Nineties Britpop legends Dodgy have described what shocked them about Oasis before the Gallagher brothers became superstars and revealed the surprise at their success. The group, made up of Nigel Clark, Mathew Priest and Andy Miller, are back on tour 36 years after forming, bringing with them a new 'mature' sound. They will also be taking notes from the epic Oasis reunion tour that swept the nation last year, over 30 years after the Gallagher brothers opened for them in Manchester.
Oasis Supported Dodgy in Manchester
While riding their own wave of success at the time, it was clear to Dodgy that the Gallagher brothers were destined for greatness. However, just how big they would go on to become was a surprise to even the Gallagher brothers, the group admits. 'I don't think they expected to be as big,' Math confessed before Nigel jumped in to jokingly say: 'I don't think anybody did. I don't think anybody thought they'd be alive really.'
Nigel went on: 'It proves one thing. When they did that tour last year, they work bloody hard. There's not a harder working band in the music industry.' He admitted it is that attitude and confidence they have had from day one. 'From day one, when I had a chat with Liam, when they supported us in Manchester, and we were just meeting him, and I remember him saying to me, "there's only two bands in Manchester. That's us and the Roses." And I was thinking to myself, "but no one knows you". But he has had that attitude all the way through, hasn't he?'
Meeting Oasis Backstage
'They just didn't give a f***,' Math said. Explaining how they once met them in a green room before a TV gig, he said: 'Oasis turned up and just started going about their business in front of everyone.' He revealed it was clear they were ready to make a name for themselves, but were still keen to learn more. Math added: 'Liam was a lovely, gentle bloke. You know, you could tell they were just on the cusp, about to go. He was asking us advice because we'd been around for a couple of years longer than him. And yeah, I mean they deserve their success. They've got the classic mixture of good songs and a gorgeous singer with a great voice. You know, it's route one rock n roll.'
Dodgy's New Mature Sound
Math and Nigel confessed their band actually ended up supporting Oasis at the iconic Knebworth concert, but hold no regrets. Now, though, they are taking to the road once again and releasing new tunes along the way. They say listeners can expect 'a much more mature' sound from the band, who are now managed by the man who discovered Oasis, Alan McGee. Nigel added: 'It's just about realising where you are in life and just taking it a bit easier on yourself. The important thing for us at this moment in time is the music and especially the new music. The feel changes as well for me. I think there's a definite feel change in Dodgy this time around. I think we're a lot more relaxed and a lot more Beatles back beat.'
Math also proudly says they're simply 'better' three decades on, even if Nigel has banned the drummer from using his cymbals. 'You get better at doing this. You get better at writing. You get better playing. You better at singing, you know?' So, what's Math's key to such longevity with bands like Dodgy? 'As The Bee Gees said, staying alive really.'
New Single and Tour
Following the release of their critically acclaimed new album Hello Beautiful, Dodgy's new single Summer Forever is to be released on Friday May 29. It has been tipped as one of the songs of the summer after receiving a world exclusive play on Chris Evans' Virgin Radio Breakfast Show. Evans loved it so much it was played twice and immediately named as his next Record of the Week. Tour dates and album details can be found at dodgyology.com.
