Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville - Andy Kyriacou: Modern Romance, 80s Pop Stardom, and the Stories Behind the Music

Episode Date: August 4, 2026

Show NotesDrummer and founding driving force behind Modern Romance, Andy Kyriacou, joins Tony Mantor for an entertaining and revealing conversation about the rise of one of Britain's most recognizable pop bands and the journey that has kept the music alive for more than four decades.Andy shares the incredible story of joining Modern Romance just as the band faced its final opportunity with its record label, the creative idea that helped launch "Everybody Salsa" into the charts, and how grassroots promotion transformed their career into international success.The conversation also explores life on the road during the 1980s, the realities behind fame and financial struggles, reforming the band years later, and why audiences still connect with the music today.Andy also discusses writing his upcoming autobiography, drawing from personal diaries kept throughout the band's early years, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of pop music's most memorable eras.In This EpisodeJoining Modern Romance at a pivotal momentThe story behind "Everybody Salsa" and the band's breakthroughHow creative promotion helped launch a chart-topping careerPerforming on Top of the Pops and reaching international audiencesThe realities of touring and life behind the spotlightWhy success didn't always mean financial securityReforming Modern Romance for a new generation of fansWriting an autobiography using decades-old personal diariesThe importance of audience connection during live performancesPreserving the legacy of 1980s music while continuing to createAndy offers an honest and humorous look at the music business, sharing stories of perseverance, creativity, and the enduring power of songs that continue to bring people together across generations.Whether you're a lifelong fan of 80s pop or fascinated by the stories behind legendary bands, this episode is packed with unforgettable memories and valuable insight into a remarkable career.Be sure to follow Almost Live Nashville for more exclusive conversations with the artists, musicians, and entertainers who helped shape the soundtrack of our lives. Music Bed: T. WildMantor Music BMI

Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville. If you haven't already, take a quick second to tap the follow button. It really helps the show reach more people who love music and entertainment. Thanks for being here. Joining us today is Andy Kiriakou. He helped create the soundtrack for some of the most unforgettable years in pop music. What makes his story remarkable isn't just music, it's longevity. After helping build one of Britain's iconic pop acts of the 1980s, he helped bring the band. back to life, introducing modern romance to a whole new generation while continuing to perform and evolve as an artist. Today, we're going beyond the hits. We're talking about the early days, the rise to success, what it was really like navigating the music industry, and what keeps passion alive after decades in entertainment. Thanks for joining us today. It's a good one. My pleasure. I'm actually in celebratory mood as well. Well, that's definitely good to hear.

My team won the Premier League with the Premier League champions, as from last night. So I'm running around going, yeah, it's great. It's only been 22 years since we last won it. After such a long time, it's always nice to feel that victory for sure. Yeah, it's great. It's great. It's like winning the Super Bowl for me. It's at a Super Bowl. Yeah, exactly. That's a great thing to have. So let's start it out with giving us an update on what you're up to lately.

One of the things I've got to start doing very, very, very soon, because you can see it on. that table. Yeah. A whole pile of books, they're all photograph albums. And I have finished my book, which is a biography of my life with modern romance, humble beginnings from the Greek Cypriot background, everything, joining a band that's touring the world. And I finished it, we've now got to the part where I've got to pick some photographs.

Sure. And there are thousands. First is scan them. That's the bit that's going to take time scanning them, get a friend of mine to manipulate and crop them if they need to be cropped, whatever. Right. And then choose which ones I'm actually going to use, because obviously I can't use thousands in the book. I've got to use 25, 30.

Right. But then I want to be really choosy because I have some great pictures of the band then, some great pictures of the band now, people that I've met, that I've had photos taken with, who are well-known people, so it'd be nice to have them in the book as a nice touch. Sure. So I've got to choose, and that's going to be the next hardest thing. So it's sitting there, going through them and going, well, you know, the one with, I won't use the one with Elvis. I use the one with the Beatles.

