Local band Dr Feelgood is still ‘Feeling Good’ after all these years
The local R&B group Dr Feelgood are back in town and still going strong. The group that started in Canvey Island have undergone several line-up changes, particularly after the tragic death of their founder member and singer Lee Brilleaux. The current line -up features the rhythm section Kevin Morris on drums and Phil Mitchell on bass, both 29 years in the band, Steve Walwyn on guitar who has been with the band for 23 years and, vocalist Robert Kane (formerly of the Animals).
Dr. Feelgood remains one of the most popular and exciting live rhythm and blues acts in the world. Their raw and uncompromising style means that they’ve enjoyed global success with a string of hit singles including Milk and Alcohol, Roxette, Back in the Night, Down at the Doctors, She Does it Right, Going Back Home and See You Later Alligator - which gave the group their first gold record.
Dr. Feelgood remains one of the most popular and exciting live rhythm and blues acts in the world. Their raw and uncompromising style means that they’ve enjoyed global success with a string of hit singles including Milk and Alcohol, Roxette, Back in the Night, Down at the Doctors, She Does it Right, Going Back Home and See You Later Alligator - which gave the group their first gold record.
Drummer Kevin Morris talked to me about Feelgood’s forthcoming tour.
Your tour started in early December and many of the future dates are sold out. How has it been going so far?
It has been going very well. We are on tour most of the time but around this time of year, we tend to stick to the UK, or France and Switzerland. We haven’t been affected by the weather so far. We came back home from Yorkshire, arriving at 4am on Saturday and when we got up next day it was snowing, so we missed it.
You will be playing at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff on 18th Jan 2018, how do you like returning to your home turf?
We play there every year, as they are our local audience. It is always nice to play locally especially as I live in Westcliff. We like playing in the smaller venue of the Palace as there is a great atmosphere and it is cosier. We are a bit long in the tooth now, and the local fans seem to be calmer there than at other venues, it is as though they are more respectful. We play larger venues around the country and abroad and the audiences there seem to really let rip and enjoy themselves.
The group has been around since the early 70s with various changes how has that worked out.
Originally, the singer Lee Brilleaux started the group, but when he died in 1994, we were unsure whether to carry on. However, everyone, the fans, agents, promoters all insisted that we should. We waited a year and then recruited Pete Gage as the new frontman. After a while, it was obvious that it wasn’t working. There was discontent in the group and Pete Gage wanted to go on to do other things. We didn’t want difficulties on stage, a group is like a marriage, and we decided to divorce. I got on very well with Pete and he is happy now doing his own thing. Previously we had come across Robert Kane singing with the 60s group The Animals. He was their replacement for Eric Burdon. We knew if he could sing the Eric Burdon hits with their wide range, he would be able to perform our songs. We asked him if he was interested and even though he is a Sunderland lad, he joined a group of southerners, bringing a style that was refreshing and different. He has a good vitality on stage. Although he is technically the newbie, he has now been in the band twenty years.
Are you the one that takes the lead about the decisions affecting Dr Feelgood?
I tend to be, it just seems to fall on my shoulders.
You weren’t one of the original members, what made you join them?
I was a little bit younger than the other Feelgood members, and knew them from school. On Canvey Island, I was in a group called The Wild Bunch. I was leaving school and going professional with another group. A couple of years later, I met Lee Brilleaux in a shop. He told me that they’d signed a record deal and we kept in touch. When Feelgood’s original drummer decided to retire Lee phoned me on the Sunday to join them, telling me that we were performing the following Wednesday. I had two afternoon rehearsals to get ready to perform with them.
How long have you been performing with Feelgood?
I joined in 1983 and was in the group with Lee Brilleaux for eleven years. It was very sad when he died as he left small children.
It has been going very well. We are on tour most of the time but around this time of year, we tend to stick to the UK, or France and Switzerland. We haven’t been affected by the weather so far. We came back home from Yorkshire, arriving at 4am on Saturday and when we got up next day it was snowing, so we missed it.
You will be playing at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff on 18th Jan 2018, how do you like returning to your home turf?
We play there every year, as they are our local audience. It is always nice to play locally especially as I live in Westcliff. We like playing in the smaller venue of the Palace as there is a great atmosphere and it is cosier. We are a bit long in the tooth now, and the local fans seem to be calmer there than at other venues, it is as though they are more respectful. We play larger venues around the country and abroad and the audiences there seem to really let rip and enjoy themselves.
The group has been around since the early 70s with various changes how has that worked out.
