Clare Grogan has worn many hats; actor, author, presenter, but music is her first love. "Nothing quite compares to walking on stage in front of those crowds.", she says as we sit down for a chat. Looking forward to her appearance at Rewind Festival this summer, the Altered Images star chats the return of the band, their album first album in four decades 'Mascara Streaks', and playing Craggy Island's Niamh Connolly. In the land of Tír na nÓg; Eamon O'Neill.
Photo: Ed Fielding.
Hi Clare, how are you today?
I'm good. I'm having a bit of a quiet day apart from doing some press, so that's quite nice. I'm at home in London, and I had a show at the weekend, so it's kind of weird on a Tuesday; I always feel a bit low energy because it takes me so long to come down.
Where were you playing?
On Saturday we were in Exeter. It was really great, and a really amazing crowd, and, yeah, it's just crazy. It just takes a kind of weird, crazy burst of real high energy to go on, so it's great fun.
We're here to talk about your forthcoming Rewind appearances, and you will be bringing that energy in spades!
I mean, it's funny. I say this quite a lot to people, but when I first got us back into this sort of arena of '80s music, I almost felt like it'd be a bit of a one-off, and that was over twenty years ago. I first got asked to do a big arena tour with Kim Wilde and the Human League, and I thought, god, that's so weird! I wasn't totally convinced it was the right thing to do, but my family sort of talked me into it, as did Kim Wilde. She twisted my arm a bit, and I thought, "well, you know, it's a one-off thing, this will be really good fun!", and here I am, twenty years later, and it's still going on. I keep saying to people that the revival has lasted longer than the decade, and part of all that is being involved with the Rewind circuit. The people that run it are really lovely group of people, and to sound a bit corny, we are a wee bit of a family now; we've all known each other for a long time, and then we get to do some brilliant shows.
Since Altered Images originally came to an end, you've been a writer, an actor, a presenter; did you feel that that part of your life was in your past?
Yeah, I really did discount it, and then I suppose I went through it; I mean, there was kind of quite a torturous end to Altered Images, and then it played out over a really messy court case and all this, and like lot of bands, it's not a unique experience. It's kind of bizarrely common, but I suppose, in a way, I liked the idea of slightly reclaiming it and putting it back into a happy place, and I've said that before, but I did think; I love those songs, I co-wrote all of them, and I'd really like the chance to sing them again, and I didn't know how strongly I felt about that until I got the chance to do it again.
You're reclaiming it, and all of a sudden you're Claire Grogan from Altered Images again; was it nice to be that person again?
Nothing quite compares to walking on stage in front of those crowds. I mean, the shows are massive; I'm playing to bigger audiences now than I ever did back when we were Altered Images - round one. At the height of our success, we played to maybe to 5,000 people, and these shows are up to 20,000 people. I think you're either as a person and even as a lead singer, someone who's going to love it, or not be too sure about it, but there's something in me that goes, honestly, I'm at the side of the stage, and somebody hands me the microphone, and I think; "oh, my god, some terrible mistake has being made!", and then the minute I go on stage, I'm like; "okay, well, I'm going to have to entertain this crowd again." Something just comes over me. It's pretty mental! I'm not sure if you're allowed to use that word anymore, but it's quite extraordinary about how much I embrace it. It's something I didn't see in myself until I got the chance to do it again. I think I just basically love being a lead singer.
In 2022 you recorded and released a new Altered Images album after an incredible four decades; how was that for you?
It kind of started with no real plan, and that really is the truth. It was a set of circumstances that came about for all of us - lockdown. I'm married to Stephen Leroni, who was in the original band, and we have restaurants together, so that all shut down, and my life shut down, so we find ourselves at home together, and after we'd watched everything on Netflix we thought; "what are we going to do?!" So we did what we'd always done; write some songs, and then I got Bernard Butler involved because he's one of our neighbours, lockdown eased off a bit, and then I got my really good friend Robert Horton - as I call him, Bobby Bluebell - involved, and it just grew from there.
Did the approach change from how Altered Images originally were, in the 40 years since the 'Bite' album?
