|
When Mesh first started out they
were a trio. Today they are duo and I wondered what roles each
member took on in the band. "Initially we were all into
keyboards and the electronic thing. Sampling, programming and
when I first met Mark he was doing that job in another band. He
did one track, he sung on one track and I thought this guy has
got a really good voice. I approached Mark and said would you be
interested in doing some other work and that's where the kind of
Mesh thing started. So we all were programmers and we were all
into keyboards but Mark took the role of being the singer. As
time went on I think we all kind of found our own little niche
in the band and what to do. So Neil was more the business side
because that obviously took off so much with record companies,
publishers and promotion so he took on that role. Mark carried
on being the singer/songwriter and then I was the kind of the
producer, programmer doing most of the studio work" explained
Rich.
Musically though did Mesh use real
instruments when recording and playing live? "Yes we do.
Initially we were very electronic and it was all programmed. As
time went on we wanted to add more live instruments into the
show because it just looked kind of static. It wasn't exciting
and most electronic bands, nine times out of ten they are miming
to something. It's because that's the way the music is, you've
got to programme it or you are either stood there playing to a
backing track or to some kind of sequencer. So we took the bold
step and said we need a drummer to take on the drumming parts of
the songs and all the guitar parts we said we'd do and started
playing live. A lot of the keyboards are played live now."
So what about the song writing? Is
it shared between you and Mark I ask. "It can go one of two ways
really. Mark, he often writes with acoustic guitar. He writes a
song in very basic form, so it comes out almost like a folk
song. It's just literally acoustic and him singing. Or I will
programme a piece of music in song form so it would be verse,
chorus, verse, chorus just roughly and give it to Mark. He would
come back with some lyrics over the top and an idea for a melody
and then in the studio we strip it right back down and start
again, so you know where you are going with it, you have an
idea, so that's how we do it really." Rich makes it sound so
straight forward.
But does he ever write song lyrics
himself? "No I don't but I can tell you what Mark writes about.
He takes a lot from life and experiences he's had. I know on the
last album it was a lot of things he saw on television and just
things in general that kind of shock you or make you sit down
and really think about things. I think that's where he gets most
of his inspiration from. A lot of his songs sound very kind of
lovey dovey, ummm ... no not lovey dovey that's the wrong word,
kind of almost like love songs. If you actually listen to the
lyrics and really get into them most of them are nothing like
what you imagined them to be. He never really gives away what
the song is all about even though I know. People interpret it in
different ways and I think that is really good. All the bands I
used to like, I used to listen to it and get really drawn into
the song and think what the hell's all that about? Or it would
have some kind of meaning to you where the chances are it didn't
mean anything like that to the songwriter. So usually he doesn't
give much stuff away about what the songs are about really."
Rich says cryptically.
Mesh have great success in Europe
but in the UK their music seems to have been ignored by the
mainstream market, why? "We have got a very loyal fan base in
the UK. We can play shows in London and 700 - 800 people or
more will turn up at a venue we are playing. We have done quite
a few shows up and down the Country and we always get a crowd
but whether it is a big crowd or not it's difficult to say. Some
venues we sell out but I think we concentrated on Europe because
it's a really healthy scene over there. The music scene is so
professional. The people there are prepared to put money into it
and make it a success whereas the UK is very ....... well you
are either nothing or you are massive. There isn't any halfway
ground anymore. It's changed to what it used to be. Places like
Germany, Scandinavia, most of Europe. In fact we've been to
places such as Russia and the response is really big crowds
where ever we go". says Rich
The band have also travelled to the
USA and plan to go back. "We did have an album promoted over
there and we have done a few shows too. In fact we flew out just
before the Twin Towers disaster and flew out to Chicago and
ended with a show in New York which was sold out. We were
absolutely gobsmacked. We had never been to New York before and
we sold out this club and that was really cool. Then we went
down to Orlando and we also played in Texas. So we have been
there but it has never been an extensive tour or proper tour,
it's only been one off shows or a several shows at a time. It's
one of those things we'd really like to explore and give it a go
because I think you haven't got to make it massive in America to
make a lot of money and become quite successful. It's one of
those things on our list to try really".
