“I did most of my drinking in Camden when we weren’t touring. I won Ligger of the Year four years in a row in the NME. I was at every pub and every party, doing everything imaginable with the other bands of the day.”
London, Can You Wait?
- By Fred Spanner
Whispers turned into bar-room banter last month, but no one dared to dream it. Then… boom! Gene dropped the bombshell: a reunion gig was happening at the Hammersmith Apollo, and tickets vanished quicker than A Car That Sped. In fact, all three comeback shows sold out in minutes. Yes, they’re back, and they’re fighting fit.
Loaded chatted with Martin and Matt to see exactly what’s drawn them back to the deep end.
It’s hard to believe you guys are finally back together again. How is Steve Lamacq taking it? I’m worried the excitement might push him over the edge.
Matt: “Literally just ten minutes ago, I got a text from someone saying he’s just played us on his show.”
He’ll surely be chomping at the bit to get you on his show for a session.
Martin: “To be honest, there’s very little that puts a smile on his face (and if you’re reading this Steve, I love you dearly), but if we can make the old guy grin a little, that’ll be great.”
So, who reignited the Gene spark?
Martin: “I’m friends with a couple of the Sleeper blokes (as they like to be called), and they asked me if I’d speak to Alan McGee’s right-hand man, Kevin. I think Kevin does most of the work, while Alan spends his time perusing the internet for new Adidas tracksuit bottoms. But they’re a persuasive duo.
“We were chatting on a Zoom call, and it was strange. They were sitting in an underground tunnel somewhere like you’d see in a Krays movie. Within about ten days of speaking to them, the ball was rolling, and we were all sitting in a bar in London, managing not to kill each other.”
Matt: “It was strange, really. I got a phone call from Kevin, and I told him he was speaking to the wrong guy. He needed to speak to Martin, but he told me Martin was already in. I was surprised as I didn’t think he wanted to do Gene again. It didn’t mean it was over the line, but it meant we could at least meet up. It was very “vibey”, and the humour kicked back in right away.
“That’s the thing about bands being on the road for so long with the in-jokes and stuff. It was a long time ago, but it all came right back.”
Martin: “The only real difference in meeting up in 2025 was we were all collectively about six stone heavier from the last time we met.”
Did you keep in touch with each other, or did you make a clean break of it?
Martin: “For me, it was the latter. I’m not very good at goodbyes. Even at our final show at The Astoria, there was an aftershow party, and I just snuck off. I’ve never been very good at ‘goodbyes’.”
Matt: “I’ve kept in touch with Kevin and Steve over the years. I’ve done some solo stuff, and they’ve helped out. I think Martin drew a firm line under it because he knew I’d always try to convince him to get the band back together.
“We did get together for a private function in 2008, but that was it.”
You were never keen on touring, were you, Martin?
Martin: “I missed my daughter’s first steps because I was away touring. I’m a fan of bathrooms, but I like the same bathroom every day. Touring is for the young or sociopathic. I don’t think I’m either. Well, I’m certainly not young. I just don’t like the idea of not being around for the kids, really.
“I grew up in a village, so I’ve always been drawn to a simpler life. Sitting on a bus watching the roads go by doesn’t really appeal to me. We’re still going to play some shows, just not a big tour.”
Matt: “I quite liked it. It’s interesting what Martin said there, as the rest of us didn’t have kids back then. My kids are quite young and they see me as a wine merchant, so it’ll be nice for them to see that I also do something else.”
Do you think your constant comparisons to Morrissey and The Smiths helped or hindered your career? The comments seemed to follow you around everywhere. Even, ironically, in this very interview.
Martin: “I don’t think it particularly helped, but I guess some people found us because of it. Musically, I think we’re dissimilar. In other ways, I’m a socialist and he’s not.”
What happened to the Morrissey who sang, “It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate. It takes strength to be gentle and kind?” He’s kind of moved to the far right, now.
Martin: “From the stories I’ve heard, he got sucked into the internet. It’s a dangerous place to live.”
Matt: “He came to see us when we played three nights at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.”
Martin: “There’s a picture online somewhere of us together. I’m looking very young and very tough. It was during my skinhead phase. Who was the comedian who once said that everyone grows out of their Morrissey phase eventually, except Morrissey?”
Sean Hughes?
Martin: “Yes, I think it was.”
Matt: “Musically, I think The Smiths were a great band, but we were into so much more. My bands were The Stranglers, The Damned, and The Clash. I’d be right in the mosh pits. The Faces were probably the biggest influence on our music. We’d do bluesy jams all the time. It was a nice contrast. When we wrote For The Dead, we thought we’d found our own vibe.”