For example, it's the modern-day equivalent, so many people. And I've got to try and use them tastefully because I don't want it to be a whole bunch of pictures of me with other people because that's not really a history of the band or my life. Right. Yes, I've met all these people, but in passing, I know how you, we're at the same geek, let's have dinner together. Right. And then beyond that, I don't see them again. So I've got to be choosy if I'm going to do anything like that.

How hard was it for you to write this book? You've got all these stories and experiences from your life and career. But I've noticed something myself. When people ask me specific questions about things I've done, I can answer them because the question brings those memories back. So how did you put all these memories together to create this book? There are some outstanding stories which are the kind of things you never forget, and they're the things you talk about after dinner. So guess what happened to us once and people laugh at various things.

Right. But the reason I'm able to recall most of it, most of it I wouldn't remember because it kind of one blurs into another. it's a tour, those of things happen. Right. But the reason I can remember everything so well and so precisely is because I kept a diary during the 80s. Oh, nice. So I used to keep this diary and shoot this to be right into it, you know. Did a gig at Saturday, met, you know, bumped into Elton John's cat, whatever, you know.

Right. And just make a little note, met this lady of the night, whatever, we went off and did, whatever, it did, it's all little entries. But then when you get that years and years later, it really does. It opens up your mind and you remember that night exactly. But if it wasn't for those prompts in me, I wouldn't remember half of it because one night blends into another. But when you've got that to keep everything apart and keep it compartmentalized, this was this night, that was that night, this happened, this night. And I've got dates.

I've got times. I've got everything's all in there. Nice. So I kept the diary from 81, early 81. I started getting, yeah. But late 1980, I started keeping a diary and stopped doing it in 19, stop keeping it in 1985, I think. Halfway through the year, I've got an entry that says,

I have decided I can no longer be bothered with a diary. So this is my last entry over and out kind of thing. And that was it. I never wrote another thing again. But after that, I got married. So you can't forget getting married. You can't forget what you got married. You had children.

So all those things are from memory, as are all the things that happen in the intervening years with being a modern romance, then reforming it and doing it all over again. All those things are from memory. Okay. The stuff from the 80s is from the books. The books are invaluable because they bring up stuff that was 40 years ago. I'm never going to remember that. Right. Exactly.

So are you performing now? Yeah, yeah. We're still doing lots of 80s nights and they call them retro nights. and festivals. And people say to me, do you play things like besties of our lives and everybody sounds like. Well, if we didn't, we'd be lynched

because that's what we're there for. And we're not a sort of band to even the smaller keys. I wouldn't go then say, well, these are all the tracks off our new album because I've seen so many people, so many artists who are fantastic, and then they'll go out and say, tonight we're playing our new album.

And people feel a bit aggrieved because when we came here because you became famous playing this group of songs. Yeah. And you didn't play any of them. You played this new group of songs that we don't know and they're alien to us. And people walk away thinking,

well, I feel a bit cheated, you know. Yeah. So I don't want to do it with anyone. So I make sure I might introduce one or two new songs. Sure. You know, you know, new song that were just released, here it is. But I'd always play with the other ones

because they're the ones that made us. That's definitely a good way of thinking for sure. When you first started modern romance, was it just kind of an off-the-cuff thing that you did for the time? And then after it started going, did you think that maybe this thing could last and it would be listening to your music decades later? Right. Well, firstly, I was actually, the irony is you said when you started this thing. I was actually the last person to join the modern romance of the modern romance that everyone knows. Oh, okay.

I was the last person, so they had a drummer and they got rid of them got me. Oh, okay. When I joined, I was unaware at the time because I just met them at this club. They just finished playing at this club. And I just went over to have a friendly chat and say to the drummer, well, I've just left my band. So if you know any bands that are looking for a drummer, I'm available, give them my number. And he said, yeah, yeah, give me your number. I'll pass it around.

