John Brewster - The Angels (24/09/2014)
Way back in 1970 brothers Rick and John Brewster formed a band called The Mountain Jug and String Band. Now, in 2014, that band is called The Angels and they are celebrating forty years together. Even after the death of former frontman Doc Neeson from a brain tumour earlier this year there is no signs of the band slowing down says rhythm guitarist John Brewster, “We are very keen to continue the band. We're really enjoying it. Dave Gleeson [vocals] has been with us for three and a half years and he's amazing. We love him. We get on great. We have my son Sam on bass so it's a lot of fun playing in the band. The songs don't sound dated to us at all and we play with as much passion as we ever did.”
When asked why he thinks the band have been able to been around as long as they have, “I think it says a lot about the songs. I think the songs are bigger than any of us are. I think we proved that with Dave Gleeson joining the band. I'd also say that the band has a pretty great history of being a great live band. We don't disappoint. I think also that the songs don't sound like they were written in the seventies. Timeless is a word other people use and I think it's reasonable one.”
The band recently released a double compilation album titled 40 Years of Rock which is split into two parts. Forty greatest studio hits and forty greatest live hits. When John was asked about how they came to choose the songs for it he said, “That was a hard one. It was easier to pick the studio tapes because with most of those songs there is only one studio tape, except in the case of Am I Ever Going To See Your Face Again? The tape we chose was the first single we ever released which was recorded with our first drummer Charlie King. I love that tape. There's a few rare singles too. The live thing was a nightmare though [laughs]. Over forty years we've done a lot of live recordings. Some just chose themselves though.”
Recently, the band wrapped up their fortieth anniversary tour. “I would have to say that Adelaide was probably the biggie. There was a lot of great shows but being our hometown and it was a very emotional time for us with the loss of Doc Neeson. Going back to our hometown and celebrating our history was pretty amazing.”
At the beginning of next year The Angels will be performing at two of the annual Red Hot Summer Tour shows along side Hoodoo Gurus, Boom Crash Opera, James Reyne and more. “We did nine Red Hot Summer shows at the beginning of this year and they're well named. At that time of year it certainly is red hot. It's almost a heat wave at every gig we did but we loved it. The regional shows are always great. We're looking forward to them”
When asked if they are planning on taking the tour around the world John said, “That's a good question and I can't completely answer that but I can say watch this space. We've got some plans.”
Earlier this year The Angels released their thirteenth studio album (and second with Dave Gleeson) titled Talk The Talk. “I don't really compare recording with Doc and Dave at all. Doc didn't want to record anymore so I have to go back to the mid nineties for the last time I was in the studio with him. Dave is very easy to work with and is incredibly talented musically. He comes up with wonderful melodies and he's just a joy to work with.”
Finally, John was asked about what his proudest moment in the band has been. “It's always hard to pin it down to one thing but I would say writing and recording Face To Face [the band's second studio album] It was the first time we were in the producers role and the album ended up being in the charts for seventy nine weeks and went multi-platinum. It was a very exciting time. It was also the time when we realised we actually had a career out of this [laughs] because we were pretty close to thinking we didn't have a career. That album really saved our bacon and when I listen to it today it's as strong as it ever was.”
Matt Barton
When asked why he thinks the band have been able to been around as long as they have, “I think it says a lot about the songs. I think the songs are bigger than any of us are. I think we proved that with Dave Gleeson joining the band. I'd also say that the band has a pretty great history of being a great live band. We don't disappoint. I think also that the songs don't sound like they were written in the seventies. Timeless is a word other people use and I think it's reasonable one.”
The band recently released a double compilation album titled 40 Years of Rock which is split into two parts. Forty greatest studio hits and forty greatest live hits. When John was asked about how they came to choose the songs for it he said, “That was a hard one. It was easier to pick the studio tapes because with most of those songs there is only one studio tape, except in the case of Am I Ever Going To See Your Face Again? The tape we chose was the first single we ever released which was recorded with our first drummer Charlie King. I love that tape. There's a few rare singles too. The live thing was a nightmare though [laughs]. Over forty years we've done a lot of live recordings. Some just chose themselves though.”
Recently, the band wrapped up their fortieth anniversary tour. “I would have to say that Adelaide was probably the biggie. There was a lot of great shows but being our hometown and it was a very emotional time for us with the loss of Doc Neeson. Going back to our hometown and celebrating our history was pretty amazing.”
At the beginning of next year The Angels will be performing at two of the annual Red Hot Summer Tour shows along side Hoodoo Gurus, Boom Crash Opera, James Reyne and more. “We did nine Red Hot Summer shows at the beginning of this year and they're well named. At that time of year it certainly is red hot. It's almost a heat wave at every gig we did but we loved it. The regional shows are always great. We're looking forward to them”
When asked if they are planning on taking the tour around the world John said, “That's a good question and I can't completely answer that but I can say watch this space. We've got some plans.”
Earlier this year The Angels released their thirteenth studio album (and second with Dave Gleeson) titled Talk The Talk. “I don't really compare recording with Doc and Dave at all. Doc didn't want to record anymore so I have to go back to the mid nineties for the last time I was in the studio with him. Dave is very easy to work with and is incredibly talented musically. He comes up with wonderful melodies and he's just a joy to work with.”
Finally, John was asked about what his proudest moment in the band has been. “It's always hard to pin it down to one thing but I would say writing and recording Face To Face [the band's second studio album] It was the first time we were in the producers role and the album ended up being in the charts for seventy nine weeks and went multi-platinum. It was a very exciting time. It was also the time when we realised we actually had a career out of this [laughs] because we were pretty close to thinking we didn't have a career. That album really saved our bacon and when I listen to it today it's as strong as it ever was.”
Matt Barton