Fiftysomething - the return (again) of Fruitbat

Carter USM's guitarist chats to us about their huge upcoming shows.

Featured Artists: Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine

Last November Carter USM played their first two offical shows for a decade to packed out crowds at Brixton Academy and Glasgow Barrowlands, they enjoyed their return so much they`ve decided to do it again this year with possibility of a future CD release of their latest live performances.

On November 21st and 22nd respectively the duo will play shows at Birmingham Academy and, once again, their spiritual home at Brixton rAcademy. This week we caught up with guitarist Fruitbat, weeks short of his 50th birthday, to find out how preparations for this year`s shows are going.

"Last year`s shows were easier to prepare for as we did songs that were mainly very clear in my head." he says. "My fingers remembered where to go by instinct. This year things are a bit tougher as we have changed the key on some songs and are doing a few that we have never played as a duo and had to make new backing tapes for."

It suggests the shows this time round will feature a wider ranging selection from Carter`s ten year recorded career. While last year`s shows represented a nostalgic banquet for those who were fans of the duo at their peak with the set list plucked exclusively from their chart-bothering early years, it seems this year`s show will also feature songs from the band`s latter days where they evolved first into a trio and eventually a six-piece. Indeed, bassist Salv will be present, albeit with his original band S*M*A*S*H who support at the Brixton show.

My Music - Fruitbat

My three greatest tracks : `Falling On A Bruise` and `The Music That Nobody Likes` because they are probably the best Carter tunes. It`s hard to choose an Abdou song as I like them all, but `Loser`s Walk` one has a great mood to it.

My three favourite songs : `Drive In Saturday` by David Bowie is my favourite single of all time, `Let The Good Times Roll` by Tony Newman is the greatest instrumental ever and `One For The Road` by Bridport Dagger is something new and brilliant.

"Yeah, a real nostalgia fest." agrees Fruitbat. "Although both S*M*A*S*H and the Vile Evils [featuring three quarters of Pop Will Eat Itself and supporting at the Birmingham show] have new material to play you as well as their old stuff."

The main support at both shows will be EMF, an act Carter USM once found themselves supporting in the wake of the Forest of Dean act`s huge success both home and abroad with `Unbelievable`.

"We supported them on one of their big US Tours, which was an amazing experience. They are such a great band and, at the time, were completely undervalued in the UK. [I`m] really looking forward to seeing the boys again and watching them rock the Academies."

Much was made last year over Radiohead`s `revolutionary` scheme for the distribution of new album `In Rainbows` where fans could download the album and make a donation equal to what they thought it was worth. However, it has not been very well documented that Fruitbat pioneered this scheme years before by taking a `shareware` approach to the release of his post-Carter recordings with Abdoujaparov.

"I originally decided to go the shareware route as I didn`t want a record label andI still don`t. I had seen the shareware idea work really well for independent software companies and realised that it could work with music too."

"CD sales are falling by the minute, it`s tough for a non U2 or Radiohead type band to make a living from music nowadays. There is iTunes and the other download services, but the royalties received for those services is pretty meagre at the moment, maybe that will improve over the next few years."

"Will I be releasing any more Abdoujaparov material in this fashion? There will be new material in the new year, but I`m not sure how I will go about releasing it yet. Maybe I`ll think of another idea!"

At Brixton Academy last year the clock was well and truly turned back when compere Jon `Fat` Beast once again took, naked naturally, his spot on the stage to a barrage of `You Fat Bastard` chants and, later, Fruitbat wore his trademarks shorts and cycling hat for the encore.

"Yes, Mr Beast will indeed be there at the top of the show ready with some insults and nakedness. They were actually EMF shorts and a Senseless Things t-shirt. I won`t be rolling those out this year, I don`t think. I haven`t decided on my stage gear yet, I guess I`d better start thinking about it."

He was also cajoled into drinking a celebration beer after some time on the wagon: "I did stop drinking again this year, but I haven`t been quite so puritanical about it this time around. So the Brixton beer will be my tenth or so since April."

Quite right too, I`d doubt the Academy had shipped quite the same levels of beer they did last November for some time and with singer Jimbob`s birthday falling on the same night as this year`s return to the capital (apparently he`s a very hard man to find a present for) there`s all the more reason to crack open a few cool ones. Not least when you consider Fruitbat turns 50 next month, for which he`s putting on a show at the considerably smaller Brixton Windmill on 12th December and playing with some of his favourite bands.

"I`ve been feeling my age for a while now." he says. "Stopped being a spring chicken when I turned 40. I still managed a 75 mile charity bike ride this autumn though, so I`m not decrepit by any means. What would make a good present? I would like Barack Obama not to turn out to be a dick and for once keep the promises made during his campaign."

Les `Fruitbat` Carter - still unstoppable.

Posted on 9 November 2008 by Richard Brown

Tags: Fruitbat Carter USM Abdoujaparov Interview

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Fiftysomething - the return (again) of Fruitbat

Carter USM's guitarist chats to us about their huge upcoming shows.

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