Unbeknown to me, they were looking to get rid of him. Obviously, I didn't know this. So he gave the number and said, if we need a percussionist, and they said, okay, and they rang me up to go and play percussion with them. But before that actually materialised, they ran me back and said,

actually, we've done some research on you. We know which band you played for before, and it's a great band. We know, everyone loved it. So on that basis, because you were the drummer of that band, we'd like to ask you to join our band,

Modern Romance. And at the time, they were unknowns, nobody knew them from Fred down the road. Yeah. And I said, well, you've got a drummer. That's who I gave my number to. And they said, yeah, we're getting rid of him anyway. And I was put in a position where they said, look, it's up to you.

He's going. You can either give the job to you or someone else. But you're here and you're eligible and you're suitable for what we want. And we'd like you to join. Yeah. I just thought it made sense because I thought if I don't take it someone else, so why the hell not, you know? So after joining the band, what were some of the challenges that you faced right away?

Well, the challenges were we've got kids coming up, a bunch of songs. you've got two days to learn them. Yeah, yeah. And to learn every little thing and every little syncopation and every little thing that's going on. But do you know what? That wasn't a problem.

I'm quite good at learning stuff that way. I'm quite a quick learner, and that wasn't a problem. Not so much was a problem, but what threw me later is I did have a rehearsal with them because obviously I had to hear the songs being played.

Because giving me a tape of what they've done or what they've done in the studio is completely different to what they do live on stage or different live arrangements, different endings, people come in at different places. So we had a rehearsal. And we're having this rehearsal, and there was a break at one point

where we'd get a cup of tea, whatever, have a little break. And two of the guys were talking, and I overheard the magic words at the time, record company. Excuse me? Did I hear you just mention? And they said, oh yeah,

we've got a deal with Warner Brothers. Now, this is huge. Yes. You know, everyone wants to be in a band assigned to a label. I've just joined a band. assigned to a label, but I had no idea. So, I mean, immediately I was, wow, this is fantastic, you know.

And then they carried on speaking while I'm sitting there in my head thinking, wow, this is amazing. I've joined a band with the deal. And they said, oh, yes, we've already released two repels, and they were flops, absolutely bombed, nothing. And the record company told us that we've got one more go at it. And if we don't have any degree of success, they're going to drop us from the label. So I went from up here to down there very quickly because I realized they've already had two flops.

Chances are they're going to have a third flop. Along the line, I heard the two songs that they'd released. One which was actually a very, very good song. Once I joined that, we were doing gigs. We played it live at every gig right up until the very end. Every gig we played this song. Great song. I loved it.

But the other song they released, which was the first one they ever released, I would say the worst record I've heard. Okay. Honestly, I heard it and I thought, what is this drivel? And then add on to that by saying, this is a record we're going through. You need to learn this because this is a song

we're going to release as a third single. Bear in mind, I mean, you don't know this. It's this new information to you now. But the bands I was in before Modern Romance were very jazzy, bluesy, funky, very, you know. Right. And then all of a sudden, I'm in this band that's playing, I didn't realize how poppy this song would be.

and it was a song called Everybody Salsa. And I remember sitting thinking, oh my God, is this your third attempt? I said, we're dead. We're dead in the water. I wouldn't release this. It's far too popular. Forgetting the fact that this is a pop band.

Right. I'm being very kind of musical about it and very sort of up myself thinking, oh, no, no, no. We want something with more drummings and a bit more fusion, a bit of jazz fusion thrown in. But no, this is not what I've joined.

And at the time, my film, I realized it. You know, I now look back and think, that song's great because it put us in the position that we were in. Yeah, that was your big breakthrough. Absolutely, but I couldn't see it at the time. I joined them, and we had this song that we were touting around as the new single. But the irony is just to me when you started this, when I joined them and they had these two flops and then, you know, this single was out.

And we were not getting, we were not getting much. much by way of radio play. It's very hard to get radio play at any point back then and now. That's right. And I had a friend who owned a club in the West End, a very good friend. He didn't know, he was the in-house DJ. But he said to me, oh, yeah, he said, I've been told by son and so, you've joined a new band now. You're not in this band you're in before.

