Interview: Ian Broudie

The band majestically rode on the crest of the 90s Britpop wave, churning out five albums and a string of singles, including Lucky You, Pure and the iconic football anthem Three Lions, which shot to number one in 1996 and 1998, and is still heard from the terraces at Wembley to this day.

Yet in 1999, Broudie fell out of love with music. He battled with various personal problems, before quietly disappearing under the radar. When he returned in 2009 with The Lightning Seeds’ sixth album, Four Winds, many fans were calling it a reunion, but Broudie sees it differently.

“There was never any kind of reforming going on,” he says firmly. “The Lightning Seeds was always just me collaborating with other musicians, so it was kind of hard for it to ever break up, I suppose.”

Although the nature of the band means the line-up has constantly changed over the years, a few constants have always remained; one is Brodie’s insistence on doing things on his terms.

“We won’t be playing any of the newer stuff on this tour,” he says. “It’s of a slightly different timber and it’s a bit more melancholic. I suppose the new stuff was more like a solo album really.”

It would be difficult to disagree with such an opinion, as Four Winds arguably reflected many of the difficulties that the Liverpudlian faced in his personal life. Despite seemingly closing the book, at least for the time being, on that chapter of his career, he seems to be genuinely enjoying music again, choosing to focus on the good times rather than the bad.

His love for music is evident from the moment he begins to gather his memories, of both his time as a musician, and as a kid growing up in his hometown of Liverpool.

“I’ve always loved Liverpool, I think it’s a beautiful city and I don’t think it’s like anywhere else,” he says bursting with pride. “Everywhere is becoming more like everywhere else. Because of the internet everyone’s heard the same music, and there’s the same shops in every town now. But I think Liverpool has always been different, and it’s a place that will always stick out.” Broudie will no doubt be looking forward to his homecoming gig on Merseyside, but he admits that Leeds, where he plays tonight, is a city he also has fond memories of.

“When I was 16, and first started playing in bands, Leeds was the first place out of town that I played. We used to play at this place call F Club and played to crowds there.”

Broudie’s determination to travel up the M62 and to play in Leeds has always shone through despite one difficulty that seems to constantly crop up: the weather.

“It always seems to be snowing when I play Leeds,” he jokes. “It’s like it just picks the exact moment when I happen to have a gig there. I do like playing there though.”

Touring and playing music is Broudie’s main focus now, and he seems content with the current state of his career, although, like many musicians, he can’t help but muse about the future.

“There’s going to be some new songs, and I’ll probably do some festivals and maybe a new album, but at the moment I’ve got a lot of songs that I really like,” he says. “I don’t think I will do any more producing. I was finding it a bit boring, and I’m not too keen on many of the bands that the record companies are signing at the moment.

“Obviously you can never say never, but I would much prefer to make a great record by collaborating with other musicians, rather than making sure the drums sound good.”

Broudie’s career as a producer began long before The Lightning Seeds, but he wasn’t particularly keen to lend his name to the albums he worked on. The solution was to adopt a nickname, seperating Ian Broudie the musician, from Ian Broudie the producer.

“One of my mates used to go through various strange episodes and called me ‘Kingbird’. The name sort of stuck. And when I was producing for the smaller labels that’s what I became known as. But the major labels were less willing to do that and used my real name.”

Although his nickname doesn’t follow him around anymore, one thing always will: Three Lions.

Not that he minds, in fact he remains fiercely loyal to the song that gave him his biggest commerical success.

“We’re going to play it,” he says almost giddy with excitment. “Bands sometimes have a funny relationship with their most popular songs. Slade, for example, had many great tracks, but people will always know them as the band that did that Christmas song. It’s quite a sad song in a way, as it’s not really about going; ‘We’re the best and we’re gonna win the cup’, it’s more about what it’s like to be an England football fan.”

The song arguably sums up Broudie’s masterful ability to take a cultural snapshot, and effortlessly embed it into a catchy, well-crafted pop song that stands up to the test of time, and leaves most 90s kids with a wry, nostalgic smile.

Ian Broudie and The Lightning Seeds: A brief history

1990: The Lightning Seeds release debut album Cloudcukooland, containing the hit single Pure.

1994: Jolification is released peaking at no13 and the band embark on their first tour.

1996: 3 Lions reaches no1.

1997: Release fourth album and earn a top 10 single with their cover of The Turtles’ song You Showed Me.

1998: A reworked 3 Lions goes back to no1.

2009: The band return with Four Winds, their first album in 10 years.

2010: End the year supporting Squeeze on 22 date tour. Announce a headline tour for Feb 2012.