John Wenlock-Smith: So ‘The Lamb Lies Down’ gets its own outing, much to the fans delight. How much of it are you doing exactly?
Steve Hackett: We’re doing nine songs from it. I chose tracks that work as songs by themselves, as most folks will be familiar with the story already.
JWS: Will be you be recording the show and, if so, where?
SH: Yes, we’re recording the last UK show at The Royal Albert Hall, I’ll be joined by my brother John that night too.
JWS: Amanda Lehmann, is with you this time as well?
SH: Yes, Amanda asked if she could do the whole tour this time. It will be great having her with us full time, joining the old boys club!
JWS: So we’ll get a full version of Shadow of the Hierophant then?
SH: Yes, rather than the crescendo that we’ve done on previous tours. It really needs a female vocalist, as it was originally done with Sally Oldfield. Amanda does a great version of it, it’s a great track that had a young Phil Collins on drums.
JWS: So what’s next for you Steve?
SH: Well I’ve been working on some live acoustic stuff. I have also been writing stuff for the next album, no idea when that will be though! In addition, I’ve also been working some more with Steve Rothery on an album we’ve been working on and off for the past year or more. I’ve been playing some harmonica for that as Steve likes that and I enjoy doing it too.
JWS: I saw John and his band a few rimes this year, they were excellent. He has a new album coming out this year.
SH: I spoke with him yesterday and he’s coming here tomorrow. We’re having a family visit, for which I need to find cutlery and plates! We’re a busy lot us Hackett’s!
JWS: So it would seem!
SH: Growing up, I guess you could say we were industrious. Dad would be paintng his pictures in the front room, John would be practising his flute and I’d be off in my bedroom playing the guitar! Aah, those were the days!
JWS: Your friend Nick Fletcher has a new album coming out in October, called ‘A Longing For Home”.
SH: What sort of style is it?
JWS: Progressive jazz/rock fusion, he has some highly acclaimed musicians like Anika Niles and a Norwegian keyboard player.
SH: Is that Lalle Larson?
JWS: No it’s a guy called Jan Gunnar Hoff. Again, highly respected by his peers. I’m really looking forward to it, should be great.
SH: In amongst all that going on I’m also doing some shows at Trading Boundaries in East Sussex.
JWS: I’ve never been there.
SH: There are hotels nearby.
JWS: For us, it’s a long way from Cheshire. It’s a place I’d very much like to go to really.
SH: I normally do a couple of acoustic shows around Christmas there. Although I was there last year for the John Wetton tribute show, which was the first time I’d done an electric show there. It was great but very loud!
John was a good friend of mine, we’d often do a version of All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix together and he did a few shows with me over the years, Tokyo and a few revisited ones too. I do miss him, he was a very funny man and a good friend to me.
So, all in all, plenty of things going on at present. As I said, we’ve just moved house and we’re living out of boxes and I’ve got to go and get some cutlery and plates as we can’t easily find the ones we packed! So it’s all a little hectic at present.
Anyway I’d better dash as these shortages won’t rectify themselves. Seeing as we have the family around on Thursday I need to to get the place prepared for their arrival. I’d best go, so keep well and we’ll speak again no doubt. I’ll see you both in Stoke in a few weeks time where I hope you will enjoy the ‘Lamb Lies Down’ show, as much as I do performing it!
