THE GAZETTE caught up with Paul Butler as the Bees were putting the final touches to their album this week before heading over to Carisbrooke Fields to play at Summer Madness.
“It’s been a bit of a battle to get it all finished, but we’re just about there,” said Paul of the new album ‘Every Step’s a Yes’, which comes out on October 11. The single ‘I Really Need Love’ will be released a week before on October 4.
“The album’s name is a line from the single ‘I Really Need Love’,” he explained. “It’s about all round acceptance. We’ve been through lots of different phases but you can’t look back and say, “I wish that hadn’t happened”. It’s about acceptance and presence,” said Paul.
The Bees are now in their tenth year, and this will be their fourth album and the second one to be recorded at their base in Ventnor where they have a recording studio. Produced by Paul, almost all of the lyrics have been written by Aaron Fletcher.
“Aaron and I met on the first day of High School (Sandown) and we were playing together within a couple of weeks,” said Paul. “He’s the master lyricist – he’s so bloody good at it, he doesn’t have to try!”
The single had its first airplay this week on Zane Lowe’s Radio One show and on 6Music News. “It’s so tricky to get things on the radio. You have to do a radio edit and we had to take two minutes off of the track,” he explained.
The lads will be supporting Paul Weller throughout his autumn tour, but this will be their first gig together. “We’re looking forward to supporting Paul Weller. He asked us to do a remix of one of his songs for an EP that’s being released with his new album. We did ‘Grasp and Still Connect.”
But will they be playing it at the gig? “No we’ll just do Bees Stuff,” said Paul, although apparently Paul Weller will be watching them from the wings.
“We’ll probably play ‘I really Need Love’, ‘Tired of Loving’ and ‘Winter Rose’ from the new album but we’ll also play a lot of our old favourites,’ said Paul. ‘We’ve only got half and hour or 40 minutes. We’ll be playing our new tracks when we go on tour with Paul Weller.”
Anyone who has previously seen The Bees in concert will have seen the ‘Ventnor Horticultural Society’ sign on Warren Hampshire’s keyboard and apparently this goes with them wherever they tour – bringing a bit of Ventnor into every venue.
“We spread the word,” laughed Paul, although he claims that the lads are all keen vegetable growers too. “”I’ve got a snail proof vegetable patch at the end of my garden,” said Paul. “It’s got moats around it!”
Hopefully there will be no moats needed at Summer Madness this Sunday, where The Bees will be joining The Coral, the Brand New Heavies, Imelda May, Twisted Wheel, The Moons and, of course, Paul Weller, for ‘The Best Bank Holiday Sunday Ever’.
And maybe even Noel Gallagher? Promoter John Curd of Home Grown Events was still not confirming rumours that the ex Oasis brother was likely to be putting in an appearance.
“He’s playing drums on Paul Weller’s new album,” said John. “He might be coming.
“Everything’s going according to plan,” said John enigmatically. “We’ll be rocking!”
Tickets for Summer Madness are available on the gate this year, but there is also a mobile box office at the bus station in Ryde and tickets can also be bought at Framers in Union Street in Ryde.
