Music Nation: Black Star Riders

“I remember Steve Jones giving… who was that paedophile guy? Oh yeah, Jimmy Saville… giving him shit all night long. To the extent that Jimmy Saville was saying, ‘Ah come on guys, I just have to do my job’. He just wouldn’t let up on him!"
It’s the time of year for festive memories and Thin Lizzy/Black Star Riders axeman Scott Gorham is reminiscing about a particularly amusing Top Of The Pops visit. The occasion was the performace of ‘A Merry Jingle’ by The Greedy Bastards, a troupe which was part Lizzy, part Sex Pistols.
“That was such a fun thing to do,” he laughs. “It only took us a few hours, from conception to writing and mixing! We were all pretty surprised we ended up on Top Of The Pops!”
We put it to Scott that Lizzy, AC/DC and Motörhead were really the only rock acts accepted by the punk community.
“A lot of the bands back then were afraid of the punk thing,” he says. “The more established acts worried the genre was going to push them out the door. Guys like us and Motörhead kind of embraced it. We loved and related to their craziness and all the energy. We didn’t think there was any reason to be afraid of another genre!”
Returning to the present, the guitar legend is currently relaxing in his Cambridge hotel in the midst of a successful batch of Black Star Riders dates – the outfit is primarily culled from the most recent incarnation of Thin Lizzy.
“The tour is going incredibly well,” he enthuses. “The summer festivals were good too. It was quite daunting. You're walking out there in front of 55,000 people, playing this new material. The response has been fantastic.
There are hundreds of messages on Facebook showing love for the band. It’s pretty amazing.”
Support act on the current jaunt is The Dead Daisies, a star-studded outfit which features sometime Guns N’ Roses man Richard Fortus, who has tended to Thin Lizzy guitar duties in recent years. The impressive line-up also features Charley Drayton (The Cult), Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones) and fellow G N' R player Dizzy Reed.
“Having the guys on the road is so much fun. The Daisies are an amazing band. The great thing about having them out with us is being able to hang with Richard. He’s become a really good friend.”
Black Star Riders released their debut album All Hell Breaks Loose earlier this year to much fanfare. It was nominated for Album of the Year at the Classic Rock awards only to be pipped to the post by Black Sabbath.
“Hey, it’s Black Sabbath!” smiles Scott. “That was a fun night. You get to meet people you haven’t seen in years. I had a good chat with Tony Iommi. I got kinda blitzed so I can’t really recall (laughs). Tony is doing really well, though!” One can only imagine the luminaries that mingle at such auspicious events. Does Scott ever find himself starstruck?
“The only time I get starstruck is when I meet some fabulous golfer,” he laughs. “I met Tony Jacklin just after the Ryder Cup. I’d love to meet Rory McIlroy!”
2014 will see the band head back to the studio to record a follow-up LP.
“The record company wants another album. We've already started to write. We’re not going to go into the studio until September.”
Next year will also see Thin Lizzy hitting the road again.
“I’m not sure how extensive it will be. We’re going to pick a few really cool one-off shows,” explains Scott. “It will be great to get Brian Downey and Darren Wharton back in.”
And how will Gorham spend the festive season?
“Recuperating after these gigs and maybe playing some golf if the weather permits!”