The Sheffield Scenester

As I approached the back of the venue, I stopped and stood in awe at the sheer size of the leviathan that laid in wait. With its tinted eyes and metallic black coating the six wheeled monster could have easily intimated me, but I was prepared. My mind did begin to wonder: Why did it even exist? What was something so large capable of holding?

No, I had to get my serious head on: I was here to interview the Fun Lovin’ Criminals before their gig at the Plug in Sheffield, not admire their tour bus – but why such a big bus?

As I turned the corner I could see that the previous interview was wrapping up and so approached with a little trepidation. This was an unnecessary feeling to harbour as the welcome the group, including Huey Morgan, Brian Leiser and Frank Benbini, was quite overwhelming.

I was ushered through door of the bus and informed by Huey that it could sleep twelve; we headed into the downstairs living area, where I was greeted by the goodies I had been imagining.

I knew that I had to address a subject that may turn the atmosphere a little sombre: the band had been forced to postpone a gig in Aldershot the previous night due to bereavement in Huey’s immediate family. I wanted to find out what the situation was and what did music offer the reformed criminal.

“It is definitely music that keeps me going, that and the guys in the band. We will be in Aldershot in ten days time, but it seems that the people there love to party whatever. They will get an even better show when we go over there in a few days; it was just yesterday that I couldn’t do.”

The love of an American sweetshop for US troops that the band had found whilst on their travels to Aldershot turned the atmosphere back up a notch. The discussion of a particular soft drink certainly had the band divided as I asked what the fuss was with Mountain Dew. I had originally been given a diet coke when I entered the bus, but Frank’s persuasive manner secured me a can of America’s boost juice.

“Now you gotta drink that all up, come on, I don’t have many left. It’s good right?” Brian was keen to ensure that I had the full Mountain Dew experience. I claimed it tasted like 7UP, this was not received well by the New Yorker, who claimed that Mountain Dew had a taste all of its own.

I moved to ask the band about the success of their music, and if they had any opinions on why the European market had accepted their music, yet the American’s had failed to appreciate their musical offerings.
“You have one of the best bands in the world, not to mention the best looking bands in the world, it’s stupidity, plain and simple,” joked Huey, as he relaxed back on the soft leather chair. Frank and Brian laughed and supported what he said. Despite the mocking undertones, I had a suspicion that the words actually meant something to the group.

As I repositioned myself on the brown leather chair Frank commented that he was hungry and wanted to go for some food, I brushed off the comment and tuned into Huey, who was launching into an attack on the music industry.

“I mean what else do we have to do? We’re one of the best bands in the world, best smelling bands in the world. I mean I don’t understand what we gotta do, what hoops we gotta jump through, Screw Simon Cowell?”
Frank exploded and showered the interior of the deck with his infectious laughter, and repeated Huey’s line about the group’s fine scent.

I realised that the three guys weren’t taking me very seriously, I decided to let them know that I had interviewed a few other bands and wasn’t here simply for a can of pop. I wanted to know if what I had been told by an American electro-pop group was true, that the US market are hung up on their music tastes and are afraid to break away from the masses.

Huey was quick to fire an answer: “Definitely, they are very segregated too. We have always been a band that plays all types of music even though we’re in one band. If you want to get on an R’n’B radio station in the States you have to provide them with multiple tracks, but we don’t have that. We have rock, reggae, blues along with R’n’B, but we don’t mind because for us it’s just the way it is and we’re some of the best looking guys around. Now take a sip of that Mountain Dew, you sit in awe of us, don’t you?”

I could see that Huey had turned the question around to allow him to reveal his comedic nature, laughing as he passed me the can of caffeine. I warmed to him as I could see this was a man that had recently lost a close relative, but who was still able to carry on, and carry his band with his wit and charm.

I thought that I would probe the band further on their musical influences, especially Huey’s past, as the man that now entertained thousands in sold out venues, had a hefty criminal record.

“I grew up in the Lower East Side of New York City and the music scene there is so diverse. The amount of immigration meant that I grew up with so many different types of people listening to such a wide variety of music. New York seriously feels like the island next to America it is so diverse. When you travel in America, which we have, you realise there is a lot of wasteland, populated wasteland.”

I could see that Huey’s America was New York. Brian was heavily influenced by his time spent in Brooklyn; unfortunately Frank didn’t have the benefits of living in the city that never sleeps, as a late addition to the band he was recruited from Leicester.

“It’s hard to tour in America though,” added Frank. “One day we’ll get an opening slot on a show and we’ll make it, but to fly out there and do one or two shows is expensive and promoters don’t like it.”

“We like to keep it really ghetto though,” said Huey, lifting the atmosphere from the talk of being unable to introduce his fellow countrymen to his music. “We just like to tour and play wherever there is electricity and beer. Some acts get the wrong impression and think it’s something that it isn’t. Once every so often accidentally get a chart hit, we just like to keep it like that.”

As I looked around the multi-million pound music mobile, I wondered just how ghetto these guys really did like to keep it. Admittedly the Plug in Sheffield might not be the most glamorous gig, but surely if demand was greater they would play larger venues? I needed to know what the purpose of the tour was, and touring in general.
“It has to be the performance,” said Frank with enthusiasm. “It’s the one and a half hours that you get to go on stage and perform to people that have come out to see you. I know that when I go home, I can’t be bothered to go watch a band, so for someone to travel and pay to see us is fantastic.”

As the interview ended and I made my way to the door, can in hand, I made a request that the band played Big Night Out for me as it was the first Fun Lovin’ Criminal record I bought. Huey laughed and said he’d see what he could do.

I said goodbye to the guys and made my way back into the venue for the performance and began to reflect on my surreal experience with the three middle aged men, who loved their music as much as their fans – regardless of who they were. It was also obvious why there was such a large bus, to carry big dreams and even bigger characters.

It might be a little disheartening to Huey that America may not have taken the Fun Lovin Criminals to their hearts, but as the Plug began to fill, and I lost my place at the bar, I could see that Britain – Sheffield at least – still had plenty of love for the trio.

As they played their ‘accidental’ hits, including the legendary Scooby Snacks I heard Huey’s voice echo around the room: This one is for Adam.

Interview by Adam Thorndike (Cookie PR)

Photography Tracey Welch