INTERVIEW - Terrorvision by James Ellaby

Terrorvision emerged in the 1990s and had a string of hits including Bad Actress, Pretend Best Friend, Alice, What’s the Matter and the smash hit single, Tequila. They split up in 2001, but will be back in town on Friday 23rd November for a show as part of a special three-date tour, so frontman Tony Wright took time out from preparing for it to chat to Entertainment Manchester...

Q - How are you guys doing? What brings you back on tour?

A - We are all well and hopefully it will be a limo that brings us back on tour. Every so often it is good to have one of those Terrorvision parties. Pure and simple rock'n'roll, not rocket science.

Q - What are you all up to these days?

A - Leigh isn't doing this tour. He is going to sit this out and no point in doing a TV gig if you don't want to or mean it. Mark is busy painting pictures, Tone is playing in 'Laika Dog' and getting ready for the release of the second album 'Mercury' out on the 24th September and Shutty is being Shutty. We have to get some trackers out to catch him and try and tame him just enough to do the gigs but not so much as we start playing ballads.

Q - What can we expect from the shows?

A - Terrorvision of course, the thing that has been missing in the world of rock lately. Ok, there are other rocking bands out there Kaiser Chiefs for one who rock but a lot of it sounds too much like 'executive rock' and Terrorvision (and Laika Dog) is the opposite

Q - Have you ever considered a full-blown reunion?

A - No.

Q - When you look back at your career with Terrorvision, what are you most proud of?

A - All of it really. I don't think we did owt' but what we wanted so that in itself is a source of pride. With the right team who knows what could've happened?

Q - With hindsight, was the success of the Tequila remix a blessing or a curse?

A - Tequila was cool. It made me happy. I prefer the origional to the remix but I can't deny that that was the song that everyone seems to know and 'that's the curse of tequila'

Q - You were one of a load of great Britrock bands in the mid-to-late 90s, was that a heyday for British rock bands?

A - We didn't really care what the others were doing as we did our own thing. It was really just to get away from all those dodgey old rockers singing about shadows and love of the castles of tomorrow. Y'know what I mean but that was the same time as the Spice Girls so with that kind of thing about you can't be having heydays....more of an away day where you could bring your own toys.

Q - Do you keep in touch with any of them?

A - Who? The other bands or the Spice Girls? Neither really as we all lived in Bradford so it was quite nice to get home.

Q - Which 'modern' rock bands do you listen to?

A - I like the Kaiser Chiefs and liked The View when I saw 'em ont' tele. Don't mind Arctic Monkeys but I still prefer the Led Zeps and Frees of this world. The last proper rock band I would say I really liked were probably The Prodigy.

Q - How come you picked Manchester as one of only three shows? Any particular memories of Manchester shows?

A - We decided to just play places we could spell.

Q - What's the most important lesson you've learned from life as a rock star?

A - There aren't any rock stars out there and there is no 'rock' in beau'rock'racy