Although it might be hard to believe that a 23 year-old Geordie exiled in Nottingham has authentically plugged into the golden age of pre-psychedelia British blues boom pop, with his debut album "The Greatest White Liar"(One Little Indian Records), that's exactly what NIC ARMSTRONG has done. Still slightly dazed, but no less intrigued, W&H felt a strategically placed phone call was in order and had a mighty chat with young Nic about darkness, psychosis, working regular hours and why erstwhile producer Liam Watson really wears a white lab technician's coat.....
Nic, we're intrigued how a young buck can sound the way he does. Unless you're calling Keith Richards every night for advice, I'd imagine you began honing your craft playing small clubs back home in Newcastle. Am I right?
"No, actually I hardly played early on and not back in Newcastle at all," says Nic, surprising me.
"I moved down to Nottingham to study at art college and music didn't really play a part until then. I started writing me first song about six years back and then it was a lot of improvising and trying to improve as a songwriter of sorts."
Nic's friendly and open, but freely admits all this being phoned up by eager hacks business still feels pretty alien to him. He seems surprised when I say I'm enjoying his material, but it does encourage him to talk about his songs.
"Yeah, well that first song I wrote gradually turned into "Mrs.The Moraliser", the album's closing track," he reveals.
"The version on the album is quite manic and that'll probably be me future direction....bringing out the darkness and psychosis in there!"
Nic says this with real relish and continues in he same vein when I ask him why he remained in Nottingham. Other than just going to art college, there must be a vibe there he likes?
"Yeah, there is," he confirms.
"I like it for a load of reasons. Thc city centre's good and there's deprived areas with a lot of trouble....I find that darkness attractive."
That 'D' word again. What about the music and social aspects?
"Aye, there's groups of artists and it's a really bubbling scene. The venues are good...The Social especially, they have a 4-hour Happy Hour in there!" he laughs.
"But there's loads of cool places like The Rescue Rooms and places that encourage open mic nights. I did a few of those meself. It's great, the small pub scene's really receptive for budding singer/ songwriters."
OK, but we're hear to talk about your debut album "The Greatest White Liar", which brings us to the little matter of you recording with the self-style 'Duke Of Analogue' Liam Watson at his East End of London Toe Rag Studios - a benchmark for analogue recording since The White Stripes made "Elephant" there. How did it all come about, Nic?
"It's a bit of a convoluted story....partly involving me making crappy demos and talent shows," says Nic a bit sheepishly.
"But basically I got a call from One Little Indian out of the blue asking me if I'd be interested in making an album. I met them and liked their set up. The idea of recording at Toe Rag with Liam was entirely theirs, really."
Were you aware of Liam's track record?
"Well, not that much. I mean, I've got The White Stripes second album ("De Stijl") but that's all, so it's not because I was desperate to replicate "Elephant" or whatever," replies Nic.
"But I liked Liam straight away. He's a really nice straight up geezer who knows exactly what he likes. No bullshit at all."
Do you think he's aware of the credibility factor that's been attached to him since the success of "Elephant"? I mean he's previously recorded the likes of Holly Golightly and Billy Childish and worked unnoticed for years....
"Well, the way I see it with Liam is that first and foremost he's doing something he loves," says Nic firmly.
"He's digging the work - always has done - and is finally making some cash so good on him. He's really great to work with, though I personally found working his regimented hours in the studio hard to keep up with."
Regimented?
"Yeah, he likes to work a straight eight hours a day and starts early. I found that a bit tough to keep up with, but I felt really guilty and bad about it if I was late and kept him waiting at the sessions."
Nic pauses and then divulges a real secret.
"People go on about Liam wearing his white lab coat, but he only wears it for certain occasions, y'know..."
Really?
"Yeah, the white coat only comes out when people give him a hard time in the studio and he needs to make a stand, take 'em to task kind of thing."
Whoo, so did you get the white coat treatment?
"No, thank God!" laughs Nic, "though I tell you what - he got a bit tense with me bass playing. He'd good reason to an' all!"
Nic, I have to say this: "The Greatest White Liar" really DOES sound like an authentic early 60s British r''n'b/ pop album in the vein of early Stones, Animals etc. Was this really a conscious decision?
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"Well, the first day with Liam we decided we wanted to make a '50s-style album," reveals Nic.
"I mean, the demos for the songs I'd made in my house sounded like that...it was just the way they came out of me. But as the sessions progressed, we kinda forgot about the concept and just went with whatever sounded good and we got off on."
"So it wasn't some grand plan and there wasn't - ultimately - the intention to make a deliberately retro-sounding record that reminds you of a particular age. I think it's just the sound that comes with the sort of analogue gear Liam has. I mean, I want to make records relating to now, not 1965 or whatever."
The album sounds very 'live' in the studio. Was it made that way or was there a lot of painstaking overdubbing going on?
"Well, it was a real learning curve for me," admits Nic candidly.
"I'd only worked on a 4-track in me house before and the first day at Toe Rag we got straight into it. There was just me and the drummer from me live band with Liam and we had to build it all up from bass and drums upwards. I've got a trio for live gigs including meself on guitar and vocals, but I need a new drummer damn smartish right now as the guy on the record was in another band and he had a...conflict of interests, like."
OK, Nic. But does it worry you people may try to dismiss you as some kind of retro-sounding aberration? For instance, I've played your "Broken Mouth Blues" EP to several friends and it's provoked quite extreme reactions. One really liked it and another threatened to throw the CD out the window it pissed him off that much...
"Ha ha! Yeah, well that's better than being middle of the road," says Nic and he has a point.
"I've no intention of being a slave to fashion, y'know? I'm happy to provoke extreme reactons, 'cos at least it means people are actually listening to what I play and sing and having opinions about it. That's not bad in this day and age."
It's not bad at all, no. Besides, I'm struck immediately by the humour in a lot of songs. In "Down Home Girl" for instance, your lyrics gently ape a lot of classic blues cliches, like "Every time I kiss you girl, it tastes like pork and beans." Is this a deliberately tongue-in-cheek approach and do you think humour's missing from a lot od modern day pop?
"Definitely," Nic concurs.
"There's a lot of humour in my songs and observations about girlfriends, friends, sexual innuendos. There is some darkness in there, but it's kinda submerged on this record. The foundations have been laid with this record, you could say," he says mysteriously.
"But yeah, getting back to humour, it is missing. There's too much arrogance in people nowadays. I think maybe a lot of folk could do with going out and enjoying themselves more. There's a lack or humour and compassion in a lot of people's lives, yeah."
We haven't much time, so I suggest we talk about a few other songs on Nic's album. "In Your Arms On My Mind", for instance, shows the tender and vulnerable side to Nic's character and is a fine effort. From the heart, Nic, surely?
"Well yeah, but it's a bit difficult to discuss politically in my house right now because we girlfriend's here eating soup right now...."
He trails off. Ok, we get the message, but before we go tell us where the album's title comes from. Is Nic Armstrong really the world's "Greatest White Liar"?
"Yes in the sense I'm very self-conscious and I'm always saying stuff like "I'll pay you back next week"...and don't. But doesn't that affect us all? We all tell porkies at times whatever. But really "The Greatest White Liar" is just a good hook and a good play on words."
"After all," he finishes, "if you get to know me, you'll find out I'm hardly like the bloke from "Viz" comic who's the compulsive liar. Far from it."
Spoken like a true gentleman, Nic. Long may you pun.
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