A Chat with The Fades (19.10.22)
Renowned for their energetic live shows and mayhem, including clothes swapping on stage, UK-based foursome The Fades can effortlessly ensnare your senses sending your soul soaring. We speak with guitarist Jonny Barnard about their new album Night Terrors, early memories, achievements and future plans!
OSR: What drew you to music and how did The Fades come about?
Barnard: From as young as I can remember music has had a big effect on me. I especially loved reggae music which was everywhere in the early 80s. I saw Musical Youth on Blue Peter and I thought they were amazing. Eddy Grant’s ‘Electric Avenue’ was my absolute favourite song and I can remember badgering my mum to buy it. It wasn’t until I was about 10 that I discovered how much I love The Beatles, they were just ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘The Frog Song’ before that, but when I heard ‘Please Please Me’ I loved the freshness of it and became obsessed. I couldn’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to be in a band. My mum got a cheap Encore electric guitar from a place where you could pay £1.50 a week (sacrificing my pocket money seemingly forever) and I tried to learn.
About a year or two later when I was 12, I was beaten up really badly in the street by an 18-year-old. He was ordered by the courts to pay compensation to his victim so I spent it on a black Les Paul copy. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen at the time. Mum made me sell the Encore and it was one of my best friends at school who bought it, that was Dave Lightfoot (vocals and guitar) and we had a few jams, I think I showed him the ‘Moby Dick’ Led Zeppelin riff.
A few years later, when we left secondary school, we went to different colleges and moved in slightly different social circles. I eventually enrolled at a University in East London and to my surprise and delight, Dave and his brother James were both on exactly the same course. They had been in a band which hadn’t worked out quite how they wanted and I was feeling the same so they booked a session at Survival Studios in Acton and invited me down. I think that’s where The Fades began properly.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Barnard: Music is everything, there’s always a song in my head. Almost every situation has a song that relates to how I feel. Music is woven intrinsically into my life, into everyone’s life. I’m sure if there’s anyone who doesn’t feel that way then I wouldn’t get on with them. Music is reality, I believe the universe is musical. It definitely transcends humanity. I’m pretty sure I saw my dog grooving to ‘Voodoo’ by The Neville Brothers the other day.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music?
Barnard: The spirit and philosophy that drove us to make it. It wasn’t riches, to be sure. It has been the friendships we share, the need to express ourselves in a non-confrontational way. I hope people want to buy guitars, go out to gigs, dance (or not, whatever), just be free. The pandemic and cost of living crisis has shown us how truly valuable those things are. We hope you like The Fades, but most of all we hope you go and buy records from shops run by enthusiastic people, or go to gigs where free-thinking people can meet and make good memories.
OSR: What can you tell us about your new album Night Terrors? Does it have a specific theme or backstory?
Barnard: When we went on tour the first time we were in our early twenties and full of youthful exuberance. None of us drove so we hired a driver and van (Paul, you are a legend!) and we slept on floors everywhere we went. It’s a lot more comfortable if you’re drunk and we really went for it. We did discover even then that partying like that had a negative side effect. We all discussed waking up during the night with a start as if falling backwards or forgetting to breathe. A sort of anxiety I guess. This was the start of Night Terrors, and then years later we began working on this album.
The pandemic was starting and a lot of the album was recorded during lockdown. I remember someone at the UN had said the doomsday clock was at 5 to midnight or something to that effect, so I think it’s fair to say that remaining “chipper” was getting harder at that time. I bought a cheap Stratocaster guitar (£30 from Cash Converters) to play as aggressively as possible, like so much so that I was trying to break it. I wanted it to feel all the pain for me. It survived well and when the record was finished I gave that guitar to my friend’s 10-year-old kid so it could spend the rest of its days bringing joy to a new generation.
OSR: What was the most exciting and least exciting part of creating Night Terrors?
Barnard: The whole experience (minus the lockdown-y stuff) was amazing. Stuffy at Brixton Hill Studios is a really cool guy and also inspirational, talented, knowledgeable… I can’t speak highly enough of him and all the other ladies and gentlemen there. He produced the album and brought in extra musicians to add brass, vocals, percussion etc. We had only ever been lo-fi before this. We recorded onto tape on a beautiful old machine to get the thrill of performance and the warm compression that brings. It kind of felt like we were making ‘Please Please Me’.
Least exciting… yeah, pandemic nonsense. Let’s put that truly behind us, please!
OSR: What is your greatest achievement to date?
Barnard: Obviously, being a dad. But aside from that, professionally, definitely this album. We have made others before and we have played some amazing gigs. I think it’s fair to say we are really proud of Night Terrors.
OSR: Who or what inspires you to make music?
Barnard: We are so fortunate to know so many wonderful musicians we can call friends and they all inspire us. Old records from bands like The Modern Lovers, Television, Buzzcocks and newer bands like Meatraffle and Black MIDI. Basically, anything interesting and done with care and love is what inspires us to create. Also, my wonderful family who have always supported me in my endeavours. Thanks, lovelies!
OSR: If you could spend one day with any person, not necessarily a musician, who would it be?
Barnard: Wow, that’s tough! I’d like to spend a day quantum leaping with Sam Beckett and Al and we’d try and avert catastrophes using space/time travel.
OSR: What is your earliest memory?
Barnard: Watching the music video for ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ by Phil Collins. I remember my older sister pointing out that it was him playing all the parts but I didn’t understand how that could be.
OSR: Do you have any future plans for The Fades?
Barnard: We’re playing at the Dublin Castle in Camden on Wednesday the 26th October and then at the Ailsa Tavern in Twickenham on Christmas Eve’s eve (23rd December). Next year we have some brand new songs we want to release and we’d love to start booking up some more gigs, so keep an eye on our website and social media for more details.
OSR: Do you have any message for our readers?
Barnard: Stay strong! Times are a little tough for many of us at the moment so keep an eye out for your own well-being and that of your loved ones. Remember free thought is of vital importance so don’t believe everything you’re told and question everything.
and… buy Night Terrors by The Fades on limited edition green vinyl!
Many thanks to Jonny Barnard for speaking with us. For more from The Fades check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
