Interview - Modesty Blaise - The Manc Review

Today we talk to Jonny Collins from Indie-pop sensation Modesty Blaise about his music, influences and plans for the future.

Your band name, “Modesty Blaise”, is a great name. Did you happen to name your band after the British comic strip which follows the life and crimes of the character Modesty Blaise, and if so does it have any bearing or secret link to your music? Or is this just one big fat coincidence, and I have got it completely wrong?

Well yes, it was a comic strip and it was printed in the local paper but I had forgotten all about it until I saw the 1966 Joseph Losey film (looks great – poorly edited). So I guess it was after the film rather than the comic strip. We were struggling for a name and I remember saying to David W Brown (bass player) “why aren’t we called Modesty Blaise?”. And we couldn’t think of a reason, so we were.

What was the first concert and last concert you went to?

First concert was XTC actually, at Hammersmith Odeon on the Black Sea tour I think. And the last was Scritti Politti in Cardiff doing Cupid & Psyche. Both utterly wonderful.

Who were your musical influences growing up?

My mum was a singer, and she listened to a lot of musical stuff, particularly The Sound of Music, South Pacific and The Pyjama Game. I used to sing with her and joined the church choir. I also found an old wind-up gramophone in the loft of an aged relative with a huge stack of 78s so I used to spend a lot of time playing those. No rock & roll at all. Teenage-wise, it was The Beatles, XTC and Orange Juice that I loved and they led me on to other things, Al Green, The Velvet Underground etc etc.

You formed in late 1993/early 1994 and recorded your hit single, “Christina Terrace”, with Edwyn Collins, which is steeped in Mod and Beatles-esque nostalgia, whilst jangling in the flowery petals of the Paisley Underground. It proved to be an instant success, playing on ITV and gaining you a loyal fanbase. It was also a track that was made during the Brit-pop explosion, when guitar-laden music was making a big comeback. Were you aware of the musical trends during this era? Or was it a movement that really didn’t interest or have any bearing on your music at the time?

We did get lumped in with that for a while, it was a strange time. From a distance you can tell though that a lot of those bands had little in common other than geographical proximity. There were some great records being made and some utterly dreadful ones too. You never really have much control over how you are perceived, we were definitely a Britpop band in Germany but we were thought of differently in other countries. I always saw myself as part of a song-based rock & roll movement spearheaded by Edwyn and Orange Juice, Aztec Camera etc. I remember touring Spain and people being deeply shocked that we weren’t using Vox AC30 amps and simply not understanding what they were talking about. But we were perceived in a certain way there. But I liked a lot of those Britpop bands, and disliked even more.

Modesty Blaise has since been compared to Pulp, Divine Comedy and XTC, which crosses over to Baroque-pop, Brit-pop and Chamber-pop. Did your modifications to your line up impact on the soundscape of your music?

Probably. Certainly Roger has given me not only access to a first-class violinist but also all the other orchestral instruments as well through his orchestra. And all the band members have brought things that I can’t do. But it’s a self- fulfilling thing because the sounds that I imagine are then easier to reproduce when we get to the studio and, rather inevitably, what I imagine is pre-conditioned by the instruments I have at my disposal. So not probably, definitely.

Your music has been described as diverse, crossing over an array of genres from post-punk, alt-country, neo-blues, disco-punk, baroque-rock, orchestral-pop, jangly-pop etc. Is there a particular genre of music that you gravitate more towards and is there a genre of music which holds zero appeal to you?

The genre stuff is nonsense, ask anyone that’s asked to choose the 3 genres their record fits into. There’s good music and bad music and I’m interested in the good music that’s going to last. Genre is just a way to navigate through the huge morass of rubbish that’s released. The problem is that at least 95% of all music released is rubbish, we’re all just looking for the 5%. And that’s still so much music that you could never listen to it all in a lifetime, so don’t waste your time on things that are mediocre – you deserve the best. That’s not a new situation, it’s been that way since the start of the music industry, just now the volume is enormous as access to the technology has democratised the recording process.

So for my own stuff, I guess the songs could fit into multiple genres but I just produce a song in the way I feel it should be. What best suits the song. I like the 5%, no matter what other genre it is. I’m less interested in all the stuff around the record, the art is the 3 minutes of the song, the rest of it is window-dressing.

Your latest self-titled (third) album, “Modesty Blaise”, released on 26th March 2021, received rave reviews and was recognised for its sheer diversity and musicianship. Did you have a particular process when making that album, or a type of music that you consciously wanted to incorporate or experiment with or was it just a free-flowing stream of creativity?

It took a long long time. Most of the rhythm tracks were recorded then I worked on them. Sometimes that took a while, (Catwalk Queens, Girls Just Wanna Dance) and sometimes it was really quick (Natalie Vendredi, Come Lie Beside Me). Then I’d record the vocals last, usually at the same time as the strings, that gave me the opportunity to change a lyric last minute. This album tended to be done three songs at a time, finish those then start on the next three.

Your single, “I’ll Be Home For Xmas”, is the quintessential Christmas song, steeped in a warm nostalgia that reached out to a cross-generational audience. Do you think that your appeal as a band derives from your diversity and skill at adding a much needed feel-good factor, especially during these uncertain days?

I’ve no idea. I am not so arrogant that I think I can second guess what people will like, I make the records for me and if others like them then fabulous. I think the songs are strong and ultimately I believe in the song. People who are interested in songs can spot one when they hear one. Recently I’ve had a lot of remarks about how positive and upbeat my records are, not really thought of that before but if that’s what people hear then great.

And I don’t think these times are uncertain, I think it’s certain that we’re led by mendacious idiots and I know that they have been brought up to protect privilege.

Modesty Blaise supported Robbie Williams at London’s O2 Arena. What was that like and are there any new bands or artists you would like to tour with in the not so distant future?

Very strange and very funny. Massively out of our depth and also great fun. Having toured with a number of different bands in different countries, if we were to do it again I’d just want to tour with nice people.

So, what are your plans for the future? Do Modesty Blaise have a new album or tour in the pipeline?

I only ever had the titles for the first three albums so we’re into uncharted territory now. I’m pretty sure we’ll do another album but what it will be like I don’t know yet. I’ll talk to the label in the new year and we’ll see what we come up with. As for playing live, hard to say. Getting the whole band together is still difficult. I’ve been doing some acoustic shows on my own or with Roger on violin, they were fun. I’m open to suggestions, we always said we’d do anything if it were interesting enough.

Photo by M M Van Dyke.