Thunder set to make a Bang at Civic

The latest album from veteran classic rockers Thunder is set to come out with a Bang! Well, that's what they've called it anyway.

Along with their third six-track EP since their last album, Robert Johnson's Tombstone, it's been a busy time for Thunder, who next year celebrate their 20th anniversary.

Ahead of that landmark there's a tour, calling in at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on November 27.

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So did it come as a surprise when they realised they were about to mark two decades?

"Surprise? It scared the hell out of me!" laughs guitarist and chief songwriter Luke Morley.

"It's incredible. It just goes by really fast and I guess it only feels like 20 years if you're not enjoying yourselves but thankfully we still are. We're always having fun. It would be difficult to do it if we didn't enjoy it."

That's certainly something that comes across at a Thunder gig - a joyous celebration as Morley, singer and former school pal Danny Bowes, bassist Chris Childs, guitarist Ben Matthews and drummer Harry James whip up a real party atmosphere.

It helps that Danny Bowes is one of rock's leading frontmen, who apart from being blessed with an incredible set of tonsils is a real rock 'n' roll ringmaster.

"Oh, he is," says Morley. "He could do any of the jobs Bruce Forsyth has done. You can't shut him up in everyday life, so he's even worse on stage!

"You know, there was a time in the mid 90s with Britpop which was a lot of shoe-gazing and misery and 'I don't really like doing this but I'm going to do it anyway'. But we've never been affected by that.

"When we started the band we wanted to put on a show that was brought to mind all the great rock bands that we were fortunate enough to see in the 70s. You always came away from those gigs with a sore throat, aching hands from clapping and a good feeling, and it helps you go back to work the next day and that's much more what we're about.

"The best live act I've ever seen was Bruce Springsteen and his band. I saw him in '85. I'm not a fan of his recorded work particularly but I came away from the gig saying that was the most incredible performance. Everybody left there feeling good.

"Music has the ability to do that. If you're fortunate enough to play music that can get inside people and take them a bit higher I think you've got to put your foot right on the pedal. It's pointless trying to be cool or arty about it. You're providing people with a service and something that can make their day."

Bang!, released on the band's own STC label, comes out on November 3, the same day as the new six-track The Joy Of Six EP. It's Thunder's ninth studio LP, and is the usual mixture of catchy blues rock spiced up with big singalong choruses and the odd diversion into other styles, with even a Doors-like vibe on the 60s flavoured Retribution.

"I love the Doors," says Morley. "If that comes through that's great. You're the first person to say that.

"I like Retribution very much, just because it's unusual. With my muso head on, it's in 5/4 and 6/4 time and it's an awkward groove to lay down but it works. I don't know how it works or why it works, but it does. Some of the time, music is about what you feel, not what you know."

The guitarist is particularly pleased with the album's opening track, On The Radio, which sums up the frustrations of a band that, apart from a foray into the top 30 in 2005 with the single I Love You More Than Rock And Roll, has been pretty much ignored by the mainstream media.

"On The Radio - with its chorus 'I know you're never gonna play this on the radio' - is an extremely ironic title because we haven't been on it that much," says Morley.

"What I'm talking about here is your mainstream, your Radio 1s, and 2s and BBC and what have you.

"The band has been largely overlooked by the British mainstream media which has been very frustrating at times, especially when they have been playing a lot of American bands. It's been like a knife to the heart but after a while you think, 'Ah sod it, we'll play it anyway, who cares?'

"It's never been a problem for the audiences as such, but occasionally you think it would have been great if some more of the more radio-friendly stuff had had a wider airing.

"But you can't worry about it too much, so I just started playing around with this as an idea, with the potential humour in it and I tried to write something from the point of view of someone who's as far from cool as it's possible to be and laugh at it really."

He adds: "When we go out and perform this live I'm looking forward to that very much because there's a huge expletive which I'm sure the audience will join in with!"

In a move reminiscent of rock legends like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Bad Company, Bang! Was recorded in an old English castle.

Walton Castle overlooks the Somerset town of Clevedon and is owned by an old friend of Morley's. Opened to the tourist trade, up to eight couple's can stay there from a mere £3,500 for two nights, but earlier this year it was home to Thunder for a whole three months.

"We had a lot of fun," says Morley. "The band functions great when we go somewhere that's away from everything and shut the door. We kind of upset a couple of the local barmen and Harry worried a couple of the local sheep!

"When you think of a castle you think of all the haunted aspect of it, none of which I subscribe to, but our bass player, Chris, is very funny about that. Anything to do with UFOs, conspiracy theories, he's your man.

"And he doesn't sleep very well either so he'd come down in the morning looking awful, going 'I heard voices last night and there was rustling and noises going on in the courtyard' and I was like 'Oh shut up!'."

Morley is delighted with the results though, hailing Bang! as the best-sounding Thunder album yet.

"With rock albums in particular the sound is all orientated around the drums and we got this huge, lovely natural drum sound which is the basis of everything.

"We put guitars in different rooms - one had this fantastic natural echo that we did the percussion in. We tried to utilise all the natural acoustics, which is why we chose the castle in the first place."

We get talking about the three Thunder EPs, Six Of One, Half A Dozen Of The Other and The Joy Of Six. Should I read anything into the fact that that makes 666?

The guitarist dissolves into a storm of laughter, eventually emerging to reply: "No, but I must tell Chris the bass player that, because it'll worry him!"

Support on the forthcoming tour comes from Heavens Basement (formerly Hurricane Party and then Roadstar) and newcomers Get Vegas, whom Morley is particularly enthusiastic about.

"Because we run our own label and are self-sufficient now, we get sent stuff all the time, bands saying 'Would you consider releasing our record?' which is great that people have that much faith in us.

"Get Vegas are on the bill at my behest because someone sent me a demo of theirs and I thought they sounded like very early Free. They're all 18 or 19 and it's really weird that kids of that age sound like Free. Free broke up when I was 12.

"They sound great, they play really well, the singer's got a real soulful voice and I'm looking forward to seeing them every night.

"We're involved in all aspects of the industry now, so things cross our path and when they do we try to help where we can."

You get the feeling that having their own record label is the best thing Thunder ever did.

"We're too old to have a 25-year-old 'expert' telling us we're not getting to the chorus quick enough," says Morley.

"Our destiny is in our own hands now and that's the best place for it to be. We have a very long, well-established relationship with our fans, we know where they are and we don't need a record company in between getting in the way."

* Thunder, along with Heavens Basement and Get Vegas, are at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on November 27. To buy tickets click here.

By Ian Harvey