Singer-songwriter David
Gray has come a long way since playing second fiddle to a side order of
BBQ ribs. The multi-platinum selling artist talks to Karl Holbrook
about what he thinks about the young pretenders to his throne
What
a difference a hit makes. In the late 90s, folk pop troubadour David
Gray almost packed up his guitar for good after being dropped by three
major record labels in as many albums.
Fed up of life on the
margins, the Manchester-born singer-songwriter then put everything on
the line – including the deeds to his London walk-up – for a final shot
at joining the ranks of his idols, such as Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.
Little
did he know that within a year his album White Ladder would top charts
around the globe and he would be transformed into a household name.
Ten
years on and the minstrel is promoting his Greatest Hits album with a
world tour – but he's never forgotten the desperate early days.
"There were a lot of Spinal Tap moments early on in my career," he says, sniffing back the last remnants of a winter cold.
"Actually you wouldn't believe how true to life that film is.
"I'll always remember we once played at some backwater in America and we were second on the bill.
"There was absolutely nothing unusual about that at the time but first on the billboard was BBQ ribs.
"The sign outside said 'Spare ribs sold out, David Gray nine o'clock'.
"It was terribly disheartening but it was something we had to deal with all the time.
"There was no direction coming from the record label and we didn't have a clue if anyone was listening."
These days his career couldn't be more different.
He
has sold more than six million albums worldwide and it was once
reported that more people in the UK own his album White Ladder than own
an actual ladder!
In Ireland he remains the best selling artist
of the 21st century and he is one of the few British artists to have
cracked America with his genre-defining brand of superlative nu-folk
musings.
Next week he is in Preston for the first time in his
20-year career, where he will be revisiting indie-folk anthems like
Babylon and The One I Love at the Guild Hall.
With a new backing band in tow, he is raring to go.
"It's great to be touring again," he says. "I don't know what it is but I've got the passion back.
"The
excitement of touring is running though my blood again and I just can't
wait to get out there on stage, so it's a really good time to come and
see me.
"I've got a new band, which has given the music a much
more muscular quality – there's a real back-to-basics energy about it
all.
"Also, we've decided to play some new places this time around – like Preston and Grimsby, among others.
"It gives everything a real freshness. It's like tasting a different ice cream for a change.
"I'm sick of vanilla – I want to try pistachio or peach. Preston is like peach and I'm looking forward to it."
Although
he was born in Sale, south of Manchester, David has lived a nomadic
life – he was brought up mainly in Wales and now lives in London with
his wife and child.
However, he says coming back to the region is like slipping on an old pair of slippers.
"There is a real familiarity about everything," he says.
"Whenever I come back all those subconscious memories that are coiled up inside come flooding back."
Even though the tour is promoting his Greatest Hits album, the singer isn't spending too much of his time looking backwards.
On the verge of completing his eighth studio album, he says he still has plenty to give in the future.
"I find it really tiresome that I get lumped in with every new artist that sings these types of songs," he says.
"I
don't want to mention any names but many of these acts don't seem to
have a lot going for them. White Ladder has created a templat
e that record companies use to pigeonhole people.
"I'd
rather just keep playing in my furrow and sooner or later, when they're
all found out, I'll be left playing on my own again."
The
as-yet-untitled follow-up to Life In Slow Motion will have a more
'panoramic' viewpoint, in direct opposition to the introspective songs
that laced his last two albums.
Its varied subject matter is indicative of the singer's newly-rediscovered verve for music.
"For whatever reason I really do have a new lease of life," he says. "Whether it's the new band or not I don't know.
"What
I do know is that I'm excited about music again and it feels like I've
burst through the invisible barrier into a new place where all things
seem possible again."
David Gray plays Preston Guild Hall on Tuesday, March 11. Tickets are £29.50, available from the box office on 0845 3442012.The full article contains 856 words and appears in n/a newspaper.