Page 18 - BiTS_01_JANUARY_2023
P. 18

BiTS:  I’ve asked this of guitar players before and I’ve never really had a satisfactory answer. You
    play standing up, but do you practice standing up?

    RK: I’ve just put the guitar down, five minutes ago. I was practising standing up, but not always.
    When I play duo gigs with Zoe, of course I do sit down generally. So I’m happy either way, but

    obviously, with a band, you get more flow, I think, standing up.
    BiTS:  I just wonder whether it makes any difference playing-wise, whether you have more
    control over the guitar and that sort of thing?


                                                                        RK: It feels right to stand up and play
                                                                        when  you  play  louder  and  you’re
                                                                        playing with a band. It feels right, and
                                                                        in some sort of strange way, I think you
                                                                        do have more control over what you’re
                                                                        doing. You’re sort of more able to flow
                                                                        with the music and lean into the drum
                                                                        kit  and  all  these  weird  sort  of  semi-
                                                                        superstitious traits that we have. Not
                                                                        superstitious, but habits that we have
                                                                        that make us feel comfortable.

                                                                        BiTS:    Yes,  I  know  exactly  what  you
                                                                        mean. When I was preparing for this
                                                                        interview, actually intending to speak
    to Zoe, I saw that there was a gig that was done, I think during lockdown, or maybe I’m wrong
    about that, but where the intention was to sing for an enormous length of time, 21 hours or
    something or other. Did that happen?

    RK: Yes, not during lockdown. What it was, it was a charity event and the object was for Zoe to
    sing non-stop for 12 hours. Give a one 12-hour set performance. I mean, how crazy is that? We
    did it. We did that about two or three times for a charity. So my contribution was seven hours in

    one stretch.

    BiTS: Gosh!

    RK: [Chuckling] Playing guitar.

    BiTS:  That sounds like a Guinness Book of Records thing.

    RK: Yes, well Zoe did 12 hours in one go. I mean, can you imagine that? Yes, it must be, surely. I
    didn’t think about that. I missed a trick.

    BiTS:  Your fingers must have been sore by the end of it, surely?

    RK: Probably tired hands. I don’t get sore fingers, but yes, I know what you mean. I know what
    you mean. Yes, my brain was fried, that’s for sure. I remember at one point having to accompany
    a trumpet player and a saxophone player during that stretch and they played chorus after chorus
    at high tempo, and I’ve never forgotten that, and I said, help, guys. It’s only me here.

    BiTS:  Sounds like a form of torture.

    RK: It was an endurance test for sure [laughs].

    BiTS:  Tell me what your plans are for the future. Have you got any plans to go into the studio
    and do a new album?
   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23