Glenn Hughes
Ex-Deep Purple frontman Glenn Hughes tells Carl Marsh what to expect when he rocks up at Steelhouse this month for his only 2018 festival appearance.
“This summer Steelhouse is getting the exclusive and only show in the UK in the festival season, so I wanted to give the fans up on the mountain something really epic, something worthy of a great event,” says one of hard rock’s most iconic voices, Glenn Hughes. “It’s the opportunity for both myself and fans across the UK that are going to meet in Wales, and in my opinion, it is one of the greatest countries to be playing music in. I just want to come down and give it my all!”
It sounds like Glenn has fond memories of playing in Wales. “I do, I do, I do! You know, all the heritage I have had from Trapeze, through to Deep Purple and onwards, and Wales is a place I used to love to visit a lot as a child. I just really want to express how much I am looking forward to coming to play. By doing Steelhouse it is alerting people to what is going to happen after Steelhouse – there are going to be more announcements, with more shows in Wales, so I don’t have to have my fans travelling too far, and I can be coming to see them.”
Glenn has been completely drug and alcohol-free since his heart attack in the early 1990s, and is now more like the polar opposite of your stereotypical rock star. “I am! Look bro, let’s be clear, the man I used to be is not the man I am today. I’ve done interviews recently where people have said, ‘It seems like you are singing better now than you did in the 1970s’ and I say it makes sense [if] I was a little over-served at the bar, and that now I don’t do anything crazy. I still have the five octaves; I have that same voice that I had in the 1970s, and I am very proud. I really enjoy singing the songs, the same way as I sang them 40 years ago.”
Having seen so many friends succumb to these vices, ones that nearly killed him too, Glenn has a message for any new or up-and-coming stars of the music scene. “Please, let me be the poster child of what not to do when you are 22 years old. Back in the day when we became famous, we drank a lot and did a lot of drugs; most of my friends are dead. I was a very lucky man to be in recovery along with my friends Steve Tyler and Ozzy Osbourne. I have this great legacy of songs; my great message to people is that you don’t have to drink Jack Daniels to be cool.”
With his CV including stints fronting Black Sabbath and Trapeze as well as Deep Purple, to name only three, Glenn has never fallen into the trap of thinking he’s seen it all. “I’ve been a student of music and I have always been one to always learn – to become a better singer, a better songwriter, a better guitar player and better bass player. But, more importantly, a calmer, serene human being, which is very important to me.
Judging by his responses, it sounds like rock’n’roll is still very much alive in his body. “Absolutely. It thrives and lives within my body. I say this to you, you can’t review a Glenn Hughes show until you see it but there is no way I will ever show up to any venue, especially Steelhouse Festival, and not deliver a 100% performance. I ain’t coming there to fuck around, I am coming to Steelhouse to give the Welsh a fucking great show. They are not coming to see me, I am coming to see the Welsh!”
Glenn Hughes headlines the Saturday of Steelhouse Festival, Hafod-Y-Dafal Farm, nr Ebbw Vale, Fri 27-Sun 29 July. Tickets: £95 weekend/£60 Fri plus Sat or Sun. Info: www.steelhousefestival.com