Originally, the singer Lee Brilleaux started the group, but when he died in 1994, we were unsure whether to carry on. However, everyone, the fans, agents, promoters all insisted that we should. We waited a year and then recruited Pete Gage as the new frontman. After a while, it was obvious that it wasn’t working. There was discontent in the group and Pete Gage wanted to go on to do other things. We didn’t want difficulties on stage, a group is like a marriage, and we decided to divorce. I got on very well with Pete and he is happy now doing his own thing. Previously we had come across Robert Kane singing with the 60s group The Animals. He was their replacement for Eric Burdon. We knew if he could sing the Eric Burdon hits with their wide range, he would be able to perform our songs. We asked him if he was interested and even though he is a Sunderland lad, he joined a group of southerners, bringing a style that was refreshing and different. He has a good vitality on stage. Although he is technically the newbie, he has now been in the band twenty years.
Are you the one that takes the lead about the decisions affecting Dr Feelgood?
I tend to be, it just seems to fall on my shoulders.
You weren’t one of the original members, what made you join them?
I was a little bit younger than the other Feelgood members, and knew them from school. On Canvey Island, I was in a group called The Wild Bunch. I was leaving school and going professional with another group. A couple of years later, I met Lee Brilleaux in a shop. He told me that they’d signed a record deal and we kept in touch. When Feelgood’s original drummer decided to retire Lee phoned me on the Sunday to join them, telling me that we were performing the following Wednesday. I had two afternoon rehearsals to get ready to perform with them.
How long have you been performing with Feelgood?
I joined in 1983 and was in the group with Lee Brilleaux for eleven years. It was very sad when he died as he left small children.
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Do you see yourselves as a live group rather than recording artists?
Feelgood has always concentrated on touring and our most successful records have always been the live recordings. We tour hard and are happy doing it. We only go into the studio when we have something to say. The last time we were in the studio was about 4 years ago. EMI and other labels are always bringing out collections and compilations so our stuff is always out there. Recently a CD box set has been released covering the period of Lee Brilleaux from the start until his death in 94. The company has done a very good job and has included some unreleased material. I am usually involved in these projects. There was also a collection out covering the 80s with Feelgood’s then guitarist Gordon Russell. Companies are always recycling. There are constant anniversaries, nowadays it is all retro. A CD of our material has come out nearly every year for the last five years. All the music magazines are full of music from the past. Even vinyl is back, for several years record shops were closing down, as CDs weren’t selling, it was all streaming. Now new material is being released on vinyl and shops are opening again. We have a CD/DVD double pack also out on vinyl covering live performances in 1990. |
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The 2009 documentary Oil City Confidential brought Feelgood back to the forefront again. Did you have any involvement in that?
I was interviewed for it and it was a very good film, although in the end Wilko Johnson who was one of the original members, rather dominated it. The director, Julien Temple, obviously focused on him as such an interesting, strong character. He has had a resurgence of his career as a result.
Once years ago during a drunken lunch with Lee, he insisted that the group should carry on if anything should happen. He told me to go and chat to Wilko, which I did. We had an hysterical afternoon, as he is such a funny guy.
What material do you include in your performances on tour?
We have a skeleton set that includes historical material from Lee’s time. We have to play that as the audience expect it. We then shuffle the set, include different songs, and try to vary it. We recently included one of the songs Larry Willis wrote, As Long As the Price is Right. (Larry Willis is a well-known songwriter and producer and was once a member of Motorhead).
What are your favourite numbers to perform?
I like all the stuff from the Wilko period as that is a blueprint of what Feelgood is about. I like to play the blues numbers. During the time he was in Feelgood, Wilko was a strong writer. We are not a true blues band but more R&B. We also play covers of John Lee Hooker and other R&B artists but also write our own. I have a CD out of songs that I have written outside of Feelgood. I got a group of musician friends together and recorded my songs and it is on sale on Amazon under the name Shaman Spirits.
This tour goes all around the UK and Europe until the end of 2018. What are your plans then?
Touring is an ongoing project. Once one tour ends we start another, so we will be off again in 2019. As long as we enjoy it and keep fit, we will continue touring. Dr Feelgood will continue as long as the spirit remains.
Interviewer – Jacquee Storozynski-Toll
Dr Feelgood are performing at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff,
18th January 2018 – 8pm
Tickets - £26.00 £25.00 £20.00 Concessions £1.00 off
www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Prices shown are inclusive of any applicable booking fees. Groups of 10+ please call 01702 351135 to buy fee-free.
