1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:01,760 Speaker 1: I guess he's coming back to town. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 2: Roachford so good. 3 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: It's going to be at Frio Social on Friday May sixteen. 4 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: Tickets are available through Metropolis Touring and he's joining us now. 5 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: Good morning, Andrew Roachford. 6 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 3: Good morning, good day. 7 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: Well how long has it been since you've toured Australia. 8 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 3: It's been about twenty years. Oh my god. 9 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:22,600 Speaker 1: I wasn't imagining it. I thought it had been a while. 10 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:26,479 Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, I know it's been a good while, definitely. 11 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 3: I mean time, time has just flown by really well. 12 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 2: We've been doing plenty in between men. But I remember 13 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:35,840 Speaker 2: we had a chat and seeing you the first time 14 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 2: you came to Australia. I'm pretty sure you played up 15 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 2: the road from the venue're going to be playing this 16 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: time at Metropolis and Frio, and it was just one 17 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 2: of those nights something about you and your band playing live. 18 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 2: You look like you're loving every moment out of there 19 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 2: because in the crowd we. 20 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 3: Were, Oh man, it's just every gig has been a blessing. 21 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 3: You know. I can't say I had a bad gig. 22 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 3: It's always been a blessing to play music and have 23 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 3: a crowd of people that connect with you. On that 24 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 3: level for a living is like take I don't take 25 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 3: that for granted. 26 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: You did say when you were here then that you 27 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: thought Ozzie audiences have a great energy. I mean, I 28 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: don't know if you tell that to all the kids 29 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: all over the the world, but Smoothie, I hope that 30 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: might have changed. 31 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 3: I'm hoping so too. Yeah. I know there's a few 32 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 3: places in the world that I've gone to, like Scottish audiences. 33 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 3: You know that they just have just that extra bit 34 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 3: of something. And the Aussies have it, you know, that energy. 35 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 3: They don't hold back if they like you, you know, 36 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 3: they're all their way there. It's all good. 37 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 2: You've been a prolific songwriter right through your career. Are 38 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 2: you one of the ones? Are you someone who just 39 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 2: it just comes to you or do you have to 40 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 2: sit down at a certain place in certain time and 41 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 2: then the inspiration might strike. 42 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 3: Does it worked for you? Yeah, yeah, I guess that. 43 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 3: You know what, some of the best ideas aren't in 44 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 3: a certain place in a certain time. They're always like 45 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 3: you've just gone to bed or in the shower, and 46 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 3: so they were almost like they're their own masters. Some 47 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 3: of the best ideas they just come to you when 48 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 3: they come to you, and you can't force it. You know, 49 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 3: you could sit down and say I'm going to write 50 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 3: a song today, and you could typically get something that's okay, 51 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 3: But the best ones they just come to you when 52 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 3: they're ready. 53 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: Since twenty ten, you've been part of Mike and the 54 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: Mechanics as well as of course doing ROACHVID. Was that 55 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: Did just a conversation lead to that or did you 56 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: have to do a proper audition you. 57 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 2: To get a call from Michael. 58 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 3: Yes, I got a call from Mike. This is Mike, 59 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 3: just wanted if you'd be up for writing with me 60 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 3: or just no, Actually it was just to meet up 61 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,799 Speaker 3: from conversation. When I went to meet him, he had 62 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 3: his guitar, started playing some ideas. I started singing. The 63 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 3: next thing I knew, I was kind of singing my 64 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 3: way into a band, which I'd never I'd never planned. 65 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 3: It wasn't like I was looking to be with Mike 66 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 3: and Mechanics, and you know, because they'd already kind of 67 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 3: stopped and Paul Carrot, their original singer, had gone off 68 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 3: to do solo thing and they had another singapore young 69 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 3: who sadly had passed away. Even Mike didn't really have 70 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 3: a clear plan, but then we started writing and ended 71 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 3: up being an album, and then he was like, well 72 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 3: we might as well go on tour, and the tour 73 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 3: started working really well, and obviously I had to. He said, well, 74 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 3: we've got to do some of their back catalog. We've 75 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 3: got to do Living Years my Shoulders, and it became 76 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 3: a thing and we thought, well we'll do a tour 77 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,679 Speaker 3: and then that's it. You know. Thirteen years later, I've 78 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 3: just left mike studio this evening writing more bangers and 79 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 3: without a big tour early next year, and I think 80 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 3: days after I finished their tour, I come out to 81 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 3: Australia and I'm back on the Roachford thing again. So 82 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,279 Speaker 3: it's kind of like automating. It's amazing. 83 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like you're in the studio. He's got his guitar, 84 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:51,839 Speaker 2: he's a guy from Genesis. It's like, it's very cool. 85 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 2: But he's always loved good voices. 86 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 3: Mate. 87 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 2: I couldn't imagine anyone else singing a song like out 88 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 2: of the Blow that bucal on that is just superb. 