22 October 2008 (released)
22 October 2008
Notoriously 'ard and never ones to suffer fools or mix their words, The Godfathers are back with a vengeance.
In February they stunned us all by reviving their original line up for a sell out show of their once traditional St Valentines Day Massacre gig at London’s Forum. True to form their set was explosive from the start, rehearsed with military precision and delivered with the same passion and self belief that characterised their early live performances.
No future plans were set but the subsequent months have seen the band tour across Europe whilst also making time to put in an appearance at the Nova Rock festival in Austria and headline the Rokaj festival in Zagreb. This coming Friday they return to London to play the Islington Carling Academy.
Brothers Chris and Pete Coyne along with Mike Gibson walked through the Music News door looking like every part the name they command so well and I try quickly afterwards I'm trying to sneak out what set we can expect. I get nowhere but end up finding out that Sid Presley (the name of the Coyne brothers previous band from which The Godfathers were born – The Sid Presley Experience) was actually nothing to do with the fact that they were into the Sex Pistols, Elvis and Jimmy Hendrix.
'I was into that music, had a bit of a quiff and they said I looked like Elvis’ says Chris nonchalantly, 'so it became my nickname and we took it for the band’.
'We did about 10 gigs as Sid Presley before changing to The Godfathers, we had to start all over again and we wanted to do it all ourselves. Make great records and run a great record company’ adds the ever focused Pete.
'When we stumbled across The Godfathers name, we couldn’t believe no-one had taken it on, I thought some reggae band must have it, and it just seemed right just like being back together seems right, we went out with a whimper and we needed to rectify that’.
Mike agrees 'We’d play some amazing gigs like at Reading and Helsinki where we played in front of 90,000’.
'It’s great to be back, having people loving it, jumping up and down whilst travelling around Spain, the rest of Europe, it’s really something special and we’re making the best of it. What you give is what you get back’, says Chris.
As I see the boys open up I go for another scoop and ask Pete what’s next for The Godfathers, 'We’ll see how it goes’.
Realising these boys are far too cute to fall for any of that, I go for the easy questions and ask for their best gigs and best songs. Without pausing for breath Pete reels off 'Another You’, 'Johnny Cash Blues’, 'I Want Everything’, 'Birth School Work Death’ and 'Afterlife’ they’re personal to me’.
'My first time at the Forum was the best gig for me’ I thought my head was going to explode, the adrenalin was something else and everyone was going mad at the front and upstairs as well!’
'Stonehenge was my favourite. It was my first gig with Sid Presley and it was mental’, Chris tells me all about it but I in the back of my head I know the score.
The reality is The Godfathers have never played a bad gig. They are too passionate about their work and too loyal to their crowd to leave anything to chance. Pete sums it up nicely, 'We’re still out there to convert the audience to our rock and roll!’
'We’re a great live band because the dynamic of the group makes it such that we concentrate all our energies on the songs’ says Chris, to which Mike adds 'and a lot of time in rehearsal!’.
The Godfathers live performances are hour long thunderbolts of pure passionate rock 'n’ roll, with influences varying from Johnny Cash to Dr Feelgood to the Sex Pistols and all specially delivered with a 'Best of British’ stamp of approval.
Check them out this Friday 24th at the Islington Carling Academy and at www.godfathershq.com
