INTERVIEW: The Hours
Leaving it relatively late in life to form a band, The Hours' frontman Ant Genn tells us he was "too busy behaving like a maniac" beforehand
You can't accuse The Hours' Ant Genn and Martin Slattery of following the traditional route taken by would-be rock stars, where an initial stab at stardom leads to self-destructive habits and, ultimately, twilight years spent working as a gun-for-hire session artist.
For a start they've already done stints for other artists – both as members of Joe Strummer's The Mescaleros, Genn as a performer with Elastica and Pulp and producer for the likes of KT Tunstall and UNKLE, and Slattery as touring keyboard player for Black Grape.
Genn has also already got the self-destructive habits out of the way. As proof of his appetite for wild behaviour, he famously appeared butt-naked on stage during Elastica's set at Glastonbury in 1995. Not that he regrets it.
"I was obviously enjoying myself!" he says, "I would have regretted thinking about it and being too scared to do it."
14 years on, and Genn is a reformed character as far as illegal substances go.
"It seems to me like you only have one choice to make on this planet – are you gonna be a positive force or a negative one? I have decided on positive. It was a tough choice but in the end I saw sense."
"Sex, drugs and rock and roll is a myth. If you are truly committed to one, the other two have to take a back seat." he says, with hard-earned wisdom.
So where does he gets his kicks nowadays?
"Sex, music, football, being a good human being," he says, in typically frank fashion, "There's more to life than getting off your t**s."
All cleaned up, Genn hooked up with old friend Martin Slattery and formed The Hours, releasing their debut album Narcissus Road to great acclaim in 2005. The band have just released the follow-up, See The Light.
Does Genn wish he'd formed his own band sooner?
"There have been times when I have thought that," he confesses, "but the truth is that until we started this band I was too busy living life and behaving like a maniac to write about anything. I guess I didn't have anything to say until now!"
Genn's newfound evangelical zeal for clean living and positive thinking proves an infectious force. His fist-pumping passion and Slattery's uplifting piano melodies help the band find a neat midpoint between the pally lad rock of The Courteeners and The Twang and the atmospheric overtures of Doves and Coldplay.
Genn's been-there-and-done-that wisdom informs all of their songs.
New track Big Black Hole sees him delivering some unwelcome truths to a heavy-drinking friend.
"I don't mean to be preachy," says Genn, about the song, "it's just that some people just don't suit drugs and alcohol. I am one of them."
"I personally think continually getting tw***ed for the whole of your life is boring. It's a pretty big planet, with a lot to do and see."
Similarly provocative is the track The Girl Who Had The World At Her Feet where Genn questions our appetite for watching people self-destruct.
"We were in the studio and I bought a newspaper and Amy Winehouse was in it, looking very, very ill." says Genn. "I think it's disgusting how we all want to watch as a human being falls apart, like it's just a TV show."
"I hope she addresses her problems, she is a very talented girl."
Genn is always happy to wear his heart on his sleeve in his lyrics, something which he did most effectively on the song I Miss You on their debut album. The track, written about his late father, has rightfully earned a reputation as a real tearjerker, even reducing Radio 2 DJ Janice Long to tears during a live session for her show.
"That song has been played at four funerals that I know of, which is a massive compliment." says Genn.
"To think that you can write something that means that much to someone else is what keeps me doing it."
It's Genn's famous friend, the Leeds-raised artist Damien Hirst, that has also helped The Hours keep 'doing it', with his support facilitating the recording of See The Light.
Despite Hirst's art being criticised in some circles, Genn's happy to defend its worth.
"I don't like sushi but I know it is good, nutritional food," he says.
"I met Damien at Glastonbury in 1995 and we have become great friends. We've been through a lot of ups and downs together, and he has been an amazing friend to me.
"He deserves great respect for what he has achieved, from absolutely nothing.
Hirst's support also saw super-producer Flood manning the mixing desk for the new recordings. As a one-time producer himself, how was that for Genn?
"We definitely learned loads from Flood, he is an all-round amazing geezer. I like to think he learned something from working with us too, but you'll have to ask him!"
The band have now also expanded in number, something which Genn is thrilled about.
"It feels great to have some brilliant musicians – it makes me feel confident when walking on stage," he enthuses. "We all get on pretty good. It's like having a family on tour – sometimes it's beautiful and sometimes it ain't!"
Although Genn's expecting none of the excesses he's previously seen on the road...
"We are all a bit older and a lot mellower these days. When we were playing with Joe Strummer or Black Grape it was was very, very druggy."
"These days I'm greedy for making music, and I know Martin is on the same page."
"We are gonna rock till we drop dead."
The Hours play at The Cockpit, Leeds on Saturday 23 May 2009. Tickets are 8.50 in advance and are available from Crash and Jumbo Records.
Check out the band here
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