Guitar legend goes back to basics

Lara Page talks to Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen about his new solo venture.

There comes a time in nearly every long-established rock band when one of its members embarks on a solo project.

Four years ago, the chirpy, Hackney-born, lightening-fingered guitarist from Def Leppard decided to do just that.

It was back in his native London that Phil Collen, who now lives in sun-drenched southern California, first laid the groundwork for what has since proved to be one of the most intriguing underground bands on the noughties rock scene.

During his years with Def Leppard, Phil kept in touch with old pal Simon Luffy, a former bandmate in the glam-metal group Girl (which Phil left to join Def Leppard in 1982) and, while in London, the pair began writing new material.

Compelled by the unique and diverse sounds that egressed from the natural pairing of modern melodic rock and vintage glam metal, the duo decided to recruit a third member.

"We both said: "Wouldn't it be cool if we had Paul Cook, the Sex Pistols' drummer, to give it that really British, punky sound," says Phil. "Then one morning I suddenly spotted him getting out of a car in London, purely by chance, and we got chatting from there."

With Paul on drums, Simon on bass and Phil on guitar and vocals, the band started rehearsing under the catchy new name Man Raze - a comical wordplay inspired by King Kong actress Fay Wray.

"It's soooo far different from anything else we've done before," Phil explains. "In the beginning it was very experimental but now I think we've found our niche."

"The Def Leppard sound is very innocent in comparison, but this has got quite an underground feel to it, this is much more raw and edgy.

"The lyrics are a bit political, it's energetic, and the whole album is tinged with stuff we've each brought into it, like that 'Pistols drum sound' and the rhythm that Paul brings. It's been fun to be able to do that."

The result is a potent and eclectic melting pot of alternative rock, inspired by a myriad of musical influences and genres from reggae to punk to heavy metal - propelled by rich and throaty vocals reminiscent of Joe Cocker.

Die-hard rock fans may be a little surprised by the diversity of Collen's music collection: "The last thing I downloaded was Global Underground which is kind of minimal electro house and breakbeats...and I'm into Rhianna, Chris Brown, TI...it's quite random!"

Their colourful mosaic of backgrounds and tastes is reflected in new album Surreal - available on UK release from December 1 - and Man Raze are embarking on a whistlestop British tour (including Birmingham's Barfly on December 4) to give it a plug.

Click here for tickets and more information.

But after playing packed-to-the-rafters stadiums around the world for the past 20 years, isn't it strange going back to basics at smaller venues?

"It is kind of weird," Phil concedes. "Because now I'm singing all the time, which means I'm having to work a lot harder on stage than when I'm just playing guitar.

"But it's quite liberating too, because in a band like Def Leppard where, although it wasn't choreographed, we all knew what we were doing - with Man Raze because there are only three of us, we can kind of do our own thing and go off on a bit of a tangent."

The performance at Barfly will see Man Raze whipping up songs from the new album, including the "reggae-soaked dub mix of Runnin' Me Up", the "punk vibrancy of Turn It Up" and the "beautiful rock craftsmanship of Every Second of Every Day".

"I love Turn It Up!" he gushes. "It still sounds amazing every time I listen to it. It's very natural, very organic, there's nothing contrived about it."

Female fans may prick up their ears at the prospect of seeing Phil topless - over the years he's become known for his signature tight-jeans-and-bare-chest look - affectionately being dubbed 'The Shirtless One' - and has no plans to cover up yet: "I just get so sweaty on stage," he laughs.

"So it's easier just to play with my top off! I look and feel better at 50 than I did at 25, so yeah, why not?"

A devoted health and fitness fanatic, Phil embarked on a radical detox following his 'Terror Twins' days of partying with Def Leppard bandmate Steve Clark - who tragically died of a lethal concoction of alcohol and prescription drugs in 1991 - and has never looked back.

"I go to the gym every day, I've been teetotal for years and years," he says. "I'm careful about what I eat too, like I recently lost 5lbs in a week just from completely cutting out sugar - even fruit, juice, smoothies, stuff like that - it's amazing how much sugar goes into everything."

His boundless energy is just as well - having brought Def Leppard's 2008 Sparkle Lounge World Tour to a climactic close in New Zealand earlier this month, Phil's getting set to tour the States next spring with Def Leppard and even hints at the chance of a handful of UK dates.

Man Raze and Leppard fans alike should certainly watch this space...

You can catch Man Raze at Birmingham Barfly on December 4. Tickets are priced £9 and are available at www.seetickets.com

By Lara Page