{"id":12309,"date":"2015-07-24T17:24:42","date_gmt":"2015-07-24T16:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=12309"},"modified":"2015-07-24T17:24:42","modified_gmt":"2015-07-24T16:24:42","slug":"mark-morriss-answers-our-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2015\/07\/mark-morriss-answers-our-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Morriss Answers Our Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
The Bluetones – Photo Credit Paul Heartfield<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Bluetones are reuniting for an eight date UK tour to commemorate their 20th anniversary. The band who were a huge part of the ‘Brit Pop’ era, are\u00a0best known for their hit singles, ‘Bluetonic’, ‘Slight Return’, ‘Marblehead Johnson’, ‘Solomon Bites the Worm’, ‘If’, and ‘Keep the Burning’. In short, The Bluetones were massive. You can find out details about their tour here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We caught up with lead singer, Mark Morriss.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

EP: So the Bluetones are reuniting for a 20th anniversary tour after a 4 year hiatus. What can fans expect from the tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: For us it\u2019s a chance to enjoy that chemistry once more after 4 years apart. So with that in mind, and with the knowledge that there will be actual people watching us, we\u2019ve decided to tour the most uplifting and celebratory songs in our canon.<\/p>\n

EP:\u00a0Any plans for a new Bluetones record?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: At this stage, no. Like I say, these dates are more to do with the 4 of us just getting our groove on again. If something else happens, then it happens, but it\u2019s not part of a master plan.<\/p>\n

EP: What happens next? Is this a one off, or do you have more in the pipeline? Or are you taking it as it comes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: Taking things as they come, I\u2019d say. No grand plans, no ulterior motives.<\/p>\n

EP: You\u2019ve had some success as a solo artist both while in The Bluetones and since.\u00a0Which do you prefer? Life in the band or under your own name?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: I enjoy the autonomy of doing things on my own, and the sense of standing or falling by my own choices, but nothing will ever replace the synergy of being part of a unit. Walking onstage with that sense of strength and trust. Sharing success and fighting adversity as one.<\/p>\n

EP: You all still get on together, have you ever considered teaming up with one or some of them as a Bluetones Lite? Maybe you and Scott as The Morriss Brothers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: Nope. Never. The Mummys and The Magical Sex Band gave us a chance to hang out last year, but playing these Bluetones songs is about something else completely. The four of us wrote all those old numbers together, so there will always be a different feel than when they are asked to come in at the end of the process and just recreate my songs live. The just is.<\/p>\n

EP: Most of the other guys have gone into non-music careers \u2013 do you think they\u2019d drop them if you did a Jake Blues and said, \u201cwe\u2019re getting the band back together!\u201d for more than just this tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: Nope. Besides, that wouldn\u2019t really be my call to make.<\/p>\n

EP: Your most recent album, ‘A Flash of Darkness’, was funded through Pledge Music.\u00a0How was the Pledge experience?\u00a0Would you recommend it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: It was great. Completely empowering and very satisfying.\u00a0I don\u2019t think it\u2019s the correct path for all artists but in my case, with an already established fan-base, it was ideal. It removed the need to go in pursuit of a record deal. In effect the labels came to me because I had a finished work to hand over which they could see for themselves would be something they could roll with.<\/p>\n

EP: What’s your favourite track on ‘A Flash of Darkness’ and why? (I really like ‘This is The Lie’ \u2013 not sure why \u2013 the lightness of it? The guitar?)<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: Ooh, that\u2019s a tricky one\u2026 Uuuuum possibly ‘Low Company’. It was one of the first songs written musically speaking, but one of the last to be completed. I was always very precious about this particular song.<\/p>\n

EP: Could you see any of these songs working as Bluetones songs? Will you perform any on tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: Not now. They\u2019ve gained a different identity. There won\u2019t be any on this tour, no. Nor any future prospective Bluetones tours.<\/p>\n

EP: You told The Quietus back in 2011<\/a> that the Bluetones split because you\u2019d reached a crossroads in your career.\u00a0Do you feel that was the right decision back then to call it a day?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: Absolutely. We\u2019d been fighting many fires behind the scenes, and it eventually took it\u2019s toll on the group. We were in danger of falling out of love with our baby. Quitting at that time allowed us to walk away with our affection for the band intact.<\/p>\n

EP: Any regrets?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: None. I think all 4 of us have enjoyed the new challenges we\u2019ve faced since the band ended. I certainly have.<\/p>\n

EP: You gig a LOT.\u00a0Is it something you feel compelled to do? Like it\u2019s in your blood?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: I am a musician in the old sense. Like a minstrel. It\u2019s not so much a conscious choice as a compulsion. I have the wanderlust in me.<\/p>\n

EP: So what’s your favourite venue to perform at and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: Far, far too many to be able to pick one. There are some wonderful venues of all sizes out there. Personally I enjoy the energy that a smaller room can generate, somewhere like Fibbers in York, but the Shepherds Bush Empire has a real buzz when you give it a shake.<\/p>\n

EP: Top three songs\/artists you\u2019re listening to right now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MM: C Duncan- Garden<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Chemical Brothers- Go<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Jane Weaver- Mission Desire<\/p>\n

EP: What\u2019s the one question you wish someone would ask you in an interview but nobody ever does?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Would you like to see some puppies?<\/p>\n

\n
\"YouTube