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 It's been twenty years since some of Glasgow's favourite sons came together and formed The Almighty, and a year after that released their debut album 'Blood Fire and Love' via Polydor Records. They've shared the stage with legends, and in time they became one of the UK's most respected rock bands. Frontman Ricky Warwick shot back to prominance recently, not only with the bands reformation in aid of Leukemia Research 2006, but also playing rhythm guitar in Circus Diablo.
Now twenty years on, they're hitting the road again to celebrate twenty years of The All Fucking Mighty. Komodo Rock's Mike Elliott caught up with Ricky Warwick to talk about the past, the present and the future.
Mike Elliott: It's twenty years since the bad started. Did you think back then that twenty years on you'd still be going?
Ricky Warwick: No! [laughs] Absolutely not. To be honest with you, it
was a case of if we get a record deal and make an album that would be
great, and I honestly don't think we could see passed that. It's like
everything else, once you start going, you keep raising the bar. You
think ok, wouldn't it be great if we could do a UK Tour? Wouldn't be
great if we could get a Top 40 single? Wouldn't it be great if we could
go to America?
You just keep pushing yourself. But certainly to have twenty years of
being in the music industry and making a living out of it is what I
dreamed of when I was a kid.
ME: It's quite amazing to see that come to fruition looking back on?
RW: It's something, cheesy as it sounds, that I've never taking for granted.
ME: It's got to be weird looking back on though.
RW: Absolutely. It's very satisfying. It makes me really proud. Me,
Stump [Monroe, Drums] and Floyd [London, Bass] met when we met at 14 or
15 at school, and the little band that we started is now celebrating
twenty years.
ME: And with that your doing the UK tour. Are you looking forward to that?
RW: Oh I can't wait. I don't know how much you know, but we got back
together when Floyd the bass player took ill a couple of years ago.
Really we had no thoughts of getting back together, we were all still
talking, we were all still friends. Everybody was doing their own
thing, and everybody was quite happy, and there was no need we felt ,
to do anything. We were all quite happy in what we were doing with our
lives.
All of a sudden all this stuff happens with Floyd that instigated that
whole thing, and the fact that we had such a ball, and we had so much
fun, resulted in the few shows we did last year that went really well.
It just seemed band was gathering more and more interest. Then we
decided it's twenty years next year, we need to do something to mark
that, and now we're looking beyond that.
ME: The reformation came out of the blue, and you said at the time it was going to be a one off.
RW: I don't think anybody could see it being more than a one off. It
was done for Floyd, to celebrate the fact that he was getting better,
and we could stand on stage with our old buddy again, and to raise as
much money as we could for the charity. There was no pressure on any of
us, there was no management, no record companies involved, and it was
just done for all the right reasons, and we really enjoyed that. Once
you've had a taste of it like that, we were like, this isn't so bad,
maybe we should do a bit more of this you know?
ME: You've done a lot to support the Leukaemia Research Charity. You
put out the Reformation DVD. Is that something your going to continue
to support into the future as a band?
 RW:
It's Floyd thing, it's his charity. It's something he went through, and
it's very much a cause that is very close to his heart. We did what we
did to support him. I'm sure Floyd will continue to keep donating,
there'll always be a bucket at our merchandise table where we'll give
something to that cause. Floyd's in the band and if he wants to donate
to it, we'll back him. Floyd will always be indebted to that for the
rest of his life, let's be honest he was close to dying, and he pulled
through, so it's very close.
ME: I think it's great that you've been able to support him and the charity in that way.
RW: Thank you.
ME: With the DVD, has it turned out as you'd expected it would, are the fans happy with it?
RW: Again, that was Floyd's baby. He said he wanted to do this
unofficial bootleg DVD, and we're like fine. He sent it all up and we
backed him, but we didn't really get to involved because it was very
much Floyd's thing, for the charity, and it wasn't really a band let's
sit down and do a the definitive new Almighty DVD, which we are doing.
