RORY GALLAGHER, THE BLUES ALWAYS

It’s before a sold-out Bataclan that Rory Gallagher appeared, surprised by the welcome that the capital’s public had for him. After a slump, the Irishman is back with a new group and the enticing promise of bringing out a live album and electric album at the same time.

All it took was a few posters to set the capital on fire: after the prolonged silences and one or two media appearances that were rather worrying and not too photogenic, the very name of Rory Gallagher placed sparingly across our walls quickly made the maximum capacity of the good old Bataclan explode a full three weeks before the return of the first Irish will-o’-the-wisp of the electric blues. Now separated amicably from his accomplices Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O’Neill, dear Rory himself did not expect such a celebration on his return. The man is still too reserved and superstitious to believe it.

Now out of the tunnel, it seems that Rory is gradually recovering his morale day by day, especially with the presence of the heavenly harmonica of Mark Feltham, old friend and ex-leader of the group… of his two ex-sidekicks (Nine Below Zero) and a new hunky-dory rhythmic welding. The Irishman even talks of a new album that will come out twice… simultaneously. Or would it be once… doubly? Immediate lightning of our lanterns!

Hard rock magazine: So, what caused your loyal rhythm section to leave? 

Well … Gerry and Brendan wanted to do their own thing, especially Gerry, who after 20 years of good and loyal service on the bass, naturally wanted to sing and compose. At the same time, Mark Feltham, who often played with me on stage, wanted to reform his group, Nine Below Zero. Funnily enough, they went on tour and Mark decided quickly, in the middle of the tour, that he wanted to come back and play with me, which he is currently doing! Well, for sure, it was quite dire at first, but I think that the change will prove to be beneficial for them as well as me, even though it hurts to have been used to their presence and to have had the impression that they would stay loyal to me until the end… Listen, there’s no bitterness on my part. The other evening, we shared a bill and it went very well. There is no animosity between us. Sometimes an important change is necessary. That’s what happened to us.

In terms of touring, there’s been no news from you since Live in Cork was released on video, recorded in your hometown in 1987. What’s happened since?

After Cork, we played in Dublin at an open-air festival, a fantastic night. Then we went back to Cork to play again at a free open-air festival and finally ended up in a small concert hall just as eminently friendly. After that, we went back to England, first for a concert in Portsmouth, then in London at the Town and Country Club. That was a real disaster. Perhaps the worst concert that I’ve ever given! After a quick stop in Leeds, we finally headed to the continent: Zurich, Vienna, Germany…

Apart from Mark Feltham, who are your new musicians?

A young promising drummer, Richard Newman, whose father Tony Newman worked with Beck, a very inventive bassist, David Levy, who has worked with Steve Marriott (they have, by the way, both worked with him) and Jim Leverton, an old friend who was officially in Fat Mattress, the group that Noel Redding founded just after the death of Hendrix. In fact, he is actually a guitarist-bassist, but for me, he plays the keyboards in the tradition that I like, in the style of 1960s Al Kooper. Anyway, I envisage being more flexible in the future in terms of the stability of my line up. Always keeping the same people is very good, but it can also become artistically restrictive in the long term, especially in the studio. The stage is another matter…

The next album? There’s a rumour that there could be two coming out. An electric and an acoustic … 

Yes, at the same time. Or perhaps a double album, I like that idea. Thanks Guns N Roses and Bruce Springsteen! The electric album is already entirely composed and I am currently working on the acoustic which will have one side of blues and the other more Celtic, somewhat experimental.

With your touring band?

I don’t know … and in my current state of mind, I am practically frightened to think too far in the future. It is one of the main defects of being a Pisces! I am trying to fight this tendency with the help of one of my musician friends, trying to live more day to day in order to give more intensity to what I am doing. It’s not easy, but I think that it is much better for me. It gives me more strength when faced with the record company who always wants to know what you are exactly planning to do in the next three months … Hey, I’m not ABBA! I just plan for the evening. That’s how I live. But, clearly, I need to get out of this “phase” after the tour and perhaps become a bit more… professional.

Professional!? You know that your show at the Bataclan was sold out three weeks before the date, right?

Well … I don’t want to seem too humble. What can I say? Well, I knew that I had fans in France and Paris, but… I am truly delighted. That said, I’m only playing in ten locations, so that could be why… It’s the law of the trade. Attendance and love of the public are so unpredictable… to tell you the truth, I will only really be happy after giving this concert, but hearing that news is undeniably good for my “moral” (pronounces it in the French way)

The blues, Rory, the blues…

Dominique Dujean