89 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 3: Thank you very much. I really have a lot working 90 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 3: with Mike, and I see why he's done so well, 91 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 3: you know, through these different incarnations with the mechanics and 92 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 3: obviously genesis. He's a very special artist for sure. Definitely 93 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 3: I have more so now I know being in close 94 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 3: quarters and actually writing with him, how how great he is. 95 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 3: You know, don't tell him I. 96 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 2: Said that, No, no, no, you know, get a big hit, 97 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 2: you get a big head, follow the horse like polo. 98 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 3: You are not again, not again. 99 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: If we go all the way back to nineteen eighty 100 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: eight about when you were touring with Terrence Trent Derby 101 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: and you brought out Cuddly Toy, it is there a 102 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,559 Speaker 1: connection to Garfield the cat with Cuddley Toy? 103 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 3: Sadly, Yes, sadly I mean it's all yeah, well sadly 104 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 3: in the sense that it wasn't intentional. It was one 105 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 3: of those weird things that the management that I had 106 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 3: at the time also had shares in the Garfield merchandise 107 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:01,160 Speaker 3: and any opportunity to sell them the merchandise, and so 108 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 3: when we had our merch we were on toy. We 109 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,280 Speaker 3: were bad with starting out, he put the Garfield stuff 110 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 3: in part of the malay and the girls used to 111 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 3: try and nick the Garfield cat that we had on stage, 112 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 3: and my then player thought, oh, that's a great chat 113 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,479 Speaker 3: up line. I'll hold a cuddly toy with me, And 114 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 3: then I started to sort of write a song that 115 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 3: was meant for the live. It wasn't even meant to 116 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,839 Speaker 3: be recorded. It was meant because I thought the live 117 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 3: so the live set needed something a bit more lively 118 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 3: at that time. And also I was taking the piss, 119 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 3: ripping the piss out of the keyboard player. But it 120 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 3: was a private joke, never thinking that I ended up 121 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 3: recording it and it would be this massive hit around 122 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 3: the world. It was just it's like that, you never 123 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:47,840 Speaker 3: know which one of your songs resonate in that. 124 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, that was one of the huge moments in merchandise 125 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: to garfer cat. 126 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:53,359 Speaker 2: I mean, how many. 127 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 1: Cars would drive past you with that cat cat exactly. 128 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 3: The only problem was for years after that because I 129 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 3: had initially quite a young audience and then all throw 130 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 3: these hauddly toys at the stage, I mean like every gig, 131 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 3: to the point where we had so many we were 132 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,040 Speaker 3: giving them away to charity, to children's hospitals and whatever, 133 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 3: because I think people just thought I was into cudly toys, 134 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 3: but it was like, no, the song was about actually 135 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 3: about bad chat up lines. 136 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 2: You know, over you had to broom them off. 137 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 3: The big Sway was like that. 138 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 2: It's great on in the eye. When you're trying to 139 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 2: sing a song, I might reference it, im reference it. 140 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 2: And Mike Ratherford loving his polo. I don't think he 141 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 2: plays quite as much now. But what are you doing 142 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 2: your downtime? What's your your thing? You get a hobby, 143 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 2: a sport. 144 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 3: I like a little bit of racket sports. I tried 145 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 3: my hand for a while, a bit squash, a bit 146 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 3: of tennis, badminton. I mean, I like, I just like 147 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 3: racket sports for some reason. And you can keep it up, 148 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 3: you know, use it and it's not too serious, as 149 00:06:57,360 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 3: you know, you can do it as a hobby. I 150 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 3: love film. When we went into Lockdown, the whole cinema died, 151 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 3: you know, and it really hasn't properly recovered. But I 152 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 3: used to love going to the cinema and seeing whatever, 153 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 3: just being in the room watching a film with other people. 154 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 3: And I'm into astrology, astronomy. I'm a bit of a 155 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 3: sort of a sci fi and science nut as well. 156 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 3: Love it. I love it. 157 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: Before we let you go, we must ask. We like 158 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: to ask this of everybody. Do you remember the first 159 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: time you heard yourself on the radio? 160 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 3: Yes, I do. Yeah. I was in the bangdaub Old 161 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 3: transit vand with my band at the time, and we 162 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 3: were just up and down the motorway doing really funny 163 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 3: gigs and we're doing some like universities and stuff, and 164 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 3: then it came on Radio one a song called family Man, 165 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 3: my first release, family Man. I hadn't even written Cudle 166 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 3: Toy yet. It was just weird and I was just like, wow, 167 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 3: this is live and at this point loads of people 168 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 3: around the whole country are listening to this song. So 169 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 3: I wrote because I was still living at my mum's 170 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 3: in my bedroom, and they were like, you know, they 171 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 3: were my songs for so long and now things are 172 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 3: never going to be the same again, and they weren't 173 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 3: from that day. 174 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: I love that you think of thought of it in 175 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: the terms of I'm listening to this and so so 176 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: pakful right now at the same time, that's very cool. Well, 177 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: we look forward to you coming back to town for 178 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: the first time in years next May the sixteenth. Tickets 179 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: are available through Metropolis Touring Roach but at Frio Social. 180 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: Thanks for chatting to us this morning. 181 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 3: It's been a pleasure. Thanks. 182 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 2: I want to do that voice live again.