Speaking with Dave McCabe, frontman of Liverpudlian indie stalwarts The Zutons, he comes off as a down-to-earth, sweary kind of guy, which really serves to make him irresistibly likable upon interviewing. He has no airs or graces and when asked what made him decide on the name The Zutons, replies “Fuck knows. I think I was having a shit one day.
“I came up with The Zutons and [2004 debut album] Who Killed…… The Zutons? for a laugh and everyone liked it. So it just kind of stuck.” Tired Of Hanging Around, the band’s second album, notably included Valerie – the Zutons’ biggest chart hit, and one which rose to pop culture phenomenon status with Amy Winehouse’s sharp, Mark Ronson-arranged cover of it, adding depth and jazz to make it one of the rarer cases where the cover measures up to the original.
It’s been almost a decade since The Zutons quietly disbanded, but now feels like the right time to get the old gang back together, McCabe says. “We wanna play together again. And I don’t think there’s a band about like us.” So what separates them from the rest? “Well, songs for a start. Saxophone, and general musicianship – and me being really good looking.” He laughs.
So what have they been up to before forming together again? “Oh God,” he says. Then, lyrically: “Been having a breakdown, then I had a break-up, then I had another breakdown. Then I broke down on meself. And then I got really bored. Probably drank too much, took all kinds of fucking drugs like a dickhead. And you know, woke up one day, and decided I gotta be one thing or the other. And I’m not gonna start bricklaying. So it’s time to get the band back together.”
The tour has gone great, he says. “Great reception. I’m really proud.” It’s a different climate now, but he’s not here to change the world, he’s just here to play. So what does he think of modern music? “I couldn’t tell ya, I’m still listening to Justin Timberlake’s Sexy Back.”
Caerphilly Castle, Fri 12 July. Tickets: £35. Info: orchardlive.com
words Ruth Seavers