CityLife

Main event: Shaun Ryder

Shaun Ryder

It's shaping up to be quite a year for Mr Shaun William Ryder. In fact, there’s so much going on for the former wildman of Madchester it’s almost like he’s racing through one of those ‘things to do before I’m 50’ lists.

Black Grape reunion? Check. Twentieth anniversary tour planned for the Happy Mondays? Check. First full solo album? Check. Marriage, toddlers and living happily ever after? Check.

Yep, it’s great when you're straight says the clean-living, swim-a-day, newly-married, nappy-changing-machine that is the 47-year-old Ryder.

He laughs: “Yes, the hellraising days have been over for me for quite some time now.”

Heck, Shaun, a dad to two toddler daughters now, even reckons he’s looking forward to heading back out on the road with his raft of different music projects this year... just to get a decent night’s sleep!

Shaun performed for the first time in 12 years with his 1990s band Black Grape just last night at the Get Loaded in the Dark Festival in London.

And he now heads back home for the Easter weekend for an eagerly-anticipated first live solo gig.

He’ll be playing at his old mate, and Factory Records stablemate, Peter Hook’s new Fac251 venue – which is of course housed in the old Factory Records office on Princess Street.

He says: “It’s a small, intimate place so the only people who are going to get tickets are the proper fans.

“It will be like one of those MTV Unplugged type things and it will be the first time anyone will hear stuff from my new album, that’s what I’m planning on.

“I’ll probably do seven or eight of the new songs and throw in some Happy Mondays and Black Grape stuff too.”

Shaun is rather excited about the new solo album, provisionally entitled ‘X’ he says, to keep it simple, and which is scheduled for release at the end of the year.

“It’s all done, it’s all ready to come out and I’m really pleased with how it’s all gone,” Shaun says.

“We recorded half of that in Manchester and half on Venice Beach with Sunny Levine who produced the last Happy Mondays album, Uncle Dysfunktional. But we wrote every song on that last album in just two weeks. So with the new album we’ve taken a bit more care with it. Sunny is a brilliant producer.

“And Venice Beach is a crazy place. At one time it was a total no-go area but now it’s very ‘cool and trendy’,” he says in his mock-posh voice.

“Yeah, it’s a bit like Salford Docks [now Salford Quays], as I still call them. They’ll always be Salford Docks to me.”

But before that new material, we can also look forward to a ‘Shaun Ryder Retrospective’ greatest hits collection due out in June.

He explains: “It will be a bit of Happy Mondays, Black Grape and the little solo projects I’ve done – like that duet with Russell Watson on Barcelona.”

He chuckles: “It’s all like hip now isn’t it, with that Popstar to Operastar business, but we did that nearly 10 years ago now. We got onto that one first.”

'Great club'

Fans can also look forward to a special Happy Mondays tour in November celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of that seminal album, Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches.

The band will tour the album in its entire form, and while dates have yet to be announced, Shaun assures CityLife there will be a Manchester gig among them.

But one fella not taking pride of place on that anniversary stage will be freaky dancing Bez.

It seems he and Shaun are having a bit of a break from each other at the minute – although Shaun insists they are still the best of friends.

He sighs: “Bez has retired from the Mondays now, he’s concentrating on his solo stuff and his reality TV.

“I love the bloke, what can I say? I feel like I’ve been married to him for most of my life.

“It doesn’t mean that Bez won’t ever come back on stage with the Mondays.”

It all seems to add up to a clean break for Shaun – who is also working with new management in the form of Warren Askew, who says he’s also looking towards a bright future for the new-look Mr Ryder.

Warren says: “We have a lot happening, the Best of Album, shows, and finally, his solo album.

“Musically and lyrically, it’s genius and I’m certain there’s a lot of people that will agree. Shaun is back to his best and 2010 is just the start.”

There’ll be many an intrigued fan heading over to The Factory on Sunday ready to hear for themselves Shaun’s new sound.

And Shaun, for one, has no truck with those critics who have hit out at Hooky for trading on the Factory and Hacienda links of the past.

He shrugs: “I think it’s a great club.

“If Hooky didn’t do it, someone else would. Because it makes money. I said that to Oli Wilson [for his recent BBC documentary on the Hacienda’s legacy], no one is twisting the arms of these kids to go to that venue because there’s a lot of stuff going on in this city, but they want to go there.

“I’ve been Dj-ing at shows all over the country and the Hacienda events are always full – people still love it.”

And of course, there will be the benefit of that six-figure-sum sound system at The Factory, which gives it one up on the Hacienda.

“Yes, they would be doing something very wrong if it sounded as bad as the Hacienda,” Shaun splutters.

“That was one of the hardest places to play, the sound was dreadful,” he groans.

And as to what floats Shaun’s boat musically these days? Well, he rather candidly admits to rather more classic tastes.

He admits: “I’ve become one of those dull old farts who doesn’t keep up with what’s going on. I’m still playing my Dean Martin Ultimate Collection.”

SWR – The Best of Shaun William Ryder Live is at The Factory on April 4, 2010. Tickets £26.50 including entry.

*****

Fact File

He's Shaun William Ryder, international pop star and hellraiser, and latterly U-turned into responsible husband and dad. It’s been an interesting journey.

1984: 22-year-old Ryder forms The Happy Mondays with younger brother Paul on bass and mates Gary Whelan (drums), Mark Day (guitar) and Paul David (keys). Shortly after they are joined by Mark ‘Bez’ Berry when he clambers on stage to introduce his famous ‘freaky dancing’.

February 1993: After three hit albums, including John Cale-produced debut Squirrel and G-man and breakthrough record Bummed, The Happy Mondays fall apart following drug-fuelled sessions for fated final album Yes Please (which bankrupts their label, Factory Records). Two years later, Ryder makes a critically acclaimed return from the ashes with Black Grape and platinum-selling album It’s Great When You’re Straight...Yeah.

1996: Ryder becomes the first person to receive a named ban from Channel 4 following an outburst of 13 naughty f-words on Chris Evans’ TV show TFI Friday. His behaviour contributes to the channel’s decision to no longer broadcast the show live.

1999: Ryder announces a Mondays reunion in his Daily Sport column. It’s news to the band, who in the most part agree to come back on board. David and Day refuse, and Paul Ryder’s departure forces another break-up in 2000.

2000: With nothing to do but twiddle his thumbs, Shaun shows support for a fellow Salfordian and lends his voice to ‘The Voice’ – Russell Watson – for a brave but slightly comical, popera-meets-acid funk version of the Freddie Mercury/Montserrat Caballe duet Barcelona.

September 2003: Ryder releases his first solo album. Receiving mixed responses, he decides to get The Mondays back together in 2004 with Whelan and Bez plus new members to fill the ranks. Highlights of this reunion include spots at Coachella Festival and a new album, Uncle Dysfunktional.

August 2005: Shaun turns up on Gorillaz single DARE, his accent reportedly forcing a name change for the track from It’s There after Ryder pronounces it, ‘It’s dare’. He also agrees to a live rendition of it at the Opera House when the band perform Demon Days in November that year.

2006: Gnashers not songs put Shaun back in the headlines when he undergoes a six-hour, £10,000 makeover on his teeth.

July 2007: Naughty Shaun flaunts the smoking ban at The Happy Mondays’ show at The Ritz, during the band’s Manchester International Festival appearance.

2009: Ryder makes some high profile TV appearances, including a walk-on part on Shameless and some ghost hunting with Yvette Fielding. Schpooky!

March 2010: Ryder marries his second wife, Joanne, in a surprise ceremony at Worsley Court House and announces his first solo comeback performance at Peter Hook’s venue Fac251.