You joined a new one. I said, yeah, yeah, they call Modern Romance. He said, why don't you bring them to the club to do a PA? Now, I had no idea what a PA was. Okay. Because in 1981, the idea of PAs was new. Right. So I said, what's a PAs?

I explained you? You come along, you lip synch into the single, you throw if you out, it's on if you was grass, and that's your PA, done. Yeah, and everyone gets to know who you are. So I suggested it to the band. I said, you know, a friend of mine said, we do this. And they said, yeah, yeah, sounds like a great idea. So we went along and we did it on a Saturday night.

Phenomenal, the reaction was unlike anything I'd seen because we're not even playing, we're lip-synking. and everyone's sort of that great, autographs and can we have a single and can you autograph it for us? This is marvellous. But then we wanted to go on tour because we were a live band. Sure.

The record company, and I can't say, I blame them, said that, well, look, you've had two flop singles. We don't feel confident enough to pour loads of money into a project called Modern Romance, hoping that you're going to have success with a third single. You're on your own. We can't finance that. We financed two singles.

Nothing happened. So we were in this kind of limbo where we had this, single, but no way of promoting it. Yes, the radios were there, but we need to get it on the radio. How do we do that? I don't know how this idea is probably the most ingenious idea I've ever had, ever.

I just sat down one night and thought, well, we can't go and tour because it's too expensive, because you have to pay for roadies and trucking and all the instruments have to be moved around, and hotels for the roadies, and the band and food, and it just becomes as a real big thing. And then I suddenly thought, well, do it.

the PA the other night didn't cost us any money at all. We just turned up, sang a few songs and left and got a few free drinks, which was marvellous, and we did. Why don't we do a tour of PA's? Yeah. So I suggested it, and everyone looked at me like I'd lost a plot until I explained, and basically we ended up going in a limo, or a couple of limos. Sure.

Just the band, no equipment. The only thing we had were boxes of records in the boot. We would go to do a club in, for example, Birmingham, and do a club at 10, 10, 30, 11, it's only a three minute appearance it's one single and then you get off and sign a few things and so if you've got there at 10.30 and got on stage at 11, you were done by 1130 because

after your three minutes you've got 20, 25 minutes of signing and then in the car and off to another club, again in Birmingham, but a different club. Sure. So we did two or three in a night, stay the night, and then the next day go to Wolverhampton, which is the neighbouring town and do three or four there. And we did this all across the country

working our way down. And what happened was a lot of these clubs, their in-house DJ, also did the local radio station. Yes, that's true. Go in the next day and say, had a band at the club last night where I played, turned up, guys called Modern Romance, they're fantastic, listen to this, is what they played, and they were started playing it. So Piccadilly Radio, all the different radio stations in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool,

started playing the single. And in the end, we got to the point where the only two stations, or the only two really relevant stations that weren't playing it were the BBC and Capital Radio, with a big London station at the time. In the end, they started playing it. Once they started playing it, people started buying it in their droves,

it started pushing up the charts. And of course, once you get, once you break into the top 30, the way Top of the Pops worked at the time, once you broke into the top 30, then you got invited to do Top of the Pops. So that was it. It was a snowball effect.

Once we did Top of the Pops, more people started buying it, started climbing higher up the charts, and that was it, the start of a career that's lasted. Yeah, and I believe that you made it in Top of the Pops 13 times. Is it 13? I think so 13 times, yeah, I think so. And that's something with the teens, 13 or 15. With everything that you was doing, how did the record label change? Did they change at all?

Did they help you out? Well, I think, I mean, they were good. They weren't horrible to us. I mean, they helped us out in certain ways, but they didn't finance any tours. In the end, the tours were financing themselves because promoters were saying, I'll put you on tour, I'll set you up in this place, come and do some gigs here, because the promoter knew, well, this band are going to sell, I'm going to make money, they're going to make money, people are going to come to see them because they're well-known

and people do like them. And it kind of took on its own life after that. But the company were helpful. The Ruffin company were very helpful, you know, where needed. They were great. Now, with all this going on, eventually, I think, you got to the point where everyone went there separate ways. How long did that last? Two weeks. No, I'm joking. Yeah, I think it was 85. In the middle of 85, we were touring.

