| Matt Deighton is the guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer - and former member of Acid Jazz cultists Mother Earth - who's just replaced Noel Gallagher on the European tour of Oasis, possibly still the biggest rock'n'roll band in the world.
Here's how it all happened - and is happening still...
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So How Did You End Up In Oasis?
Well, I've played a lot live with Paul Weller and Steve White, in his band, is related to Alan White, the Oasis drummer. And Noel Gallagher played acoustically for Paul Weller, opening up shows a couple of times... so there were a few connections. I was still a bit surprised to get the call, though, especially as I hadn't met Liam and I hadn't really played any of the songs before. Which meant learning a 90 minute set in just over three days but that was OK, I'd obviously heard many of the songs before a few times.
It seemed to be a fast sort of deal; one minute you were playing bookshops promoting your new CD, and the next...
Oh yeah, it was fast, very fast. Contracts were signed, sealed and delivered in one day because they needed someone to fly over a couple of days later and start rehearsing straight away. Mike Gething at Metropolitan Music phoned and said he had a few more acoustic solo gigs lined-up for me and I had to say 'Er... I can't do 'em, mate, I've just joined Oasis'.
We did one more solo thing, at the back of Tower Records in Dublin, and by then the news was out so we had over 30 journalists from the world's press all trying to get me to pose holding all the Oasis albums an there were TV cameras there and stuff.
Bit of a contrast with your last few gigs, then?
The last gig before any of this had started was in a bookshop playing in front of a crowd of three or four dozen. And at the Oasis gig in Milan I looked out at some 8,000 people - and at the end they were all doing that lighters in the dark thing. And it was great, a real laugh. I mean I've played large venues before, with Paul Weller, but this is just that little bit bigger and there's been more... more media attention...
| Oasis have a fairly wild reputation, so are you being beaten senseless every night?
No, a-course not, it's great. I'm really enjoying it. The atmosphere is good, Johnny Marr's there, on the tour bus, and everyone's getting on pretty well. It's good, you really couldn't ask for much more when you're travelling around and playing live all over the shop.
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What's lined up when the tour finishes?
There're a couple of festivals I'm supposed to play but I can't mention dates yet as they haven't been confirmed.
Your solo album 'You Are The Healer' has had some incredible reviews. Did you produce it yourself?
Yeah, with my other half Nicola Bright-Thomas. It was recorded a few years ago now but I've got another, more electric, set to release, the Common Good.
| How come you got into production?
Because, I s'pose, I've always been interested in sound quality. I mean, I've always had a half-decent hi-fi and, with Mother earth, I could watch and see how all the production techniques can mould and change a track. And then I'd read somewhere about how John Lennon, when he was with the Beatles, would attend all the mono mixdowns - because they would be the single mixes and singles were what counted then, at least they did at first. And I'd hear about how Hendrix would go to all the final mastering sessions too because he knew the sound could be tweaked there as well. If you're a musician you often don't have much control or influence elsewhere so it's nice to have it in the studio. So I learned how to record stuff, bit by bit.
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So do you have Pro Tools systems all over the house?
No, guv' (laughs), I'm an analogue man. I always record onto tape, preferably 2 inch, because I love all that old valve stuff - desks and amps and compressors. 'Benign distortion' I heard it described as once and that fits the bill pretty accurately. That's why my 'Healer' album, although it's on a small label, is also available on vinyl. The warmth is there on analogue and, for my music, I think it's really necessary.
Source: Intermusic.com |
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