Colour 45 are Owen Powell: guitar; David Rizzo: bass; Lloyd Owen: vocals; Owen Stickler: drums; Lloyd Mahoney: guitar
Do you wish to be seen as another ‘indie-pop guitar band or is it the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle that beckons?
Dave: Death to rock ‘n’ roll lifestyles, that sort of thing is a myth created by greedy PR men and gullible fans.
Owen: It’s a myth created by blind people to the sad fact that numerous so called rock ‘n’ roll bands are just plain dumb. All the above applies equally to indie-pop bands.
Dave: We, liked most bands, don’t like being classed. Indie-pop sounds ‘right on’ naff. I’d definitely prefer to be known as just a guitar band, that is, after all what we are!
Listening to your demo tape, it seems that you’re mellowing out (shall we say with maturity?). Is this a natural progression or a deliberate move on your behalf?
Owen: I can honestly say that we’ve never done anything remotely like a deliberate move in all our born days!
Dave: It’s a natural progression, a combination of age and experience.
Owen: I think you mean our rapidly advancing years don’t you?
Dave: It’s like we’re playing our own style again. This is the music we like now so I suppose it does sound relatively tame, but I can assure you that the beast it sleeps, it’s not dead!
Which single event or person has had the greatest impact on your life, for better or worse?
Owen: Pete Townsend for proving that you don’t have to be an idiot to get on in the world. Learning to speak Welsh was the event that changed my life the most. It changed my school as well come to think of it!
Dave: The worst was going to live in America and having to endure their ‘desirable’ lifestyle, however, I did buy my first guitar over there! The greatest impact on me was had by Amy Caccivale who introduced me to the U.S. underground scene……dude.
If you had the chance to record one cover which single/song would each member choose and what song would or could you all agree on?
Owen: We’ll never agree to one song, but possible candidates might be, Aztec Camera – Song for a friend; Beach Boys – Wouldn’t it be nice?; The Who – Behind blue eyes; Nomeansno – It’s catching up; Big Star – September gurls; Sonic Youth – Kool thing; Beatles – Hey bulldog; Stranglers – Death and night and blood; Dave Burbeck quartet – Take five; Fugazi – Waiting room.
The Manic Street Preachers, shall we say, have a high profile but often seem to give Wales a bad press?
Owen: They’ve never actually said anything untrue as far as I know. They’re from Blackwood, they know its shit so they say so. I just can’t understand how they survived living there looking like they do.
Dave: The majority of bands from Wales suffer from bad press as a result of veiled, racist comments in the music papers.
Do you have any further comments?
Owen: Unlike so many current bands we have no ‘party line’ to tow, so much of what we have to say may come across as confused. We don’t talk much about ‘bands, scenes and music’ as our horizons are so much broader. Invite us to your house some day, we’ll talk OK?
This interview was compiled by ‘Wayne’ who originates from somewhere in the north of England, somewhere near Manchester I believe. Cheers Wayne!