Robert Lloyd is back in show business and his new outfit, Terminal Hoedown, are in good shape. To date terminal Hoedown have performed three gigs and a session for John Peel on whose show it seems he’ll be guaranteed a spot.
I caught up with the band at their recent gig at Islington Powerhaus and emboldened by the one to one relationship between band and audience arranged an interview for White Lemonade. There is a lot of prefatory material to Terminal Hoedown so to do justice to them I spent many hours tracing their career down at National Sound Archive (a wonderful place where you really get the personal touch; the staff will dig out that article, record or radio program and play it to you in your private cubicle).
There I found out about The Prefects who came to fame in 1979, or at least that’s when they did a session for Peel which is still available in the shops. It sounds of its time and yet still sharp enough to be relevant nowadays. Still in 1979, The Nightingales formed out of The Prefects. They produced four albums and went through a few line-ups, record labels and styles including a violin and quirky country sound. Come 1988 Robert Lloyd and The New Four Seasons surfaced with two smashing 12” singles, ‘Something Nice’, and ‘Nothing Matters’. Plain Robert Lloyd is the name of the next regrouping which signed themselves to Virgin and made one album.
Similarities have been drawn between his style and Microdisney and The Fall. All three have been knocking about as long as each other and they each have a fine flair for formidable satire, something which has become rare in pop of late. What’s more they have very powerful vocals and are very cool about the current pop scene in their own ways. Robert is a decent sort of bloke and I must say I found him so. It didn’t take long to draw him out, one pint of Guinness together and my nervous interview technique was soon under way.
So how long have Terminal Hoedown been together?
“From about last June; three of us, me, Joe and Pete got together and recorded some songs and we did one gig in Birmingham last November.”
With changing line-ups ad labels, do you think that this might have helped to keep what you do fresh? It may be difficult for folk to keep up with you?
“I guess it does. What I think with this band is that it’s a completely different approach to The New Four Seasons, which in turn was different to The Nightingales. Basically, I’ve always done what I wanted to do. I like all kinds of music and there’s a lot more that I’d like to do that I haven’t.”
Is there going to be a record?
“There will be at least one but I don’t know with whom. I just think we should get a bit more under our belts first.”
But you have a good new repertoire?
“Yeah, an extensive one! I guess we’ll start with a grass roots record to at least announce we exist. I’m quite interested in doing a record with a foreign label. Maybe we’ll release a record in Holland to get the ball rolling.”
Did you find you had a fair bit of support in Europe?
“Yeah, not bad. It’s nice the way they are friendly like that over there.”
You must be kind of fed up with the record industry, with success eluding you all these years, success in terms of riches I mean?
“Yeah, I want to be successful. I’m fed up of success giving me a miss.”
Is it hard to make ends meet?
“Yea, I’m skint actually. It’s been a long slog over the few years since I was dropped by Virgin. It was really difficult trying to get a new deal, it’s all so sycophantic, ‘Oh, we love you Rob, we know you’re a great writer, some of tunes are great, I’m sure someone will want to do something with them…but not us.’ After doing that for a while my wife was pregnant so I just took time off and had a precious few months with her doing nothing in particular, but this obviously did nothing for the band. It’s just been grim really, I don’t want o twinge on about it because it’s our problem. So yes, I do find it difficult making ends meet is the short answer.”
Last question, I was just curious to know what you read in your spare time?
“Well I must be honest about this, I’m the kind of person that if you give me a book to read that you can’t put down, I can! I love the idea of reading and I’ve got a few books that I’ve bought. They’ve all got a bookmark after chapter two or three. I never get any further because the process really gets to me, so I’m pretty much an ignoramus on books. I can read horse racing books and magazines and biographies. The last book I read was about the Marcoses, you know the Philippine leaders. I’m looking forward to getting the biography of the Ceausescu’s for my birthday.
“Anyway, I’ve got to get ready for the show now. Thanks for the pint.”
Hey, White Lemonade can afford it!
Interview by Jennifer Daly