GAVIN FRIDAY

13 years after the release of his previous album, Gavin Friday is back, alive and kicking with a new studio album called 'Ecce Home' and a European tour. Reason enough to interview the former head and voice of one of the most beloved and eccentric alternative / gothic bands ever!

After a 13-year hiatus since your ‘Catholic’ album, 'Ecce Homo' presents a fuller, more sonorous expression. Could you elaborate on the artistic journey and experiences that influenced this evolution in your music?

Tough to say, the 13 years were busy on son many side project from Film Score / The Casement Sonata Sound Installation in 2016 / Peter and the Wolf Animation Film / Numerous Bespoke Live Performances with Hal Willner’s Entourage and Gavin Bryars Ensemble, to making an Album with French Musician Renaud Pion the Atonalist / Atonalism Album, to looking after caring for my dying Mother yeah real life does get in the way but also feeds the seeds of inspiration.

This album features production by Dave Ball of Soft Cell, Michael Heffernan, and Riccardo Mulhall. How did these collaborations shape the sound and direction of Ecce Homo, and what was the creative process like working with them?

I started the writing process of Ecce Homo with Dave Ball and Riccardo Mulhall from 2014 till 2017, on and off random sessions over 3 years a few weeks then a few months later a week or two. In 2018 brought sessions back to Ireland and worked on adding more with more classical instrumentation and finished recording in 2020 and was delayed mixing till post pandemic. It was a quick process writing and for finishing we took our time. What shaped the sound was so many things, the title track Ecce Homo was very influenced by my dislike of the rise of far right POLITICS … fuck that shit!

The title Ecce Homo, meaning "Behold the Man," suggests themes of self-revelation and human experience. What central messages or emotions did you aim to convey through this album, and how do they reflect your personal and artistic growth over the past decade?

Behold the Man as in here I am … This is me … Take it or leave it! The Album is as much inspired by Joy as it is by Rage. As said above, the kicking against the pricks in ‘Ecce Homo’ to the feelings of loss in ‘Lamento’ to the remembrance of ‘Beautiful Youth’ and freedom of expression in ‘When the world was young’. The past the present and the future all embraced in a human way … well my own sense of the world according to me.

You’ve mentioned before how influential David Bowie and other avant-garde artists were to you growing up. Can you tell us about the first moment you realized you wanted to pursue art and music?

Yeah Bowie opened up doors and was a huge touchstone as a kid but it was Punk and its explosion that hit hard and inspired me to form a Band, the then Virgin Prunes in 1978. It just jumped in and DIY was the philosophy.

As a founding member of the Virgin Prunes, you pushed boundaries in both sound and performance. How do you look back on that time, and how has it influenced your solo career?

Hugely influenced the today Gavin Friday … it made me who I am …Have nothing but love and respect for the Virgin Prunes era … but that was then this is now.

Your solo albums, like Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves, showcase a theatrical and cinematic style. What inspired this shift from the experimental punk roots of the Virgin Prunes?

Travels in Europe and Touring in early 1980s opened up the world of Euro Influences from Brel to Brecht to Classical and Jazz.

You’ve collaborated with U2 and Maurice Seezer, among others. What do you think makes a creative partnership successful, and do you have any dream collaborators for the future?

Hard work basically and a zone / connection where one can get lost in the music. Its almost like a magical unseen glue but its all about focus, hard work and a connection to the Heart. Always open to new collaborators …

As a visual artist, your work often intersects with your music. How do you balance the two, and do you see them as complementary forms of expression?

I’ve always seen a visual connection with the music I make i see / hear song visually as well as musically. Sometimes the balance swings more towards one than the other but ultimately for me they are deeply connected.

Ireland has such a rich cultural and musical heritage. How has growing up in Dublin shaped your artistic identity?

I am 65 years old now, the Ireland I grew up in was a very different country almost a different planet. It was very very tough being a young Gavin Friday dressing and thinking / acting like i did. The Rage was huge against the so called World I grew up in, the Music gave me a Shield and as weapon to fight. I seriously needed the Virgin Prunes to survive and vice versa.

Over the decades, your work has been described as avant-garde, emotional, and daring. How do you hope your art and music are remembered?

Thats not for me to say … I adore making Music and performing. It’s my lifeline and expression, strangely i have been hearing the last few years how Virgin Prunes were so out of sync with the times and only now they are being understood. So be it! I don’t look for approval, I just shoot my shot!

Are there any upcoming projects—whether music, art, or film—that you’re particularly excited about and can share with us?

Excited to be touring soon! I so missed live performances! Also more recording sessions soon but at the moment so so excited for being on Stage soon!

https://www.gavinfriday.com/

Fred GADGET
25/01/2025