Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Shaun Ryder: The 80s and 90s are a blur



Shaun Ryder says the 80s and the 90s are one big "blur".

The 54-year-old rocker is set to perform at Shiiine On Weekender at Butlin's Arena, Minehead in November with his band the Happy Mondays, along with Levellers, Pop Will Eat Itself, Jim Bob (Carter USM) and The Woodentops, in a celebration of the very best of 80s and 90s Indie and Dance music.

However, the 'Step On' hitmaker - who was addled on drugs and booze back then - admits he doesn't have much of a recollection of what went down back then, except for their trips to Brazil.

In February 1991, Happy Mondays famously played at the MaracanĂ£ Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and meet Ronnie Biggs, an English thief, known for his role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, for his escape from prison in 1965. Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, he said: "Well, I tell you, I can remember the 60s more than I can remember the 80s and the 90s.

"They are just a blur. We had a couple of good times in Brazil, you would have to give me something specific. I was eight years old in the 60s, but I can remember it a lot better than the 90s."

Ryder says their set at Shiiine On will be much like their 30th anniversary tour, all of the hits from their back catalogue of five studio albums.

Asked what punters at the adult weekend extravaganza can expect, he said: "We are doing something from all the albums. It's the 30th anniversary of 'Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)' that is the name of the tour that we are doing. So we are going to be doing bits from all of the albums actually. It's a greatest hits album set." Shiiine On / Butlin's Live Music Weekends is a festival for grown-ups who don't want to trudge around in the mud! It takes place from November 10 to November 13.