Interview With The Paddingtons (6/7) 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.

Lloyd: There's no formula really. I come up with some words and I write the spine of the song on an acoustic guitar. But it isn't a song until the rest of the band gets hold of it and turns it into a Paddingtons tune. I mean, I might be writing about the break up of a relationship or something, but then Tom sings it like he's snarling at someone and it puts a whole other slant on the song. There's always a rough idea, but the atmosphere and environment in which you play changes things. It's the same when you're recording. Sometimes a lot of recording is luck - fuckin' about until you capture a certain mood or feeling - and that's something we've done with this album ...bashed it about until we left with something that works.

It's time to give the interview stuff a rest, because Josh and Grant are ready and it's time to go and rehearse. We all file outside - them with their guitar cases, me with my carrier bag ... Rock n' roll, eh? Josh and Stuee get in the front and I get in the back with Lloyd and Grant. The van is almost like a mini Adelphi on wheels; a montage of signatures, scribbles and musings in black marker, overlaid with flyers and back stage passes. There are a few empty cider bottles and cigarette butts on the floor.

"This van's been fuckin' caned," Grant says. "It's done over 40,000 miles. We had to replace the engine not so long back." "We've all had to sleep in this fucker at some point," says Lloyd. The windows are blacked out, so I have no idea where we are going. We end up going to Tom's house. I stumble out of the back and I have no clue as to where I am. It's like I've kidnapped by an indie rock A-Team. Tom isn't home yet, but the rest of the lads start setting up their gear.

"We're off to France in two days, so we've got to rehearse and make sure Stuee knows all the songs," Lloyd says. "We're banned from a lot of rehearsal studios in Hull, because of ...y'know parties and stuff ...when we were younger." I lug some of the guitar and amp cases into the next room as the band set their amps up in the living room, and then I have a quick chat with Stuee. "I'm in a band called KillCity, but about two or three months ago I decided to have a bit of a break from it," in says in his Brummie tones.

"I knew The Paddingtons from touring with them, and when Marv hurt his hand, they got in touch with me and asked me if I wanted to be drafted in as a kinda temporary Marv, so here I am."

I look at my watch and realise that it's time to get back to work. I stay and watch the band do a run through of 50 To A Pound. They play it three or four times in quick succession, hammering the song into shape. Josh and Stuee look at each other's guitars, sussing each other out. By the fifth go it begins to click into place, but then one of Stuee's guitar strings snaps and they have to stop to sort it out.

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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