Era il 1986 quando Guy Chadwick rimaneva folgorato da un concerto di The Jesus and Mary Chain e fondava la sua band. Sceglieva come nome House Of Love, prendendo spunto da un romanzo di Anaïs Nin (“A Spy In The House Of Love”). Con l’omonimo album del 1988 il gruppo inglese faceva il botto, diventando un cult per gli amanti del genere, imponendoli come anticipatori dello shoegaze di Slowdive e My Bloody Valentine con componenti psichedeliche. Singoli come “Christine” e “Shine On” hanno scalato le classifiche di tutta Europa.
Icone dell’indie pop rock britannico, The House of Love suonano per la prima volta in Italia e in esclusiva nazionale, oggi alle 21.15 nella sedicesima edizione di Sexto ‘Nplugged a Sesto al Reghena. In apertura il post punk dei veneti You, Nothing; prima (dalle 19) e dopo il concerto il dj set di Dianda Distress.
«Ricordo a malapena gli esordi – racconta Chadwick, storico frontman –, tempi spensierati in cui le cose andavano per il verso giusto. Poi è arrivato il contratto con la Creation Records, e tutto è successo velocemente».
Riassumendo: un grande successo, una pausa, una reunion?
«Riunirsi è stato difficile, molte questioni erano rimaste in sospeso e abbiamo dovuto discuterne prima di ricominciare a lavorare assieme. Poi ha funzionato e io, Terry Bickers e Pete Evans siamo tornati a essere buoni amici. Abbiamo pubblicato due album ben accolti dai fan, ma ero deluso dal sound complessivo e sapevo di poter fare meglio. È stata una grande soddisfazione suonare al Roundhouse di Londra con tutto esaurito, ma raggiungere quella vetta è stato anche uno stimolo per un nuovo cambiamento».
… di formazione. Quale l’attuale?
«Mi affiancano Keith Osborne alla chitarra, Hugo Degenhardt alla batteria e Harry Osborne al basso. Il nostro suono ha nuova energia ed esuberanza. Sono tutti polistrumentisti e ottimi cantanti, così ne esce una parte vocale potente ed eclettica, soprattutto nei nuovi brani».
Qual è stato il momento più duro?
«Non sapere gestire il successo quando è arrivato ed accasarci all’etichetta discografica sbagliata (Phonogram), circondandoci di persone che non avevano a cuore il nostro bene».
Davvero non avete mai tenuto concerti in Italia?
«No, e non so perché visto che abbiamo suonato ovunque. Sono un estimatore del vostro Paese, ho visitato Roma, Venezia, la Sicilia, la Sardegna, Pompei e Napoli, dove ho mangiato una pizza memorabile; la vostra arte, storia e cultura culinaria sono le migliori al mondo».
Il concerto a Sexto ‘Nplugged?
«Includeremo tutte le hit e per la prima volta alcuni inediti dal prossimo album».
La musica in streaming, accessibile a tutti è una conquista o toglie la magia?
«Deve essere dura sopravvivere per un giovane musicista oggi, mi sento fortunato ad aver vissuto tempi in cui le cose funzionavano diversamente. Al tempo stesso apprezzo l’opportunità che mi dà Spotify, di ascoltare anche tanta musica che altrimenti non avrei sentito. E mi consola che la gente sia di nuovo interessata ai vinili e che i nostri fan compreranno sempre anche i cd».
Come avete vissuto la pandemia?
«All’inizio del lockdown ho cominciato a lavorare al nuovo album, davvero stimolante avere a che fare con nuovi musicisti, motivati e di talento, credo sarà il nostro miglior lavoro da parecchio. Non sempre potevamo stare fisicamente assieme, ma mi ha dato l’opportunità di concentrarmi sugli arrangiamenti e muovermi al mio passo. Per fortuna vivo in un bel posto vicino al mare e il panorama mi ha aiutato».
Elisa Russo, Il Piccolo 06 Agosto 2021
- Let’s start with origins. What are your memories of the group’s very early days?
I fondly remember the early days – it was an innocent time and everything was going right. When we got involved with Creation Records it was an exciting time and everything happened very quickly.
- A great success – a hiatus – a reunion: what can you tell me about it?
It was a very difficult reunion as there was a lot of bad history which had to be discussed before we could work together. It worked out brilliantly and Terry, Pete and I became really good friends again. Although we made two albums which were well received by the fans, I was disappointed in the overall sound and knew that I could do better. A highlight was playing a sold-out Roundhouse, London show in 2018 but this felt like a pivotal time of change for me and I knew then I wanted to move on.
- What’s the current line-up and how would you describe the sound of the band nowadays?
The current line-up is myself, Keith Osborne on lead guitar, Hugo Degenhardt on drums and Harry Osborne on bass (we had to bring a dep for this show in Italy as Harry is not fully vaccinated). The sound has a new energy and exuberance. All these guys are multi-instrumentalists and really good singers, so there is a bigger vocal sound and much more eclectic, particularly with the new material.
- Is it true that you have never performed in Italy before? What do you know about our country/ what do you think about our culture and do you know of any Italian artist/ bands?
No, we have never played in Italy – I don’t know why really as we played everywhere else! I’m a huge fan of your country and have visited many times including Rome, Venice, Sicily, Sardinia, Naples and Pompei. I think your art, history and food culture is the best in the world and I had the most memorable pizza ever in Naples.
- What can fans expect to see at your Italian show at Sexto ‘Nplugged on August 6th?
We will be playing the hits and it will be a debut for some new songs from the forthcoming album. We are really looking forward to playing in this beautiful venue.
- How do you see the rock scene nowadays? Do you think all the latest trends like streaming, downloading and the fact that music is instantly accessible to anyone have benefited the scene or took away from its magic?
It must be hard to make a living as a young musician these days, so I feel lucky things were different when I started out. I do however enjoy the facility of Spotify for example and I hear a lot of music that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. It is great though that people are enjoying vinyl again and our fans will always buy this and CDs.
- What would you say has been the hardest part of your musical journey so far?
The hardest part was definitely failing to deal with success and signing to the wrong record company (Phonogram) and having people working with the band who didn’t have our best interest at heart.
- With the Covid-19 situation, how has life changed for you? Has lockdown inspired your songwriting, or the opposite?
I started making the album at the beginning of lockdown and it has been a very exciting process, working with new, highly motivated and talented musicians. Although it has been difficult for us to work together some of the time, it also gave me the time to work on arrangements and develop the album at my own pace.
I am lucky enough to live in a beautiful place near the sea so no hardship there.
- Any plans beyond touring? Can we expect a new album from you in the near future?
It was very disappointing to have to postpone our North American tour and Japanese dates due to Covid, and travel obviously is still difficult. I put the new line-up together so that we could tour again as some people in the band would not fly or go to the USA and we had to turn down many great touring opportunities over the years.
There will be a new House of Love album, which is nearly completed. It has been a long time coming because recordings with the original line-up just weren’t good enough. Songs were recorded on several occasions and I was never happy with them. There was no energy or desire and I was determined to not have yet another set of songs under-performed and wasted. Working with the new group changed everything and I believe this new album is the best in a longtime.
