Interview with Hells Kitchen star Ade Edmondson!
Read our interview with The Bad Shepherds lead singer and star of Hells Kitchen.
The Bad Shepherds are a band that plays Punk music on Folk instruments, so you have two slightly different spectrums/genres of music all coalesced into one sound, which is unique, bizarre yet really good.
We luckily caught up with the legendry Frontman that is Adrian Edmondson who is the lead singer of The Bad Shepherds to get his views and thoughts especially as The Bad Shepherds will playing in West Cumbria on June 4th at the Carnegie Theatre Workington.
How long has The Bad Shepherds been together and why? I ask.'
‘Music is just one of the things I do but it took me ages to get a good band together.
We started out last summer in 2008' says Adrian. ‘I have always been into punk since I was 19 and couple of years ago I accidently got hold of a mandolin which I thought was good. I liked the sound of it and having been in bands before I thought why not, I played with the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band who where famous in the sixties.
I wanted a band that was exceptional with exceptional Folk musicians, I got one from Workington in local lad Troy Donockley, Martin Alcock came on board he played in Fairport convention, Andy Dinan is the all Ireland fiddle champion, and our percussionist Mark Wooley had a really apt name so he was invited to join The Bad Shepherds. 
I approached West Cumbrian Troy first; he was with ‘Knight' who are a Finnish death metal band, yes, pipes with a death metal band. Troy still plays with them as well. So I had the right musicians now it was time to hit the road, which we did.
We start again in May and are gigging up until October. We will be playing punk classics such as The Sex Pistols, The clash, The stranglers, and loads of others in that genre; we blend some of the traditional reel and jigs in as they have the same excitement and goes down really well.
Have you played in Cumbria before?
‘No, it's like we are popping our Cumbrian cherry.' says Adrian.
The Bad Shepherds have a new album out in three or four weeks time, visit The Bad Shepherds web site http://www.thebadshepherds.com/ and be first to get your hands on it and also check it out for all future dates.
Where was the album made?
‘We recorded it live in studios in Banbury, we decided on a more traditional route of recording, playing and recording live is quite old fashioned but it gives you a real feel for what we are about. We have even left in a few mistakes in as its part of the music, a real live feel, no click track I like organic music and what it does.'
The name of the album is Yan Tan Tethera Methera, ‘exactly what the Ramones would have shouted if they where from Cumbria.' says Adrian.
Where did you come up with the name then?
‘Well, Troy mentioned it and the fact that I knew that Jake Thackeray had a track called that I thought it was apt'
And what about the band name?
‘I actually came up with the name as I really do have sheep, everyone has heard of The Good Shepherd, well we are the Bad Shepherds, we are like the anti Christ.' explains Adrian laughing. ‘Also I have re written a few prayers from the lords point of few and mixed them in with our songs, all in good fun'
The Band name comes from the fact the Adrian classes himself as a real Shepherd as he has sheep, 19 sheep.
Do they all have names?
‘No we eat them and we also have a few cows as well.'
How many dates are on the tour?
‘50 so far and we are doing lots of festivals this year'
Any plans for your next album.
‘No we will see how this goes then take it from there'
How would you describe the band and the sound?
‘Its pretty simple, punk songs folk instruments. We don't do it as a gag, there is humour and most songs stand up well to this treatment, it shows how good the songs are, some of them are really beautiful.
Songs like ‘Down in the tube station', people don't normally hear the lyrics to these old punk classics and people have the chance to actually hear the lyrics, lots comment on the lyrics and say to us ‘I haven't heard that line before.'
What was the first band you where ever in?
I was in a school band called ‘Peace of Thorn' it was early seventies stuff, Free, Bad Company, Elton john, it was good, we loved it but we had no fans though.'
‘I met up with the guys from the band three or four years but we where no good and it was rubbish,
but meeting up with all the lads again was brilliant.'
Where you ever been drawn to folk music in the past, I know you loved punk but Folk?
‘As a kid I listened to Fairport convention and a few others but when punk came along it was too exciting to resist.'
How would you describe the album? Which is available to buy direct
from http://www.thebadshepherds.com/
The album is unusual but you will be surprised as it is really good and you will hear songs that you think you know but will hear them in a new way and you will understand them better and you will fall in love with pipes.'
Buying Yan Tan Tethera Methera is definitely worth doing.
If you are a woman and you Buy this album you will probably lose weight.
If you are a man and you buy this Album then you will become irresistible to Beautiful women and it has not been scientifically proven yet, but buying this Album will probably prolong your life by at least three years.
Tickets now available from The Carnegie. 01900 602122.