The guys seem to go out doing
concerts on a regular basis but how do they transfer what we
hear on CD to the stage? "When we've written a song we always
try and interpret it in a slightly different way live just to
try and make it interesting for people. We strip everything down
and change sounds and possibly try to speed things up to give
that dancey feel to it or extend tracks to make them more
interesting. That's how we do it. We'll replace some of the
programmed sections with real instruments and I think it gives a
whole different feet really." Rich explains
So given the choice between their
own tours or headlining festivals which do Mark and Rich prefer
doing? "I think we love doing our own tours. When you do your
own tours you know that all the people that are there have come
to see you and it's a great atmosphere. It's like our whole
family going on the road and going to visit all these people.
It's fantastic. Saying that, the whole festival thing is good
because you get to meet new people and get to play your music to
people who have most probably never heard of you or seen you, so
it's kind of 50/50 but I think if I had to be pushed I would say
our own tours are better."
Mesh recently did a couple festivals
in France and Germany which showed how versatile they can be on
stage. I just couldn't resist asking how it all went. "You know
how it went!" says Rich laughing. "France was quite good. We've
not played there often to be honest with you so that was
probably a thousand people I guess in a club. That was quite
good to go back and do something different. It's quite
challenging with Countries you haven't played that much in. And
then we had an overnight stint straight to Cologne. We were on
the main stage and there was probably about 8,000 people maybe
more. It was fantastic, it was one of the better shows. It was
rather memorable because our instruments crashed while we were
on stage. Both mine and Jeff's keyboards broke down and all the
sequencing broke and stopped The only thing that was left was
our drummer and us singing. But it was really good because the
whole crowd joined in and we were getting everybody going.
We did one number literally all the way through accapella but it
made the whole thing so memorable. It was really good" he says
confidently.
During the interview Rich is showing
me the band's new live in concert DVD due for release the end of
November and there are only four people on the stage.
"Yes. That's all we need" says Rich laughing. "There is some
sequencing. There are noises coming out of keyboards that are
programmed and then we have a live drummer who has a hell of a
job keeping up with us because, obviously in that situation he
has to play with the programmed music whereas in a normal band
situation the drummer would be the time keeper but in our
situation it's different. And then there are two keyboard
players, myself and a guy called Jeff and Mark singing, so there
is quite a lot going on really."
And with Mark and Rich touring so
much how many people does it really involve to get the Mesh show
on the road? "There's about ten people behind the scenes that
make everything work. We have a very strong family bond crew. We
have a sound man, a lighting man, keyboard technicians, three or
four roadies, a girl who does our merchandising and controls
that kind of thing. We also have a tour manager, a bus driver,
so it's really good. What you see on stage is four guys jumping
up and down doing their bit but the main body of work is done
all through the day by these other guys who work really really
hard" says Rich giving credit to the behind scenes team.
From my sister Jo I keep hearing how
good the Mesh shows are and I asked how much artistic and
creative input he and Mark gave to their live performances. "I'd
say 99%. As a band we've always been control freaks which in
some ways can be a very negative. But we've never liked to
let anything go. Right from the start we always used to do the
recording, the writing, the production. Neil used to do all the
art work, all the CD covers, the photography. We felt very
proud, every time we put an album out as it was us. Nobody else
involved. It wasn't some technical guy doing all the music for
us. We've always felt like we need to control this, we like
putting out what is essentially 99% us. In a live show we do a
big video production and that's been done by us as well. So we
spend a bit of time capturing images on video, editing it and
making these whole shows in the background. So yeah, basically
it's all us really." he says
With live concert footage being
screened in the background whilst I was doing this interview I
noticed some up close shots and wondered how Rich felt having a
camera in his face all the time. "It was quite good actually. It
was very eye opening I guess and it was the last show of the
tour." he says "We had six guys there with high quality
professional cameras capturing everything we were doing. It was
slightly intimidating in the sense that you've got somebody
almost up your nostrils with a camera and watching what you are
doing with your hands. Towards the end it was quite good, you
knew they were there and you knew what to expect from them and
it was alright. I think, you know, they've captured it quite
well. You'll get to see it all when the DVD comes out". Rich
says enthusiastically.
