EIGHTIES legend Nik Kershaw is set to embark on his first tour with a full band in more than a decade and performs in Birmingham next weekend.
The singer/songwriter, famous for hits such as I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Wouldn’t It Be Good, is touring on the back of his new studio album Eight and the re-release of his breakthrough debut album Human Racing.
The new record is Kershaw’s first since 2006 and he told the Mail about the making of the album and what inspired him lyrically.
He said: “It kind of started about 18 months ago. I had one song and I sat myself down and thought it was about time I had a new album.
“The writing and recording process is one and the same thing with me as I have a studio at home and record as I write.
“Lyrically I am just inspired by life really, the same stuff as everyone else goes through.
“I didn’t use to write about things close to me back in the day as I was worried about being discovered as a bit of a fraud, as I was just a normal geezer rather than a pop star.”
Back with his full band after a spell playing acoustically, Kershaw admitted he still finds playing live a nerve-wracking experience but is enjoying having support behind him again.
He said: “There’s always trepidation but that’s part of the fun doing something you’re afraid of every day. I’m looking forward to getting out there again though.
“My last tour as such was in 2001, even though I’ve done the festival appearances in that time.
“We start rehearsing with the band just five days before the tour starts but they are pretty much up-todate with everything. It’s a lot of fun playing with those guys.
“I’ve done a fair bit of acoustic stuff over the last few years which was a very scary thing to do at first.
“To just be up there with an acoustic guitar in front of an audience when you can see the whites of their eyes is scary, but I enjoyed it.
“But I’m back in the zone of doing the band thing. I will probably come back to the acoustic stuff on one-off occasions but it is a bit tricky to get back into it.”
Kershaw’s long and varied career has seem him move on from ‘pop star’ fame in the 1980s to establish himself as a successful songwriter working with other artists such as Ronan Keating, Elton John and Gary Barlow and penning Chesney Hawkes’ one-hit wonder The One and Only.
Once the nine-date UK tour is complete Kershaw said he is not one for making any concrete plans but he is looking at moving into TV soundtracks and has not ruled out a return to songwriting.
“I’ve never actually said I wouldn’t write again for other artists,” he said. “I enjoyed that time and met some good people.
“When you are doing your own album you get very selfish and if you write a good song you want it yourself, so if you can’t give people your best you can’t really do it.
“I’m planning on getting back into doing music for TV as I’ve done stuff for a friend before and enjoyed it so I’m going to get my head down and do that.
“I’m not great on making plans as I never stick to doing them.”
Kershaw performs at the Birmingham O2 Academy on Saturday, September 22 and tickets are priced at £22.50.
They are available at the website www.ticketweb.co.uk or by calling 08444 771000.