And the one thing I will say, because there are people that don't realize this, we were actually very, very successful, but made no money. Yeah. So it's that rock and roll swindle thing that went on in the 80s, we were part of that as well. Right. So we were touring and it was halfway through 85 and I said, look, after this tour, I said, I'm leaving the band. That's it, end of story. Because I was fed up with doing gigs, you know, going and doing these fantastic shows

in Singapore, here, there, everywhere, you know. Right. Italy one day, then leaving Italy to fly to Norway to do three gigs there and it was, all fantastic. Don't get me wrong. It was absolutely brilliant. I wouldn't change that aspect of it for the world. It kind of made me who I am today.

I learned a lot. It made me grow up a lot and appreciate people and cultures. But there's nothing worse than doing all of that and coming home and having empty pockets. And people are assuming that, well, you've just come back from a tour, you must be loaded. Let's go out for dinner and celebrate. And you think, can't actually afford to go out and celebrate because I've got no money. Yeah, that's tough. You know, my close friends all knew the situation.

Yes, perception is definitely different than reality, especially when you're coming off a tour. Oh, absolutely. I mean, I remember one night a girl coming up to me in a club where we'd just done a PA, came out to ask for an autograph and I was signing ready, and I'll never forget, she turned around and she said to me, God, I bet you lot are loaded.

Yeah. I loaded money. And I thought, well, little do you know. Right. You've probably got money than I have. Well, you definitely have got more money than I. you were on 40, 40 pounds a week, which was ridiculous. So with all that happening, did you actually leave the band like you said you was going to do?

I did. I did. The tour finished and I left. And on the same night, our singer at the time said, well, if he's leaving, I'm leaving as well then. He left. And after that, the whole thing kind of fell apart a little bit. The couple of them tried to keep you going for a short while, and then they just didn't follow that. And I just went off and I've kind of got it.

to this niche market here in the UK where, because I'm Greek Cypriot, I happen to fall in somewhere along the line with somebody who said, oh, we need a drummer for a singer who's coming over from Greece, but a well-known singer, you know, the equivalent of, you know, the Frank Sinarchas, those kind of singers, but the Greek versions, you know. Sure. The Hulu and Glacius is at the time of Greece. Right. Once I did one or two, I was then doing quite a lot of them. And the band I was playing for were also being called as a band to support this artist. So when it comes over, we want you to play the music.

All these people would come over. And funny enough, just a little sideways step, my ex-mother-in-law, who I was still close with, actually passed away about three weeks ago. Oh, okay. The other night, my daughter was talking about when they did the tributes and everything at the funeral, which was coming up in six days' time.

But she said, we've arranged all these Greek songs and even English songs that she used to hum and sing along to herself, and we've arranged all these songs. And they found this Greek songs. They said, oh, yeah, she used like this song. And they were trying to read the name of the person, but it's a long Greek name. And I said, oh, what, you sound so? And they said, yes, I played for him when he was touring England, you know, from Greece.

And it just made me realize that, God, I played for all these people. And I didn't at the time realize how significant that was because they are so big in Greece and Cyprus. Yeah. Because they've come to England and, yeah, I'll go and play these people. But I look back and I think, God, I play for some. and big names, and I didn't realize that time, what I was actually doing, because I'd come from a big band,

so I didn't kind of look down upon it at all, but I just didn't realize the relevance, the significance of what I was doing. But that's what I was doing. I was doing that stuff. I also, somewhere along the line, played a bit with Boy George. I did the kind of tracks in the studio.

I played for a guy. I don't know if you, there's a guy called Craig McClockland, who was on Neighbors. Yeah, yeah. He played Henry. I think. Okay. He carved that a little pop career for himself.

