Ex Oasis Man Bonehead Doesn't Look Back In Anger
By
Stop Crying Your Heart Out
on
June 19, 2010
From playing in front of 250,000 people at Knebworth to the 140-capacity Cellars at Eastney, life has come full-circle for Bonehead.
Founding member and guitar player in arguably the world's biggest indie band, he's now joined a new group and plans to hit the road hard to get them a name as big as his old one.
In the late 1980s, Bonehead – real name Paul Arthurs – started a band called The Rain with his mates in Manchester.
He went on to recruit Liam and then Noel Gallagher. The band went on to become Oasis and Oasis went on to found Britpop and achieve worldwide chart domination.
Ten years after leaving Oasis, Bonehead's back with a new band – The Vortex – and he's coming to The Cellars at Eastney.
'It's something that I always missed,' reveals the 44-year-old multi-instrumentalist.
'Reaching that pinnacle of playing to a quarter of a million people at Knebworth was beyond what we ever dreamed we could do, but – personally – I did miss the intimacy of turning up to gigs in a van, rather than a limousine with four security guards, and getting up-close and personal with the audience, you know, sitting at the bar with them afterwards. That's what I really love about being in a band and it's great to be back doing that,' he continues, apologising for munching on a sausage sandwich.
Bonehead still lives in Manchester with his wife, Kate, and two children, Lucy (whose middle name is Oasis) and Jude. He's been married to Kate for 'god knows' how long – 'since before Oasis'.
Bonehead was the bedrock of his former band. He was the one who would jump in to split up the fights between Liam and Noel and it was his front room which featured on the cover of the band's debut album, Definitely Maybe.
It was also his van that transported the band and their equipment around when they started out – a spray-painted van with no key that started with a screwdriver kept under the seat.
Everyone in the area knew about the van, and the screwdriver, and Bonehead would spend his weekends wandering Moss Side in search of his van, after some gig goer nicked it to drive themselves home.
These early days were a far cry from Oasis' eventual megastardom, but Bonehead missed the simple life.
He says: 'It was difficult being in a band with a profile like that. A lot of people don't realise how busy you are. You might get six days off a year.
'Part of the reason I left was because I wanted some time to see my family and watch the kids grow-up. But that wasn't the only reason.
'For me, the spark in Oasis had died out. I wasn't enjoying it as much. Something had gone, something had fallen flat. I just didn't feel I could carry on and finish that album (the band's 2000 release Standing
On The Shoulder Of Giants] and then go out around the world to promote it.
'You can't be a member of Oasis and not give 100 per cent. But you can't leave Oasis overnight either, legally or emotionally.
'For me, it was just time to go. It was not an easy decision, but I don't regret it, I just look back and think what an amazing time I had.'
Bonehead has plenty of tales of good times with the band, as you can imagine. But it was Liam that he was closest to.
'We just got on, We were best mates within the band,' he explains.
When Noel wrote a song called Bonehead's Bank Holiday with the intention of Bonehead singing lead vocals for the track, Liam lent his support, but it all ended in a drunken stupor.
When I ask him about it, Bonehead scoffs at the idea of him being drunk.
'Drunk? I was leathered mate! Liam had to hold me up.
'Noel came to me and said "I've written a song called Bonehead's Bank Holiday". I said "I like the title", then Noel told me "the twist is you're singing it".
'I'd never sung a note in my life and he just said "yeah, there's the words. There's the tune..."
'So Liam was like "I'll tell you what, you and me'll go to the pub for some Dutch courage". Sixteen pints of Strongbow cider later, we were beyond capable,' Bonehead laughs.
'I've still got about three hours of out-takes. It's probably the funniest thing you'll ever hear in your life.'
Bonehead and Liam's alcohol-inspired chanting can be heard in snippets on the final recording, but Noel re-recorded the lead vocals.
When I ask if he ever misses any aspect of Oasis, he says he's not bothered about the fame and fortune.
'I suppose you miss your mates,' he admits.
'I spent 10 years with them, seeing them most days. You miss being round the same circle of people,' he continues, then quickly adds: 'But it's not like I sit there at night getting sad about it.'
Bonehead is still friends with his ex-bandmates, but he sees them very rarely these days.
'I bumped into Noel a few years ago at the Manchester v Cancer gig and I've met up with Liam a few times in London. I saw Alan a few months back too,' he explains.
So how did he feel when the band he started eventually split in August?
'It was always on the cards but I was sad that they would be no more and particularly sad that it ended in a fight. I guess that's par for the course with them.
'I'm looking forward to hearing what both of them are going to come out with. It can only be a good thing for music in general. It's going to be an exciting thing,' he beams.
Bonehead has no regrets about leaving the band when he did. He explains: 'If I was to get hit by a bus tomorrow, wherever I end up, I would think "I did what I set out to do... and more". I just hope I can achieve the same degree of success with The Vortex as I did with Oasis.'
When we speak, he's in a Manchester studio recording an album with his new band.
'We're funding the recording ourselves,' he explains. 'We're just recording the final bits, tidying it up, today. We're going to start mixing next week.
'We've got some serious label interest in the pipeline, but nothing definite I can announce at this stage.
'Realistically, the album's likely to be released in the new year,' he confides.
Bonehead says that The Vortex are similar to Oasis musically.
'In terms of big anthemic choruses and loud crashing guitars, there's not a lot of difference. But there's a dance element to The Vortex as well. It's not far off Primal Scream because we've got Jackie (Heather Small and Cotton Club backing vocalist, Jaxx) on backing vocals, which gives it a sort of Denise Johnson feel.'
He also says that the band's dynamic is similar to that of Oasis.
When I ask him if life's more harmonious in his new band, he replies: 'Oasis was nothing but harmonious, though, of course, there were the well-publicised spats between Noel and Liam.
'The Vortex has a really similar feel people-wise. The vibe reminds me of the feeling of Oasis in the early days. It's one of the things that drew me to The Vortex.
'I loved the music, of course, but I jumped at it when they asked me to join because of the camaraderie.'
Bonehead met his new band through its bass player Nick Repton, who was friends with some of Bonehead's colleagues, for a show on BBC Radio Manchester.
After appearing as a guest performer with the band a few times, in January 2009 they asked him to join full- time and he 'jumped at it'.
The band recently acquired a new frontman, John Mackie. Bonehead says: 'He was pretty established around Manchester as a solo singer-songwriter and he's a really amazing frontman. He looks and sounds great on stage and he's a top boy.
'He completed the band and kicked us all up a gear.'
When The Vortex arrive at The Cellars at Eastney tomorrow night, Bonehead says: 'You can expect them to blow your head.
'A lot of people come down to gigs because they're familiar with the band from MySpace or they've read a review or heard about us from someone who's seen us before. Some come out of curiosity – they say "it's Bonehead. Let's go".
'We always get out front and talk to people after the gigs and they say "I didn't expect that".'
The Vortex will be blowing even more heads when they embark on a mammoth touring schedule in September and release a couple of singles around Christmas time.
'We're taking it a step at a time,' says Bonehead.
'We're doing it the old school way. We just want to chip away and see what comes of it. Just get out and be heard – that's the plan.'
See The Vortex at The Cellars at Eastney from 8pm tomorrow. Tickets cost £11 on the door or £9.50 in advance from the Cromwell Road Box Office or (023) 9286 6249. You can also catch them at Soul Cellar in Southampton on August 20.
Source: www.portsmouth.co.uk
'Time Flies... 1994-2009' is out now for more details click here.