Martin: “I was always hoping to be compared to Tupac, but no joy there. But seriously, I’ve worked in hip-hop music, produced music for the BBC, worked with metal kids, and played Matt a pop thing I’m working on that sounds like Charlie XCX. So I hope my identity is built around that, rather than just one thing.
“From the age of around fourteen, I’ve embarked on a number of different musical projects. You switch bands, cos it’s not quite working, and try something else. Then, eventually, if you’re lucky, you find something that fits right, and that’s what happened with Gene. I suddenly thought this thing has some legs. What we created was the combination of everyone’s musical loves.”
What were the best times for you guys?
Matt: “Playing the Albert Hall. But, I’d always liked the idea of playing The Forum in Kentish Town, as I’d seen a lot of my favourite bands there. My mum was an opera singer, and she’d gotten a bit bored of hearing me say that I was in yet another band. As a result, I don’t think she paid much attention to what we were doing, so when I told her we were playing the Albert Hall, she was surprised. When I walked on stage and saw her face in the audience, it was incredible.”
Martin: “When I told my mum we were playing the Albert Hall, she said, 'Oh, your sister played there.” I wondered if there was anything I could do to impress her.
“For me, and I’ve said it before, it’s hearing the songs sung back to me in different languages and accents. It was incredible to think that this song I’d written when I was twenty-two, and doing part-time work as a security guard, could have made it to Stockholm or Milan. That was always really powerful for me. That, and being chased around the Hull Adelphi.”
When I saw you performing For The Dead on Top Of The Pops, I probably had the same thought as everyone else. “I bet he’s really hot in that coat.”
Martin: “Yeah, Top Of The Pops was weird cos I don’t think we did a very good job of it. I remember our manager at the time putting all manner of pressure on us by telling us we had to do something special. But I think we just needed to go on there and be ourselves. I think I tried a little too hard.
“Unfortunately, that was the only shot we got, but yes, I was sweating like a fountain.”
Matt: “I seem to remember talking to John Peel about playing football, or something. We were doing a bit of TV back then, and I was trying to take it all in my stride. It was a landmark moment, playing that show. It’s a shame we didn’t get other opportunities to do it. We were probably a bit nervous.”
Martin: Also, this was the era of TOTP when you could sing live to a backing track. It felt odd with those rubber pads on Matt's drum kit as he was miming along. I always admired New Order when they said they would only do it live, or not at all.”
So let’s talk about your comeback gig at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. It’s already sold out. For those who don’t have tickets, will there be other chances to catch you?
Martin: “When we got back together, we said we would rule nothing in, and rule nothing out. We said we’d see how the tickets went and how well we got on together. Both boxes are ticked, so read into that what you will…
“I’m quite excited because one of my favourite artists of the last five years, Ethel Cain, is playing the Apollo just after us. I’m going to leave her a gift.”
How have the rehearsals been going?
Martin: “Much better than I expected. Especially as the other three have a really big task, especially Steve, who’s got to get all of those guitar parts together. But one thing was apparent as we were rehearsing. We all thought the same thing: “These songs are really good, aren’t they?”
Nice. When can we expect the new album?. He asks, hopefully.
Martin: “The words “Sod” and “Cheeky” spring to mind.”
Will there be some Sleep Well Tonight pillowcases available on your merch stands this time around?
Martin: “Oh, god! That was the American record company that didn’t really know what we were about.”
What does the backstage rider normally look like?
Matt: “We all used to have a Greyhound cocktail each before we hit the stage. Except Martin.”
Martin: “I actually used to live like a saint. That’s what made touring a bit harder because I didn’t drink. And it’s almost got me kicked out of Wales. I would only drink if I had the day off the next day. So, being the one sober person on the bus made it a bit difficult.
“I did disappear to Mexico one morning with our bus driver. We were the only ones up, and he asked if I’d ever been to Mexico, which I hadn’t. He told me to grab my passport, and we were away, driving along the border between Phoenix and San Diego. Everyone else was comatose, and the driver and I were having breakfast in sunny Mexico. It was delicious.”
Matt: “We were never really that bad. I did most of my drinking in Camden when we weren’t touring. I won Ligger of the Year four years in a row in the NME. I was at every pub and every party, doing everything imaginable with the other bands of the day.”
Martin: “I remember on the ‘thanks’ list at the back of one of our records we just put, ‘Matt James +1'.
What’s the song you’re most looking forward to playing?
Matt: Where Are They Now?
Martin: Speak To Me Someone.
So there you have it. I bet you didn’t have Gene on your 2025 Britpop bingo card. Just Menswear to go now for the full house…
Check out the latest from the latest news from Gene at geneofficial.com
