl\l baek from Spain. and has elearl} been learning the language. In betueen \ltt)\\\
leading up to ne\t \teek'x 'l‘ on the l-‘ringe gig. though. the \tll’pl'l\tttgl_\ \ltitt'p and deeidedl} al‘table llapp) Monday trontman l\ at home. ‘eatehing up on me tell}. I‘m reall} liking llt'rot'xjust non.‘
Sueh an image ol~ doinextieit) is a tar er} l'rom llapp} Monday‘ Madehexter l1t'_\tlti). \\hen. b_\ melding indie guitars to daneelloor shul'l'le. the} more or less imenled Bagg). democratising the daneel‘loor as they \xent. The Monday‘ \hambolie gang mentalit) \\Lt\ a long \xa} t‘rom the too~eooldirt—school attitude that then pre\ailed in a musie seene geared touards posh- bo} students. Ryler and co pro\ ed an_xone could do it. :\x original Monday Ryler. Be/ and (ia/ \Vhelan return \\ ith ('in'lt' I)_\'.\/itii/\Ii‘tiiittl. the band\ first albutu ol' ne\\ material in IS _\ear\. just hon melloxx are Happy Monday no“ ‘.’
‘l‘m not some l‘uekin‘ g}m treak or out like that.‘ a cleaned-up Ryler ilt\i.\l.\. ‘lt‘s just about getting middle-aged and beeorning a boring old fart. 'l‘he _\oung lads in the hand. though. the} .re all in their 3th. and thefre like “C \xere. onl_\ not as l‘ueked up.‘
The crash and burn tale of llapp) Monday‘ first incarnation is a drug-fuelled legend featuring stolen mastertapes. guns and l{_\der\ spiralling eraek addietion. lt linall} all fell apart in 1992 during e\tended recording sessions for the banth lt's l’lt'tiw.’ album. and l‘aetol'} Records. the maxeriek Manehester label who were mad enough to gi\ e the Monday a budget. \x'ent xx ith it.
We‘re talking a eouple of week before l‘ormer Faetor) Records boss 'l‘on) Wilson‘s death l‘ollou ing eomplieations eatised b_\ eaneer ol' the kidne). Wilson. ot‘ eourse. .\tl\\ R}der as a poet. and eompared him to \\'B Yeats. R}der sniekers
90 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE . a Add '. Se:
\\ iekedl} \xhen reminded ol‘ this.
'l low l0”): llL‘ \Ll_\\. .llL‘.\ gt‘L'al. llC.\ tL‘ttll}. reall} tunn}. But some of the shut he comes ottl \\ ith . . f
It \\a\ former Monday manager Nathan .\le(iough (non looking alter 'l'o\\er\ ol London) and current manager lilliot Raxlunan tt‘ormerl} doing the same for Sinipl} Redi who raised lunds to pro\ide \Vilson \xith Sutent. the Ufitlli-a—month lile \a\ing drug \Vllvilt \\a\ l't'lth‘tl twee“ [ti on the \l l3.
\Vilson nould lta\ e been proud ot' ('m'lt' /)_\'.s/it/i/\I/'tiiitil. a deeitledl} un—mhhllearged \\ ig- out t'eaturing Ryler'x trademark pop eulture inspired none \CtlllllL‘l'N. lt'x here Ryler's absorption of I/t'mm and other 'l‘\' \lltt\\\ makes sense.
’.-\ll the song\ I \\ rite are like these black L'lll’ltitllh.‘ \tt}\ Rylei’. ‘il‘he.\'re \\;tL‘l\_\. :ltttl lllll meant to be taken too \eriouxl}. 5a) ing anti»\\ar on the daneelloor is about as political as I get.‘
llapp} Monday t'irst reformed in l‘)‘)‘) for “but l{_\tlc‘l‘ tlL‘\L‘l'ilk‘\ ;t\ 'lllL‘ Slttmatltl} \\;ttltl} )L‘ill'N. ll \\;t\ L'ill‘ill'k‘l.. lllLNL‘ greatext llll\ \lltl\\\ l'or ageing raxerx \\ ere. b} the banth own admission. to pa} a ta\ bill 'the \i/e ot'('anada‘.
The band's eurrent inearnation l\ a far more \L‘l'ltlth aliair. Whether it eompares to the Monday of old remains to be seen. Ryler for one. though. has no regrets.
'l lo\ed all M it.‘ he sa} \. 'li\en the l‘uek-upx are all just a big learning e\perienee. We “as in the rnusie lHl\lllL‘\\. and that “in l'uekin‘ Ullll‘tlgcttlh to tl\. and it still is. l ne\er reall) liked being on TV or in maga/ines. all that bullshit ol~ people thinking _\ou‘re great eox _\ou're in a band. 'l’here's so man} priekx in the music btisinexx. and u e \\a\ prett} thick. We
just did our oun thing and got aua} \\ ith it.‘
T on the Fringe, Corn Exchange, 0870 169 0100, 24 Aug, 7pm, £25.
Pitch erfect
Led by Chiara Banchini, regarded as one of the world's foremost experts on baroque music, Ensemble 415 make their debut at this year's International Festival, as Carol Main reports