Following on from the runaway success of last year’s 13th Floor Renegades album, rejuvenated powerpop rockers LAST GREAT DREAMERS are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their classic debut Retrosexual with a first-time-ever vinyl edition and one-off London show at The Lounge in Camden on 16 November, recreating their infamous Glitterball club nights. We got the lowdown from guitarist Slyder…
Define 'retrosexual'?
For us at the time it was a play on words and was highlighting our love of the 1970s era of music, TV, fashion, cars etc. Later the phrase was used meaning putting the man back into manhood, the antithesis of what we meant by it then we were camping it up in our 70’s suits and tottering around on platform heals.
What do you remember about the recording of the album?
We recorded the album in Newcastle at our record company’s studio. We had a false start initially as we were recording the bass we had a mug of tea drop onto the mixing desk spilling tea into the channels and putting the studio out of action. Also we were living in the studio in a converted stairwell sleeping in bunk beds, not the most glamourous of residential studios but it was a lot of fun and a great experience.
Where did you hold the original Glitterball Club, and what memories do you have of that time?
The Glitterball was originally based in Gossips and later moved to St. Moritz. It was a monthly 70s rock night, the only one in London at the time. One gig highlight at that time was supporting Suzi Quatro at The Marquee Club, it was a sold out show and Suzi made a point of coming to our dressing room to say Hi, that was a nice touch, we were all fans of her as kids so we were all a bit in awe of her.
You’re planning a mystery tour along with the gig…
Well we’ve been running through a few ideas and there are plenty of special places that are important in the band’s history. The West End of London was where the scene was then so we’ll definitely be visiting there, but sadly a few of the landmarks in our history have been bulldozed.
What's next for the band after this?
We’re taking a bit of a backseat on live shows other than a few we have dotted about for the rest of the year, and will mostly be writing and rehearsing new material for our fifth album, which will come out some time in 2020. We will also be heading out to Scandinavia, Spain and Germany in the Spring and most probably a full UK tour to coincide with the new release.
Check out 'Last Great Dreamer' from Retrosexual...
Retrosexual is rereleased on 15 November. Pre-orders and tickets for the gig and the magical mystery tour are available now from lastgreatdreamers.com