Dr Feelgood are also performing at Hockley Touchline Live
16th December 2017
Tickets £18.00
www.facebook.com/touchlinelivemusic/app/
I was interviewed for it and it was a very good film, although in the end Wilko Johnson who was one of the original members, rather dominated it. The director, Julien Temple, obviously focused on him as such an interesting, strong character. He has had a resurgence of his career as a result.
Once years ago during a drunken lunch with Lee, he insisted that the group should carry on if anything should happen. He told me to go and chat to Wilko, which I did. We had an hysterical afternoon, as he is such a funny guy.
What material do you include in your performances on tour?
We have a skeleton set that includes historical material from Lee’s time. We have to play that as the audience expect it. We then shuffle the set, include different songs, and try to vary it. We recently included one of the songs Larry Willis wrote, As Long As the Price is Right. (Larry Willis is a well-known songwriter and producer and was once a member of Motorhead).
What are your favourite numbers to perform?
I like all the stuff from the Wilko period as that is a blueprint of what Feelgood is about. I like to play the blues numbers. During the time he was in Feelgood, Wilko was a strong writer. We are not a true blues band but more R&B. We also play covers of John Lee Hooker and other R&B artists but also write our own. I have a CD out of songs that I have written outside of Feelgood. I got a group of musician friends together and recorded my songs and it is on sale on Amazon under the name Shaman Spirits.
This tour goes all around the UK and Europe until the end of 2018. What are your plans then?
Touring is an ongoing project. Once one tour ends we start another, so we will be off again in 2019. As long as we enjoy it and keep fit, we will continue touring. Dr Feelgood will continue as long as the spirit remains.
Interviewer – Jacquee Storozynski-Toll
Dr Feelgood are performing at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff,
18th January 2018 – 8pm
Tickets - £26.00 £25.00 £20.00 Concessions £1.00 off
www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Prices shown are inclusive of any applicable booking fees. Groups of 10+ please call 01702 351135 to buy fee-free.
Dr Feelgood are also performing at Hockley Touchline Live
16th December 2017
Tickets £18.00
www.facebook.com/touchlinelivemusic/app/
The tour continues :-
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14.12.2017
UK Ipswich Venue 77 15.12.2017 UK Leicester The Musician 16.12.2017 UK Hockley Touchline Live 11.1.2018 UK Truro Hall for Cornwall 12.1.2018 UK Barnstable Queens Theatre 13.1.2018 UK Hailsham Pavilion 18.1.2018 UK Westcliff Palace Theatre 19.1.2018 UK London Borderline 20.1.2018 UK London Borderline 21.1.2018 UK Skegness Rock & Blues Weekend 2.2.2018 UK Brighton The Albert 3.2.2018 UK Brighton The Albert 10.2.2018 UK Wavendon The Stables |
1.3.2018
UK Glasgow King Tuts 2.3.2018 UK Morecambe The Platform 3.3.2018 UK Comrie White Church 4.3.2018 UK Lincoln Theatre 8.3.2018 Switzerland Basel Atlantis 9.3.2018 Switzerland Montlingen Club Vanilla 10.3.2018 Switzerland Montlingen Club Vanilla 11.3.2018 Switzerland Zurich Moods 15.3.2018 Netherlands Amsterdam q factory 16.3.2018 Netherlands Ommen Cafe Calluna 17.3.2018 Netherlands Middelburg De Spot 24.3.2018 UK Frome Cheese & Grain 31.3.2018 UK Nantwich Jazz & Blues Festival |
12.4.2018
UK London half moon 21.4.2018 UK Blakeney Harbour Rooms 24.4.2018 Germany Dortmund Theatre Piano 25.4.2018 Germany Erfurt Museumkeller 26.4.2018 Germany Frankfurt Das Bett 27.4.2018 Germany Hannover Blues Garage 28.4.2018 Germany Berlin Quasimodo 29.4.2018 Germany Hamburg Downtown Blues Club 31.8.2018 Germany Werner Das Rennen |
5.10.2018
UK Cardiff The Globe 6.10.2018 UK Leamington Spa The Assembly 12.10.2018 UK Southport Blues Festival 20.10.2018 UK Liverpool Epstein Theatre |
2.11.2018
UK Bilston The Robin 2 13.12.2018 UK London Half moon 15.12.2018 UK Derby The Flowerpot |
http://www.drfeelgood.org/
https://southendtheatres.org.uk/Online/
https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Feelgood.Official/
https://southendtheatres.org.uk/Online/
https://www.facebook.com/Dr.Feelgood.Official/