And when he was in England, I was on the TV doing all the songs for him and the little bits he was doing. So I did that and I did various little bits. So basically it was a freelance drumming kind of thing. Anyone who wanted me, I'd go around, come along, and I play. If I remember correctly, I believe the band split up about 85 or maybe 86. Yeah. Then you restarted the band in what? 99. 99, yeah.

99. So what led to you restarting the band once again? Because I saw that there were a few concerts happening of people saying, you know, let's go back to the 80s. And 80s artists were performing in 1999. So it's obviously 20 odd years later. Right. And I realized the people who were listening to us in the 80s have probably gotten married, had children now in their 20s and moved off. And they want to go out. And they don't want to go and listen to, blur and no 80s, they're not interested. They want to hear what they were listening to when they were young.

Right. And I saw a few people like Shalamar were out there and bands, all 80s bands. And I thought, oh, this is interesting. So I got in touch with David James, who was the bass player at the time. And also he was one of the co-founders of the band. Okay. I met up with him. I said, look, why don't we just reform the band and get going again?

But reform it with maybe a couple of people that we want, because there were a couple of people in the band that we both didn't get on with. They were both not ideal, you know, character-wise. So I suggested to him, let's get the band together in. Famous Blues brother, let's get the band together again. Yeah, yeah. But he said, because by now he was into management,

you know, he was 1990, he actually managed Chenade O'Connor for a while. Okay. So he said, I can't really see me ever going back on stage again, not something I want to do. Yeah. However, you as one of the main members of the band who didn't have hits until you joined so everyone knows you and the band as it was.

He said, you've got as much right as anyone to go out there. Because he owned the name, he said, look, I'll sign the name over to you. So you, effectively become modern romance. Yeah. And you go off into the blue yonder and do what you want to do with it. And I said, oh, thank you very much. And I've been doing it ever since. Dave and I have been very close friends since as well.

I mean, we've got together three or four times a year, but we speak to each other regularly. Are there any of the former members in it, or is it just you? No, it's just me. Okay. I mean, I can be quite brutal, bad at this and say, other than Jean Dupreya, I would have had in the band, but he'd gone on to writing film scores and stuff.

So he wrote, John Dupay was a trumpet player, and he wrote the music for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He wrote the music for all the Monty Python films. Yeah. Co-wrote a lot of it anyway. And when I did speak to him, he said, I said, look, I'm recording in the movie. album, I'm basically doing all the hits again, fresh with me singing them, come and play trumpet

and he said, by the time I relearn to play trumpet to that standard, because he hadn't touched it for 40 years. Wow. 35 years. He said, by the time I'd re-learned to play trumpet, he said, you'll have finished the album. He said, I haven't touched a trumpet in years. I'll look at it and go, say to myself, what exactly you're supposed to do with this? I would have had him in the man, but unfortunately, the rest of the band, ride that lovely, lovely guys, but not great other instruments, or great at instruments but not nice people, you know, it's not going to work. Right.

And that's being blatantly honest. Once you restarted it, then you got out there performing. What was the response like when they started seeing you doing your old hit songs? I mean, I was, I was gobsmacked because I thought, well, you know, is this going to work? You're always a bit, it's always a bit of trepulation and what's going to happen. And the response was amazing. I mean, people were just so feeding off of this 80s thing. and let's hear those songs again, are singing along.

And the thing is, even now, usually in a festival where you can get kids are allowed, but you see young kids, 11, 12, 13, and they're singing along to besties of our lives and sing along so everybody sounds like. And you think, how the hell do you know these words, the words to the verses, not the choruses? They've been listening to it because their parents were listening to it. Right. Well, I'd like to use a term loosely, but they've been brainwashed into loving modern romance. She's great.

20 years from now, someone picks up your records, They listen to it, they like it. What do you hope they come away from after they've listened to your music? I'm hoping they come away with and think, well, this band gave a lot of people pleasure in a way that. So a lot of people think music is something to write about politics and the world and this and that. No, there are writers and people doing that already and reporters doing documentaries. I don't need to hear it in a song format.

