大象传媒

None other than MasterChef and Through the Keyhole star Loyd Grossman and his band The New Forbidden played a gig in Wiltshire recently.

Riffs Bar near Wootton Bassett was the venue and although a well-known television personality, Loyd is no stranger to the music industry.

He first enjoyed UK chart success in 1977 with 'Ain't Doin' Nothing' with Punk outfit Jet Bronx and The Forbidden, and he later went on to form The Commercials.

After 25 years, Loyd is back with The New Forbidden, and with their involvement with Bob Geldof's YouBloom musical artist development project, and a Swedish record company in tow, it looks set to be just the beginning.

大象传媒 Wiltshire caught up with Loyd and vocalist Valentine Guinness from the band before they took to the stage at Riffs Bar on Saturday 28th February.

Why have you suddenly chosen to return to music?

Loyd: I got re-interested as it were about two years ago, in playing, and realised how much I was missing it. Then I was offered an opportunity to play at Rebellion festival, I talked to Valentine about it, and that was it. It evolved naturally. I mean, we rehearsed for the first time in December 2007, we played our first gig in June 2008, and it has just gone on and on.

We've played lots of really wonderful places like the 100 Club, the 12 Bar Club, The Purple Turtle, The Rhythm Factory, you know, all the really great venues. It has been a real treat, and we have met such interesting people in other bands, we have made some real friends.

Valentine: Because of Loyd's background with his previous incarnation of Jet Bronx, it is the sort of Indie Punk revival scene that has seems to have taken us to its heart.

Are there any similarities with the original Jet Bronx and The Forbidden?

Loyd: It is very, very, different, because all the guys who were in the original band with me in the 70鈥檚 have all scattered to all the four corners of the earth. This is a completely new thing. We play a few of the old favourites, and are writing and playing a lot of new material as well, but in the same spirit.

Valentine: It is very enjoyable rather than being a chore, and having this thing which I remember of worrying if people from record companies are going to turn up, and, you know, whether the A&R man from Warner Brothers is going to be there and what is he going to think. All that pressure is off us now, and we are just playing what we like playing and enjoying doing it.

How has the music industry changed since the 1970鈥檚?

Loyd: Bands are now much more in control of the way they are recorded and presented, it is much more, sort of, homemade.

Valentine: The internet has changed everything, fans actually listen to and find what they want to listen to, whereas, in the old days it was very difficult to get the connection between the artist and the public without going through a record company.

Has it been a conscious decision to maintain a DIY ethic with The New Forbidden?

Loyd: We are just letting it develop in a natural way. You know, we didn't want a huge amount of hype, or, to make people expect something that wasn't necessarily going to be what we were like. So, we are just going through the thing of maturing as a band, playing steadily all these good quality venues with other good musicians and just slowly building up. It has all been a great sort of learning experience for us as well, I mean, we are on a curve, learning to be in a band again and learning to perform again.

Valentine: The point is that it is onwards and upwards. This is definitely something we want to take as far as we can, but when we start rehearsing it wasn't 'right this time next year we are playing the 02 Arena', we didn't have sort of delusions of grandeur in that way. Instead, we very much focused on the material, let's try and learn four songs, then eight songs, then do it, and see what happens.

How would you describe your music?

Loyd: There was one very cumbersome phrase - alternative, in your face, high-energy rock, and I don't know who came up with that, but it makes as much or as little sense as any other description!

Valentine: Sometimes, I think we sound a bit like Blondie, but without a girl singer. I'm not as sexy as Debbie Harry, but there are definitely those things coming from our past, in the way we use guitars and melodies. A band I particularly like at the moment is The Killers, and you know, if we sounded a bit like The Killers I would be a bit pleased.

Are there any plans to release an album?

Loyd: We are about three quarters of the way through our album, which, I guess we will finish the first weekend of May.

Valentine: We are making it with this wonderful guy Geoff Haslam, who has a fantastic record of production credits. (The Velvet Underground, MC5) He has been incredibly encouraging, and he has done more for my confidence than anyone, in fact, he is coming here tonight.

Loyd: We have recorded at this amazing place in Ireland called Grouse Lodge, which is a very sort of famous recording studio. Then we finish up recording in London, and then it is time for the festival season!

The New Forbidden鈥檚 debut album will be available online, and they will be appearing at Cornbury Music Festival, Rhythm Festival and Tartan Heart Festival this summer.