I kept thinking; "what would Altered Images be now? Who would we be now?" I thought about it, I mean, in a really, really obsessional way, and it just kind of took over me for a while. I really enjoyed that feeling of being creative and actually having the means to just get on with it myself, because we have a tiny studio at home, and there was something really liberating about it. Then I played some tracks to my friend Simon Watson, who manages me now, and he manages the Human League and Belinda Carlisle, and he said; "Clare, if you want to put this out as an album, I can get something for you.", so I ended up on Cooking Vinyl, and got back in the charts. None of it was planned. I mean, I dreamt about it, but I didn't expect it.
You mentioned your studio; where you using something like Logic or Pro Tools; what have you got at home?
We use Logic and, well, it's funny, because Stephen uses Logic and Bernard uses Pro Tools, or the other way about! I just play them things and go; "I want it to sound a bit like this", and "I want that". And they listen, and it came together quite quickly. I just had this massive overwhelming thing about my daughter really being the same age as I was when I first started and that took off; that notion took over me as well, just thinking about what was in me that made me want to do this. And, yeah, it was kind of, you know, I think I'm a bit of an art school wanker at heart.
I'm good. I'm having a bit of a quiet day apart from doing some press, so that's quite nice. I'm at home in London, and I had a show at the weekend, so it's kind of weird on a Tuesday; I always feel a bit low energy because it takes me so long to come down.
Where were you playing?
On Saturday we were in Exeter. It was really great, and a really amazing crowd, and, yeah, it's just crazy. It just takes a kind of weird, crazy burst of real high energy to go on, so it's great fun.
We're here to talk about your forthcoming Rewind appearances, and you will be bringing that energy in spades!
I mean, it's funny. I say this quite a lot to people, but when I first got us back into this sort of arena of '80s music, I almost felt like it'd be a bit of a one-off, and that was over twenty years ago. I first got asked to do a big arena tour with Kim Wilde and the Human League, and I thought, god, that's so weird! I wasn't totally convinced it was the right thing to do, but my family sort of talked me into it, as did Kim Wilde. She twisted my arm a bit, and I thought, "well, you know, it's a one-off thing, this will be really good fun!", and here I am, twenty years later, and it's still going on. I keep saying to people that the revival has lasted longer than the decade, and part of all that is being involved with the Rewind circuit. The people that run it are really lovely group of people, and to sound a bit corny, we are a wee bit of a family now; we've all known each other for a long time, and then we get to do some brilliant shows.
Since Altered Images originally came to an end, you've been a writer, an actor, a presenter; did you feel that that part of your life was in your past?
Yeah, I really did discount it, and then I suppose I went through it; I mean, there was kind of quite a torturous end to Altered Images, and then it played out over a really messy court case and all this, and like lot of bands, it's not a unique experience. It's kind of bizarrely common, but I suppose, in a way, I liked the idea of slightly reclaiming it and putting it back into a happy place, and I've said that before, but I did think; I love those songs, I co-wrote all of them, and I'd really like the chance to sing them again, and I didn't know how strongly I felt about that until I got the chance to do it again.
You're reclaiming it, and all of a sudden you're Claire Grogan from Altered Images again; was it nice to be that person again?
Nothing quite compares to walking on stage in front of those crowds. I mean, the shows are massive; I'm playing to bigger audiences now than I ever did back when we were Altered Images - round one. At the height of our success, we played to maybe to 5,000 people, and these shows are up to 20,000 people. I think you're either as a person and even as a lead singer, someone who's going to love it, or not be too sure about it, but there's something in me that goes, honestly, I'm at the side of the stage, and somebody hands me the microphone, and I think; "oh, my god, some terrible mistake has being made!", and then the minute I go on stage, I'm like; "okay, well, I'm going to have to entertain this crowd again." Something just comes over me. It's pretty mental! I'm not sure if you're allowed to use that word anymore, but it's quite extraordinary about how much I embrace it. It's something I didn't see in myself until I got the chance to do it again. I think I just basically love being a lead singer.
In 2022 you recorded and released a new Altered Images album after an incredible four decades; how was that for you?
