Go West get set for Shrewsbury Quarry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZfCR0ccOmI&feature=related

It has been 25 years since Go West released their debut album, and after all that time guitarist Richard Drummie and singer Peter Cox are still recording, touring and, most importantly, still excited to be in the music industry.

"I'm in a great mood today," says Drummie, down the line from his recording studio. "We're about to finish this tune, I think it's fantastic, and we're still doing what we did in the first place.

"I don't know what else I'd want to do - well, I do actually, I'd love to be a photographer - but it's great to be able to do something that you love for that long.

"I always look on it year by year and go, 'Okay, can I do this for another year?' And so far, yes, everyone says you can."

The pair return to Shrewsbury Quarry on July 9 along with fellow Eighties stars Tony Hadley, Rick Astley, Howard Jones, Mica Paris and ABC to perform for an audience of up to 10,000 people.

All the acts are veterans of live performance, although the reasons for that have changed a little over the years. When Go West released their debut album, which went on to sell 1.5 million copies, concerts were an important marketing tool. "But," says Richard Drummie, "quite often it's the other way round now: you're doing an album to promote a tour because that's where we get our livelihoods from, not from records seeing as people just download them for free on the internet.

"We did five nights straight at the Hammersmith Odeon and didn't make a profit. We would never let that happen now, but that was because we had a very expensive band or lots of people on stage and huge lighting rigs, and the tours were never seen as something that would make money.

"Actually, the money's always been made from the songwriting. I really don't know how people who don't write their own songs make any money or made any money back in the day because we never made any money out of records either. It was obviously from the records, but from the songwriting part of that. I think we're still in the hole with every record company we've ever been with."

Peter Cox and Richard Drummie met when they were at school and Richard's band was reviewed in the Richmond and Twickenham Times.

"My name was put in the paper, and it was back in the day when people's numbers were in the phonebook, so he gave me a call and came down to the rehearsal and watched our mess. At the end of it I said, 'Have you got a tape?' because we all did, we all walked around with a tape of ourselves in our pocket. I took it back to my house, played it, heard that voice and decided I needed to know this guy."

And so they formed a partnership and had a string of hits including The King of Wishful Thinking, which featured on the soundtrack of the film Pretty Woman. With a working relationship longer than the average marriage, presumably the recording studio must be a peaceful and harmonious place?

"Oh, we argue," he laughs. "We do. We're both very strong-willed people and we both write everything in the song.

"Funnily I was talking about it to Peter yesterday. We do have confrontations and they just sort themselves out. I don't know how. One of us eventually gives in. It's worked so far."

The guitarist is looking forward to returning to Shrewsbury next weekend, having performed at last year's event. He claims not to be aware of the controversy regarding the noise level set for the show, although he's sympathetic to both sides of the argument.

"I've been to see gigs that were too quiet and it's horrible. I went to see Diana Ross in Miami and I was one of the guys shouting turn it up because I think you need to have a certain volume. You've got to hear the band, but I'm sure if I lived next to somewhere they were having a concert it wouldn't be very pleasant.

"I'm glad you've told me because now we won't bother to shout at the soundman when it's too quiet."

However, after thinking about the situation he decides that it's probably best not to refer to it at all. "I don't want my face on the front page," he says.

"Well, I do, but for the right reasons, not 'Musician Stirs it Up. Again.'"

• The Shrewsbury Quarry concert takes place on July 9. For tickets visit imlconcerts.co.uk

• For further information on the band visit www.gowest.org.uk