But how does filming a live concert
differ from making a video for the latest single release? "It's
completely different really. I've never felt really comfortable
doing videos because we're not actors." And Rich starts
laughing. "I mean it's one of those things where you crack up
laughing because you feel so embarrassed and almost like a fish
out of water when you are asked to do certain roles and certain
things in videos. Whereas the live thing I felt reasonably
comfortable because it's what we do. We knew what we were doing
and it's just somebody capturing that. Making videos is a
completely different thing" and he continues laughing because he
does find that an uncomfortable experience.
Rich and Mark are so proud of
originating from Bristol. They still live in the city and have
never been tempted to move away. "I am very patriotic as a
person and very proud of the fact that we are from Bristol. In
most interviews we do all over the world, it's something that
comes up and it's something I like to put in. So when they say
where do you come from I don't say the UK I always say we come
from Bristol in the UK. We are quite proud of it regardless of
whether people know us in Bristol. We continue to do shows and
we did a show last year at the Bristol Bierkeller and we are
back there again in November and also playing Manchester and
London. We are looking forward to playing Bristol because it's
our home and we'll be playing in front of family and friends."
Another rare smile appears on his face.
Being a Bristol lad I wondered if
any of his school mates remembered him from school and what they
would say about his chosen career. "I don't know really. They
probably wouldn't think much of it because they might not know
who we are. However I did have someone contact me through
Friends Reunited who I used to go to school with. He lives in
Australia now. He wrote to me and said he was desperately trying
to break into the music business and he couldn't believe that we
were or rather I was doing so well. He was asking who to contact
and what to do so I gave him some advice. I hope it helped. So
that was quite nice really. Somebody I knew from my distant past
obviously, contacting me".
With X-Factor back on TV did Rich
think these type of shows damage the music business, after all
it skips the apprenticeship stage that most bands and artists go
through. "Possibly now, yes. I think the initial idea was great.
It was really interesting as it had the nation gripped. They
were looking for somebody as they used to years ago like on 'New
Faces' and 'Opportunity Knocks'. It was kind of like a new old
idea, it was really good but now I think history has shown that
if you win you are not necessarily going to capture the nation
to support you. There are so many people who have won it and
disappeared almost over night so I'm not totally convinced that
it's a great thing anymore." says Rich
But does the show try and make the
music business too easy after all it's instant fame isn't it? "I
think the massive point they miss with all those shows is that
there are people on the show that can sing and they are
fantastic singers. They are looking for a brilliant singer, but
pop music isn't about brilliant singers. It's about characters
and personas and you know being right characters and I think a
lot of these people just haven't got that. You only get that
through doing it the hard way by serving your apprenticeship and
over coming obstacles along the way and I think that's what's
missing. I think that's what they don't realise. And they are
still looking for the perfect singer." he says analytically.
With the success of Mesh, has that
enabled you and Mark to give up your day jobs? "Yes it has. In
the year 2000 we got approached by Sony Colombia and they
offered us a very nice sum of money to be honest to do two
albums for them. It was something we had to think long and hard about.
We have families, we had careers and jobs and we thought it's a
chance of a lifetime. Most bands never get anywhere near that
stage being offered that sort of money, so we decided to take
it. We gave up our jobs and pursued it as best we could really.
But the music business has changed so much now with downloads
and the whole kind of record sales that it's not big business
and we realise that and if we are going to carry on we need to
almost fund it as well. So we decided that we'd keep the money
and also do a part-time job and go back and keep our careers on
hold. But if anything went wrong it was always there as
something to fall back on so that's where we are at really. I'm
in a position where I can if I want to, spend so many weeks in
the studio and get paid or go and do my normal job and get paid
for that as well" says Rich
So who influences Mark and Rich in a
music sense? "It's quite funny. When we met we had very similar
record collections and it was all from the kind of very early
electronic stuff and the Mute stuff. Mute records had the
'Silicone Teens', 'Yazoo', 'Depeche Mode' and all those kind of
early pioneers of electronic music. The other day when we played
in Cologne and there was a band there called 'Portion Control'.
They were one of those bands I was really into as a youngster
and it was just so funny to be able to just walk up to them, say
hello and have a chat. They were lower down the bill, they were
the first artists on that day and we're kind of five or six
bands above them now you know and that was quite an honour
really. It was good music so it's all that kind of really early
electronic bands, that were trying to make it something
interesting. Although the 80's were being renowned for 'Kajagoogoo'
and that kind of crap, I was more into the music that people
hadn't really heard of, the dark underground electronic sound".
