Goldie Lookin Chain, Wales’ most ribald rap collective have been kicking their heels in Newport, waiting to bring their palaver to the public once more, and it took so long they figured they could call it a Christmas tour. Who better, after all, to give you that slightly curdled festive experience? Carl Marsh spoke to GLC founder member Rhys Hutchings.
How has gigging been recently for you guys? Was there a period of wondering if it’s all about to stop again, or do you just have to go for it?
We just got straight back into it. Playing in England, everyone’s on a different wavelength with it, all rolling around on top of each other and no-one’s wearing masks or whatever. In Wales, I think it’s a little bit different. What I like about it is I get to wear a bandana on my face. I just wear it all the time at home as well.
What’s planned for this tour to differentiate it from the last ones you’ve done? Some big surprises?
Yeah, have a massive surprise. We’re going to do the songs but in a different order. So where we did some of the songs at the end, we’ll put some of those at the beginning, and the ones that we did in the middle we’re gonna move around a little bit. We got a new backdrop as well, which is really nice – people can look at that if they get bored of looking at us. Oh, and Andrew Biggie Morris is coming! He came out with us last time and I don’t know if people really understood it last time, but they get a second bite of the cherry. He’s a good lad, he’s got a heart of gold.
I was told recently that [former GLC rapper and 2006 Celebrity Big Brother contestant] Maggot is now a financial advisor or something?
I have no idea what he’s up to. Apparently, he is doing financial advising. I mean, we as a band could probably do with some. If he’s out there. Maybe see what advice he’s got for a local band to invest their millions. I was gonna buy a yacht and villa in the south of France, but maybe he’s got some better ideas.
How come the GLC never had a TV show? People Just Do Nothing could have almost been based on you guys…
It was kind of based on a documentary called Tower Block Dreams. There was a guy in that who had a pirate radio station. There was another pirate they were at war with – they went on to the top of a tower block and tried to take down their antenna. The guy who directed that, Adam Smith, directed our first two videos. But we were quite similar to them in the beginning – onstage it was chaos. Imagine a stag do that started 20 years ago. It’s started calming down a bit now, but in the beginning, it was like People Just Do Nothing. It was hilarious. So I don’t think TV could have handled us.
How are GLC lyrics written these days? With each other, you know, in a room, or just email them over while you’re at work?
In the old days, we’d all be in a room together. Someone would write something and then someone would want to outdo them, write a better lyric. And then the next person would try and do something else. But yeah, it’s nice when we actually do get into a room together and write some stuff. Time is squeezed everywhere these days.
When you’re not doing GLC, have you been making other music on the side?
Trying to make serious music has always been an issue because I just started talking about farts and singing about body parts being cut off. I start a lot of stuff and then start more stuff, but I finished this album, Love Songs From The Coast, which is really seriously pervy. You’ll get like four songs in and want to turn it off because it’s too sick.
Goldie Lookin Chain play Queens Hall, Narberth, Sat 18 Dec. Tickets: £19 (sold out). Info: here; Tramshed, Cardiff, Thurs 23 Dec. Tickets: £16. Info: here. The date at Venue Cymru, Llandudno on Wed 22 Dec has been postponed with a new date TBC. Info: GLC Facebook
words CARL MARSH