We're actually filming shows on this door, which will be very cool,
Official Almighty DVD, loads of extra stuff. Footage, backstage footage
and all that kind of stuff, which should be out by the end of 2008. We
feel we've got to document the 20th Anniversary Tour. Alan Parker's
doing it, who just did the Stiff Little Fingers documentary and all the
Punk stuff that was on Channel Four recently. He's directing and
putting it together, he's great, so I'm sure it's gonna look really
good.
ME: With a DVD planned, are you going to look to do a new album?
RW: I would like to. I've been talking to Stump about it. When we're in
rehearsals I know it's going to be on the agenda. Maybe looking at
recording some new material because I feel the time is right again.
People have said are you doing an album, and have been saying that for
the last 10 years or so, and I've been saying that I don't feel it's
right, that I don't have anything to say. I'm inspired again though,
and I feel to me it might be time to turn round and make that
definitive Almighty Album.
ME: You've got to have something to write about, or some inspiration or there's not really any point.
RW: Exactly. I've been lucky, I've had so many outlets with the solo
stuff, which is great, I've never stopped writing. The Almighty though
is a very special thing. I don't want to to put out a half assed album.
I think it's something that everybody needs to say yes, lets go for it.
Then you have record companies, you start going down that road again,
but I think we're ready to do that. I think we've all got a good
understanding of the business now. I think if we did it, it would be a
very fan orientated record. There'd be certain ways of marketing it in
that way, rather than just try to get a record deal, because I think
those days are gone. It's all about getting the music to the people
that really want it.
ME: I agree, I think times have changed, and bands that are successful
will adapt to that. And with The Almighty, you guys have a very loyal
fan base.
RW: Exactly. It's kind of funny because I was talking to someone about
this the other day, and in a way it means more to me now than it has
ever done. I think we have a great logo, the band has a great name, and
I think for whatever reason, for twenty years, the band has been
undersold or not reached it's full potential. You can either walk away
from that, and go you know, we had a run at it and it was great, it was
time to move on, or you can do something about. Either one is fine, but
I'm one of these people, I'd rather do something about it, so that when
I do leave this Earth and I can turn around and say this band turned
out just the way I wanted it to.
ME: As a band you had so much success in the early days, with Wild and Wonderful and 2 appearances at download.
 RW: It was only one Donington actually! We also played Milton Keynes with Metallica though.
ME: Back then though you were huge, and things tailed off as music
changed, but now, the style of music is back and popular again.
RW: It's like everything else, it comes round in circles. Getting back
to what you were saying, it's all about the Almighty getting back to
it's roots, getting back to the really early vibe of the band, and the
really early sound of the band, and if we do something new, then that's
the way I'd want it to go, because those were the ingredients that made
the band great.
We were all in our twenties back then, and when your in your twenties,
your life is changing so much anyway, and I think as people we all
changed a lot. The industry and music changed, and stuff like that.
It's very hard to stick to your guns because you have so many people
trying to pull you in a direction, saying you need to do this, you need
to that. Whether you like it or not, it's very hard not to listen to
those people sometimes. I put my hand up and say yeah we were guilty of
sometimes listening to people we shouldn't have listened to instead of
listening to ourselves. I think ultimately it contributed to the demise
of the band.
Obviously we're all a little bit older now, and I think the only people we'll listen to now is ourselves.
ME: So we're doing the 20th Anniversary tour in the UK. Are there any plans to take that anywhere else?
RW: Yes there is. We're looking at Festivals right the way through
Europe and hopefully we might go over and do some shows in America,
which will probably be a couple of East Coast shows and a couple of
West coast shows to see what happens. It's all very much you know,
trying to plan ahead, but not plan ahead if you know what I mean.
Let's go one step at a time, and see how we feel, rather than here's
the ten year plan.
ME: Go with the flow, see where it takes you.
RW: Yeah, we're still playing with the idea. Yes we are interested in
doing some more, but it has to be the right thing, and we have to
believe in it.
ME: It's got to be for the right reasons and it's got to be right for you.
RW: Exactly.
ME: You mentioned earlier that you've been doing a lot of stuff solo
out over the years. You had a new EP come out in October, Love Owes.