One song may be here than every, but when people make their whole career about writing these songs. And I'd like to listen to our stuff and say, well, it's nothing else. These bands were a release for everybody from all the nonsense in the world that was going on at the time. People could go somewhere, listen to this music, let the hair down, dance, enjoy themselves, and go home happy. We never take ourselves seriously. Oh, you know, we're a band. Yeah, we are a band. And we're very fortunate in what we're doing.

And we're very fortunate that we're able to give people the pleasure. And one of my main things, I try to get them to sing along with us. So it's a joint venture. It's not just me singing to them. I sing with them. I invite them to sing it onto the choruses. I give them a whole verse to themselves and let them sing and then come back in. For me, that's where the pleasure comes in for me, because I see them enjoying them and I see them taking part.

Yeah, that's always nice when you get audience interaction. You know they're not there just to listen. They're there to be really part of the show. And it feels like they are part of the show. Absolutely. I look at them as people talk about when you go to a soccer game. and the crowd, because you get 11 aside, and the crowd of the band. Yes.

I look at them as almost like a member of the band. They're the other member of the band, and I get them joining in the singing because we feed off of that as well. Sure, sure. We see that and we're okay, we're elevated because we know you're doing our job, we're doing well. Out of all the songs you've recorded, and it doesn't have to be a song that you've released, what is one of your favorite songs that for one reason or another, it just means a lot to you? It would probably have to be the ones that I've recorded in recent years that I've written as well. When you've got a song that you've written, it obviously will have more meaning.

Right. So it will be either Marie or Yaya. But there was one in the 80s called Blame My Jealousy that was particularly proud of. It was quite a different song for us at the time. In actual fact, it was earmarked to be a single. And then because of banned politics, it was reduced to the B side, then the B side became the A side. And even then, the record company,

someone actually asked me from the record company, said, can I ask you a question? What's that? Why did you change your minds and decide to have this as the B side and that as the A side? Because they said, it would have worked much better the other way around. And I said, well, what can I say?

Band politics. That's all I'm saying. Yeah, I have seen so many times that a band or a label will put a song on the B side, and the B side is actually a better song than the A side. The beauty back there,

then, if the A side wasn't working, could always slip it over and promote the B side. Because with today, you can't do that. Yep. Yeah, because it's the same product. You're just changing the way that you're pushing it. Exactly. Yeah.

A lot of people don't realize that was a very big thing back in the 60s, 70s, and of course the 80s. It was kind of a cool thing they did back then. Because now, with the digital sound, is completely different. Yeah. I was going to say, we've lost a lot of things because of digital age. We have, I truly love.

love the analog sound. Oh, my record player sits there and I play. I use it all the time. I really love the sound of that needle hitting that vinyl. Yeah. But yet they're still making records as well now. Yes. Records are on the rise all over.

You can't beat analog sound. So what's the schedule looking like? Are you traveling a lot this summer? Mostly traveling in the UK, the stuff we're doing. I had just come back from a week in Madeira, but that was a little break. But we will have stuff. We've got stuff in the pipeline for next year and traveling abroad and stuff.

So it's actually quite good that I didn't have to go abroad this year because I had a lot of stuff to do at home. We had a funeral. My partner was in hospital for five weeks with pancreatic cancer. So I wouldn't have gone anywhere. But anyway, fortunately, she came out. Good. She'll be fine. She needs time to recover.

But she's getting stronger every day. That's great. That's good to hear. It wouldn't have been nice to be traveling the world and trying to phone up and say, well, you know, it's a person I care about still alive. Right. I'd rather just look after her. Priorities.

Absolutely, yeah. Yep, that's right. Well, this has been great. I really appreciate you taking the time to join us today. My absolute pleasure. It's good to be here. Yes, my pleasure, it's well. Thanks again.

Thanks for spending your time with us today. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Contact us at Media at Plateau Music.com. Thanks for being part of our journey.