Despite Tragic Loss, Touring, and Making Music is "Still a Buzz" for Welsh-Alt Rockers Feeder

While scoring a slew of hits in their early 2000’s heyday – most famously with their UK top single “Buck Rogers” in 2001   Welsh alt-rockers Feeder also became reluctant forebearers of mental health issues in music when their drummer, Jon Lee, committed suicide in 2002. The result of the traumatic period was Comfort in Sound, their bestselling LP. Despite all that turmoil, the band soldiered on and continue to draw big crowds on their tours. Ahead of their Nov 23 Tango 3F gig, frontman Grant Nicholas tells us about all that and more.

How did it feel to spend so much time performing solo in recent years, in comparison to being in Feeder for so many years?
The solo project was a nice change as it was much more acoustic based and the live shows had a much more intimate atmosphere. I tend to write most of the Feeder songs on acoustic guitar ... [and then] add heavier guitars and layers to give it that classic Feeder sound and dynamic.

What has it been like to go between solo performing and returning to Feeder for big headlining tours?
The solo Grant Nicholas albums Yorktown Heights and Black Clouds were kind of side projects, as I felt I needed a break and time to try new ventures before making the next Feeder album. Taka was doing a side project called Muddy Apes in Japan so it felt like the perfect time.

Feeder has always been my main priority, but I think it made me approach the writing and production on [the 2016 LP] All Bright Electric in a more organic and focused way. We built the tracks more around the vocal and went for a more '70s influenced sound. I really like the breadth of the album, and I think it captured Feeder in a slightly different or better way, in comparison to some of the previous albums. Playing Feeder songs live takes a whole different headspace and approach to the solo stuff, but we do often play some more mellow acoustic stuff in the set also.

Let’s talk a bit about Feeder’s early days. What springs to mind when you think back on hiring bassist Taka Hirose to join the band in the early '90s?
I met first Taka in Camden Town, London where I was based at the time, and [we] got on well and shared a lot of the same musical tastes. He had put an advert in a publication called Loot, so I gave him a call. It took a while to get the Feeder chemistry right but after a few shows it started to come together and we started to gig regularly, building a loyal fanbase.

After that prosperous period, your band withstood some serious turmoil when your drummer, Jon Lee, committed suicide in 2002. What was it like to record the album Comfort in Sound after that?
After losing Jon Lee we didn’t really know what the future held for Feeder or if we even wanted to continue. I dealt with the situation by locking myself away in a local studio and just wrote and recorded this whole bunch of songs, not really knowing where they would end up. Most of these songs later became Comfort in Sound, our biggest selling album worldwide to date. I remember meeting Taka in North London and he listened to them, and then we went to the pub to talk things through and have a few beers. It was that night we decided we should continue the band.

What’s next for you?
I am currently writing more songs and we have almost finished the next Feeder album. I still have a passion for writing and producing and maybe some more collaborations could be interesting as well, as more Feeder and possible solo stuff. It’s still a buzz to be in a band and touring the world, so I feel very fortunate.

Feeder will perform at Tango 3F on Nov 23 at 8pm. Tickets are RMB 380 presale, RMB 480 at the door. For more information, click here.

Stop missing great gigs: click here for a huge list of live shows in the city, updated daily.

Photos: fanart.tv, Irish Examiner, courtesy of Xiao Music