How's that been going?
RW: It's been great! It's been really good. I've been doing this solo
stuff for just over five years now. It's been wonderful. I've got to go
on some great tours, play with some great people. The EP came out, and
was the first thing I did through my own label, and it's done real
well. I got to open up for Cheap Trick on New Years Eve in California.
It's something I really enjoy because it's so different.
It's just me and an acoustic guitar, telling a few stories, and playing
my stuff, and it's so different to anything else I do. It's a release,
and it's just nice to be able to do that. It's something that I'll
continue. I'm going to make a new solo record in March. Whenever I'm
not doing Almighty stuff, I'll be doing solo stuff, and vice versa.
ME: So what's your status with Circus Diablo these days?
RW: I left the band! All on good terms. It came down timing, and
commitment. We did that record, and it's great, and I'm really proud of
it, and the guys are moving onto record number 2 now, and I just don't
have the time to go on the road and commit to being in Circus Diablo
because of everything else that is going on in my life.
The two most important things to me are my solo career and The
Almighty, and then it would be Circus Diablo, and I've always said
that. Something had to give, and unfortunately it was Circus Diablo.
At the end of the day, I had a super time, I got on stage to play
rhythm guitar and I got to relax, I didn't have to worry about singing
and being the front man. And that's great, but singing and being a
front man is what I am, it's what I've worked to build up. It just made
sense that I had to say to the guys that I just couldn't commit to
doing anything in 2008.
Honestly, it's a wonderful problem to have! I'm not sitting here
moaning about it, I wish I could do all three things, but there just
isn't physically enough time to do it. It's a great situation to be in.
All I want to do is be busy, and be playing music, and be making music,
and thank god I am. I would have loved to do all three things.
ME: But there's only so many hours in the day.
RW: That's it.
 ME: One last thing then. You've got quite a good perspective on this, how do you find the internet has changed music?
RW: It's revolutionised it as far as I'm concerned.
ME: For better or worse?
RW: For good I think. It's how you use it I think. People will say it's
bad, but we've been through it before. When cassette tapes came out,
people were gonna be pirating, taping their records off the radio, so
that went through that.
I think it's a great quote from Seymour Stein, whose one of the big
record company heads. He said back in the 50's when rock n roll first
started getting played on the radio, the record labels were freaking
out because they thought nobody would buy the records, because rock n
roll was getting played on the radio. It's the same thing, people are
going, nobody's going to buy stuff because they can download it, and
yes they can, but I think it's changing, and I think people are finding
a way to harness that. Illegal downloading will always be there, but I
think it's been minimised, it's not as bad as it was.
You get more access to your fans, you can cut out the middle man, and
do way cooler stuff. For me, it's only good, it makes everything more
accessible, and for a band like The Almighty that's all about hardcore
fan base, you can do really cool things with your fans.
I hate illegal downloading, don't get me wrong, I'm an artist. I
believe you have to be paid. If you get an electrician round to fix
your lights, you pay him. People seem to think that your a musician,
but bollocks, I love what I do, but it's a job, you've got to pay me.
But I think it's for the best, and I think it's only going to get
better. I think right now we're at the start of something pretty big,
and once we get through the flux, I think it'll settle down.
You get bands like the Arctic Monkeys who build a huge fan base just on the internet only...
ME: And then storm the world.
RW: I think it's a great thing.
ME: Thanks so much for talking to me.
RW: Your welcome!
Catch The Almighy on the bands 20th Anniversary Tour which kicks off on January 19th in Manchester.
The full schedule for the tour stands at:
January
19 - Manchester, England at Academy 3
20 - Inverness, Scotland at Ironworks
21 - Glasgow, Scotland at Garage
22 - Newcastle, England at Academy
24 - Sheffield, England at Corporation
25 - Leeds, England at Rio's
26 - Nottingham, England at Rock City
27 - Birmingham, England at Academy 2
29 - Bristol, England at Academy
30 - Southampton, England at The Brook
31 - Brighton, England at Concorde 2
February
1 - London, England at Mean Fiddler
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