Not only do Mesh do their own work,
they also do remixes and dance mixes for other bands and
artists. "We've done that a few times." Rich says modestly never
over stating their success. "I suppose it's a reasonable amount
of money you can charge. I think people come to you because you
are a named artist. I don't think it's that easy for anybody sat
in their bedroom. There are thousands of people up and down the
Country that are really good at it, but they won't be approached
because they are not a name. I think people are after, for
example 'Can we have a Mesh remix' and can we put the words
'Mesh remix' on it? So there is a means of making some money by
doing that and it's also a means of getting to new people as
well. If they like the remix or dance version we've done of
their favourite artist track they are probably going to think
who the hell are 'Mesh' and search out our music too. We are
always happy to work with other bands and artists and remix
their tracks." he says with feet firmly planted on the ground.
I had to ask Rich if there was an
ultimate band or artiste he would love to do a remix for. "I'm a
very big fan of a guy called Trent Resner, obviously Nine Inch
Nails. I think he was very inspirational. I mean he took the
whole electronic thing and turned it on it's head really by
doing something really weird with it, making it distorted and
almost present it in a very heavy rock way. It's produced in the
same way as Madonna would do with her albums, it's all done in a
studio with computers. It was kind of just a different take on
it in it's day. It was really kind of inspirational for me and
he still turns out some really good stuff now. Yeah ... I would
love to have a go at something of his" says Rich.
Rich mentioned briefly about
downloads and the way the music industry is changing in the way
they are selling music to the public. I pushed him a little
further on the subject. Are downloads killing music? "I'm really
on the fence about this ... Possibly. I don't think it is
killing music it is changing music" he says thoughtfully. "It is
the way youngsters perceive music today. It is different to how
I used to perceive it. You used to save up your money and rush
out and buy the new single by your favourite artist the day it
came out. You would have a record collection and the whole thing
of having record sleeves and CD covers. I used to read the thing
from cover to cover. Who produced it, the musicians, lyrics and
this, that and the other. That was the whole thing for me. You
know what I mean and that's what I really enjoyed about buying
music. Where as I think kids today are so used to getting it for
free, they wouldn't even think that they are doing anything
wrong which is fair enough because they don't know any
different. I think it's almost devalued music in a way which is
a shame really because I think you know life without music would
be a very sad place. As much as I hate to say it the
music industry is a business. For artists to make high quality
records there has to be some money input from somewhere, be it a
record company, publishing company and these people can only get
their money by selling the music so it's almost catch 22
situation. You can't just keep downloading for free or borrowing
it off your mate and burning a copy of your favourite band's
latest CD release. Otherwise music will just disappear and it
will disappear and that would be very sad indeed".
Robbie Williams and members of
Depeche Mode are great fans of Mesh. The band also went on tour
with Gary Newman a few years ago and with Rich being a fan of
his music he saw Gary Newman in Bristol. Had a great time but he
got some unexpected attention. "Gary was really good but during
the concert I got spotted a few times by the Numan fans which
was very nice. I had three or four people ask for autographs and
photographs whilst I was actually there so I was quite flattered
really" being a little humble with his experience.
So what about the future for Mesh.
What can we expect? "We have the DVD being released in
November, which seems to have taken absolutely forever to put
together. It shouldn't have taken this long but we've had issues
with record companies, publishers due to the fact that we've had
old songs and new songs on this DVD but we've managed to get
through that. Of course we are doing three shows in November as
well, Bristol, Manchester and London which we are really looking
forward to. And Mark and I are feeling quite inspired to start
working on a new album. We've got several tracks already written
in very basic form but we're just about ready to start work on
it and get back into the recording studio" says Rich
And with that Rich is pleased he got
through the interview quite successfully. I have to say he made
it so easy to interview him. He is proud of his achievements but
doesn't shout it from the roof tops. There are no strops or I
won't answer that question and he is quite relaxed and happy
with his lot. Of course he would love to see Mesh become far
bigger in the UK than they already are and both he and Mark have
ambitions to tour the USA. All I can say is good luck to them.
They deserve success where ever they go. I'm now off to raid my
Mesh CD collection again to be reminded just how good they are!.
|
