'I can't wait to get back to Wolverhampton - best kebab I ever had!': We chat local cuisine with The Brand New Heavies as they prepare for Black Country gig

Known for the huge singles ‘Dream On Dreamer’ and ‘Midnight At The Oasis’, the band celebrated their 35th anniversary last year, and are honouring the milestone with this latest string of dates.

Having begun their tour in Glasgow this Tuesday, founder members Simon Bartholomew (vocals, guitar) and Andrew Levy (bass, keyboards) are excited about bringing their trademark vibes to the Black Country.

“It’s incredible to be revisiting some venues that we played at before,” said Simon. “It’s amazing to still be playing and doing it all, because nothing’s for granted.

“We’ve got a cracking band that loves doing the gigs so it’s really exciting to get out and play to people and share the music – which is now like a fine wine that hopefully hasn’t cooked!

“I haven’t been on the road for a bit,” added Andrew. “So it’s about switching back into that – it’s a transition from dad to rock star.”

For both of them, it certainly doesn’t feel like that rock star life has been going for 35 years.

“We’ve known each other since we were 11 years old,” said Andrew, “and we’ve been doing the same job since we’re sort of 17/18. But it just feels like it’s been a long half term!”

“It’s a really engaging job because there's so much to sort of deal with and get on with,” adds Simon. “But because it’s sort of perpetually demanding it doesn’t feel like a long time.”

It has indeed been a long time, and with it the boys have seen a lot of changes in the biz and the way things work.

“I actually think it’s easier to put music out now,” said Andrew. “You can do a song on your phone these days and release it. 

“But what I find a little bit sad is, a lot of musicians that are coming up now, you do need some backing; you need management and some marketing money and stuff.

“And I think the kids get a little bit disappointed when they release something online themselves and expect to be successful and popular all over the world and touring and stuff. It takes a lot more background support for that, and that’s what we had from our record label in the days where you had to be signed to afford to go into recording studios.

“So, I think it's tougher now in a way, and we can smugly look back to the days where we thought that being part of a major record label was a bit naff and a bit of a sell-out, but it was needed and I don’t think we’d be around today without all the financial investment that we had back in the '90s.”

Looking back, Simon reflects on how when they first started out, he and Andrew certainly had to put in the hard yards.

“We cut our teeth loading up Andrew’s Morris Minor, getting all the gear to a little gig and playing at warehouse parties and things like that,” he said. “And I think that's an important part of it all.

“As you get older – and I don’t think I've got much wiser – but I look back and I was saturated in that sort of thing and you have some skills because of that experience. Doing it yourself now, you can make a record on a laptop, never do a gig and have 15 trillion things going, and I think some bands have made it off that but I think, as Andrew said, there must be some people who expect things to happen more than they do, you know?”

“We're the old fuddy duddies to some people, but as Simon said, we did spend quite a long time in our very early 20s knocking around in various different guises, slogging it, driving ourselves to Amsterdam overnight and doing all these gigs,” added Andrew.

Training

“We were having a lot of fun – driving around, doing what we love, playing our instruments. But, in hindsight, it was a lot of training.

“It was learning how to perform on stage, connecting with the crowd, having three people at a gig one night and maybe a 200 at another, and just dealing with the ups and downs of being a musician and a performer.

“That might be lacking these days, I think. And it makes you tougher. It gives you the armour to stay in the business and do something you love.”

The Brand New Heavies have sold over 2.5 million records worldwide and are regarded as nothing less than leading pioneers of the acid jazz scene. 

Joined by vocalist Angela Ricci since 2018, they have always been known for their infectious energy and flamboyant stage presence. Yet, both Andrew and Simon confess to being a lot less extroverted in the real world.

“I’m actually quite shy,” said Simon. “So to be on stage is, like, really weird! I learned to sort of bounce around and be more relaxed and more entertaining on stage down the line.”

Despite this, Simon’s dream was always ‘successful musician’.

“When I was about 12 I was heavily into rock and roll and learning summertime blues and stuff like that on the acoustic guitar, and my auntie said to me, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’,” said Simon.

“And I said, ‘I want to be a rock star’. I used to have a game with my mate running around the school playground, getting dressed up as rock stars. I called myself ‘Ricky Ricochet’.”

“I haven’t heard this before,” laughed Andrew. “It’s a very beautiful story. There’s got to be a song there.”

Music had been a part of Andrew’s life from a very early age, and though a rock ‘n’ roll career was not his childhood fixation in the same way it was Simon’s, the pull of a life in the arts was always there.

“I grew up with a lot of reggae music, a lot of records being played, and a lot of get-togethers and gatherings at my parents’ house,” he said. “I didn’t even know what a bloody guitar was, but my dad did buy me one when I was around 10 or 12 – but no lessons or anything. 

“I used to just figure out how to pluck the strings and make up these silly melodies holding two strings down with my thumb and my index finger and just sort of mess around and make stuff up. 

“Then I ended up with a bass when I was about 15, and I just taught myself how to play. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at the time, but of course I did realise at some point.” As the stars both make clear, family has always played a big part in their passion for their craft.

“I think what we saw from our families and parents is the joy of music,” said Simon. “My mum was always singing in the kitchen. We’d have the top 100 on Sundays while she was making food. She had a few records which she’d put on, and my dad was very passionate about Louis Armstrong.”

“We had tons of music on all the time,” added Andrew. “My mum was actually obsessed. I didn’t realise at the time, but she used to rig up this speaker from the front room to where the sound system actually was to listen to this show on Sundays called Reggae Time.

“The house was wired for sound by my mum, and all those things, as Simon said, they all fit into your association of music meaning good times. And I think that’s something that we do bring to the stage even now, 40-odd years later. We do like to have a party atmosphere.”

Attendees to the Wolverhampton gig can expect exactly that – along with, of course, the signature outfits.

“I’m wearing exactly what I’ve worn for the last 35 years,” laughed Simon.

Both are looking forward to the Civic Hall show immensely, but for Simon, Wolverhampton has a very particular draw.

“There’s a kebab shop there – maybe the best kebab I’ve ever had,” he said. “I can’t wait to give one another go!” 

“Life’s too short,” Andrew laughed. “If you want to smile, look at some incredible outfits and basically giggle, have a little dance with your other half and party like it’s the 1990s, then come and see us – it’s gonna be a ball.”

The Brand New Heavies are playing at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on March 27.