Interview With The Paddingtons (3/7) By Joe Hakim Photos By Ray Ribeiro and The Paddingtons at The Adelphi By Darren Rogers

(1/7), (2/7), (3/7), (4/7), (5/7), (6/7), (7/7).

Photograph Gallery   The Paddingtons Gallery 1,    Gallery 2,    Gallery 3,    Gallery 4,    Gallery 5.

Day One: The Initial Interview ...

I'm speaking to Lloyd on the phone, and he's okay with the interview and everything. As you can imagine, releasing an album is a pretty big fuckin' deal. It must be pressure like you can't imagine. Throw in the fact that Marv, one of The Paddingtons' guitarists, has just seriously injured his hand, and you're talking real fuckin' pressure. "Shit, that's fuckin' crazy," I say when Lloyd tells me about Marv's accident. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm writing an article for a listings magazine that comes out in Hull at the end of September.

It's an article promoting the release of your album. It would be good to have a chat with you all." "That's no problem," Lloyd says. "We've got a mate that's gonna fill in for Marv until his hand gets better, so we're back in Hull to rehearse. You can pop down for a bit today if you want."

"What time will you be starting?" "Give me a ring later this afternoon, and I'll let you know where we are." "That's great, cheers." I'm doing a double shift at work, but I get three hours off, so I figure if I go straight to the rehearsals I should get a good couple of hours to talk. So I'm stood in the pot-wash at work, scraping plates and cleaning glasses. Some people may consider a job like that to be demeaning, but it's a good place to think.

In amongst the congealed gravy, discarded salads and half guzzled pints I find time enough to ponder about various different things, like how I'm gonna set about the article you're reading now, for example.

I step out to serve and I see Lloyd and his girlfriend at the bar waiting to be served. "I'm not stalking you, honest," I say as I walk over, and then I laugh in much the same manner as a demented stalker would probably laugh. I feel like the little midget in the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon that popped up at the end of every episode to sum up the moral of the story.

We agree on a time of around three. I finish work and I'm walking up Spring Bank past loads of dejected Hull City fans, grappling with the bitter taste of defeat. I have a WH Smith carrier stuffed with the Saturday papers and I'm wearing my huge green coat even though it's fuckin' boiling. My first waking hour is always like Ripley's in the opening sequence of Aliens after they wake her from cryogenic freeze, and I always convince myself to wear more clothes than are strictly necessary because I convince myself I'm cold.

And now the sweat's pouring down my forehead, and I'm charging along because I've got to meet Ray from the mag before I go to do the interview. He's got a Dictaphone for me because my note taking - although reliable - is erratic, and I figure that five Paddingtons talking all at once may be too much for me to take in. I meet him near Blundell's corner, and he looks worse than I do.

Continued ...next page

Check the thisisUll.com Gallery Photographs courtsey and Copyright ©  Ray Ribeiro and Darren Rogers 2005

Photograph Gallery   The Paddingtons Gallery 1,    Gallery 2,    Gallery 3,    Gallery 4,    Gallery 5.

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