"One of Jake’s sons came into his house with his girlfriend and the new CD was playing and she said, ‘Is that The Beatles?’ Jake couldn’t wait to tell me!" Paul Clearly of The Blades as he recounts his bandmate's excitement.
The singer is chatting to Hot Press about their Smalltime EP, the first new music from the legendary Dublin act in over 30 years.
“I started to write songs again about the end of 2011. I got a new piano for one of my kids, knowing full well I would go in and play it myself and once I did it would draw me back in!” he smiles. “Then I began to think the songs were quite good. I recorded one, played it for some people. They liked it, so I started to write more. I really didn’t know if they were Blades songs, solo songs....that’s being honest.”
Paul performed solo at the Philip Chevron testimonial concert in 2013. So raucous was the audience’s response, many have pointed to that moment as the catalyst for the legendary band's return.
“It played a part and gave me the confidence,” he clarifies. “The reception was brilliant and I really felt great after; the old cliché is that it is a bit of a drug. When I rang Jake and Brian about getting back they said yes immediately.”
Since their two packed Olympia shows in December 2013, The Blades have revisited the venue and impressed the festival throngs at Electric Picnic. The recent release of the Smalltime EP has copper-fastened their rebirth.
“‘If you’re not in you can’t lose’ – I remember thinking that was a great line,” muses Cleary, discussing the title track. “I remember asking Conor (Brady – Blades guitarist) when the lottery started back in the '80s if he had bought a ticket for ‘this new lotto thing’ and that was his reply. (Laughs) I extrapolated from that, what would that be like if that was your character, not taking any risks for fear of failure. Some have accused me of that, saying that’s the reason The Blades weren’t successful.
“So that could be the analogy, with my career and the band, and my own personality not really being somebody who takes a lot of risks. Also the line ‘never bought or sold’, what I am referring to is we never sold out but nobody ever bought our stuff in any great numbers!”
The four tracks reflect that Cleary (often deemed one of the finest songwriters this country has produced) is still capable of weaving a rich sonic tapestry with impressive lyrical swagger. As we discuss the new tracks, he is keen to stress each is open to interpretation. ‘I Still Believe In You’ for example, I was sure was a straightforward love song.
“I just wanted to flag my atheism there!” he smiles. “I was thinking a lot about John Lennon’s ‘God’ where he says ‘I just believe in me, Yoko and me’. Although (pauses) someone who knows me very well said, ‘Is that song about you, saying you still believe in yourself?’ Isn’t that something? That’s someone who knows me really, really well! Maybe I am saying, ‘I still think I can do it’ (Laughs) That’s pretentious and arrogant but it wasn’t consciously done.”
Happily, now that writing momentum is back, Cleary confirms there will be a Blades album next year.
“That’s the plan,” he nods. “I know it sounds crazy because CDs don’t really sell but we can be quite economical in terms of what it costs us to make. By telling you now and knowing it will be in print I have to do it! I’m not sure when this Blades Mark 2 will end but I feel fear that if it does end there probably won’t be Mark 3! So I really will try and get as much done in terms of my songwriting as I can (laughs)."
For the moment, fans can look forward to their December return to the Olympia.
“The atmosphere in the venue is always amazing, the people are so generous,” he enthuses. “Some people in football say the crowd is a 12th man, that’s a good comparison. They are part of the gig itself, I feed off their reaction. The first year my wife brought the kids and they were more interested in the crowd than their dad on stage. They loved it!”