It kind of started with no real plan, and that really is the truth. It was a set of circumstances that came about for all of us - lockdown. I'm married to Stephen Leroni, who was in the original band, and we have restaurants together, so that all shut down, and my life shut down, so we find ourselves at home together, and after we'd watched everything on Netflix we thought; "what are we going to do?!" So we did what we'd always done; write some songs, and then I got Bernard Butler involved because he's one of our neighbours, lockdown eased off a bit, and then I got my really good friend Robert Horton - as I call him, Bobby Bluebell - involved, and it just grew from there.
Did the approach change from how Altered Images originally were, in the 40 years since the 'Bite' album?
I kept thinking; "what would Altered Images be now? Who would we be now?" I thought about it, I mean, in a really, really obsessional way, and it just kind of took over me for a while. I really enjoyed that feeling of being creative and actually having the means to just get on with it myself, because we have a tiny studio at home, and there was something really liberating about it. Then I played some tracks to my friend Simon Watson, who manages me now, and he manages the Human League and Belinda Carlisle, and he said; "Clare, if you want to put this out as an album, I can get something for you.", so I ended up on Cooking Vinyl, and got back in the charts. None of it was planned. I mean, I dreamt about it, but I didn't expect it.
You mentioned your studio; where you using something like Logic or Pro Tools; what have you got at home?
We use Logic and, well, it's funny, because Stephen uses Logic and Bernard uses Pro Tools, or the other way about! I just play them things and go; "I want it to sound a bit like this", and "I want that". And they listen, and it came together quite quickly. I just had this massive overwhelming thing about my daughter really being the same age as I was when I first started and that took off; that notion took over me as well, just thinking about what was in me that made me want to do this. And, yeah, it was kind of, you know, I think I'm a bit of an art school wanker at heart.
Speaking of art school wankers, I have to ask you about the ultra feminist Niamh Connolly who came to Craggy Island; what it was like to be part of Father Ted?
I mean, just amazing. I loved Father Ted, that first series, because it was a wee bit under the radar for a while. And for some reason, I just spotted it, and it just really reminded me of growing up in Glasgow. My mum was from Dublin and her sisters, and they just flitted between Dublin and Glasgow at the time, but there was always a crazy priest in our house. You know, there was always priests in our life, and it just made me laugh so much because they were all pure Ted and or, you know, Father Jack, I mean, there was! It's just funny, and I loved it so much. I don't know how I heard that they were looking for someone to play this rock star that buys the island, but I spoke to my agent, and she said; "you know, Clare, I don't think they'll cast you, because they're so purist about people being from Ireland", and I said; "well, my mum's from Dublin. I am Irish", so they said, If I could convince them accent-wise, then I could do it.
What was it like working with Dermot Morgan and Ardal O'Hanlon; was it fun on set?
Yeah, it was a really lovely. The thing is, people take comedy very seriously. I'm sure you've heard that before, and the thing with Father Ted is, people work really hard at making things funny sometimes, and there was an effortlessness to it. It's so well written and just everyone, everybody was wanting the best from each other. That's a big part of it, and I was quite scared in the end because you do in front of a live studio audience, so you really have to be prepared. There's something so exhilarating about that, it's just like the best feeling, of seeing an audience react to what you're doing, and the reaction is good. It's not such a great feeling if they don't react well, but it's, yeah, I felt super shocked to be part of that. I still do feel super chuffed to be part of it.
You actually got to contribute some music to it too.
It's hilarious, yeah! I did it with Neil Hannon from Divine Comedy. I think at the time, I was in a play or something, and he was on tour, and we just met up one Sunday. I couldn't even tell you what studio it was, and we just cracked on with it. That's what I love about my life; just these absolutely crazy, unusual experiences that I have with other people, which it's long may it last!
I mean, just amazing. I loved Father Ted, that first series, because it was a wee bit under the radar for a while. And for some reason, I just spotted it, and it just really reminded me of growing up in Glasgow. My mum was from Dublin and her sisters, and they just flitted between Dublin and Glasgow at the time, but there was always a crazy priest in our house. You know, there was always priests in our life, and it just made me laugh so much because they were all pure Ted and or, you know, Father Jack, I mean, there was! It's just funny, and I loved it so much. I don't know how I heard that they were looking for someone to play this rock star that buys the island, but I spoke to my agent, and she said; "you know, Clare, I don't think they'll cast you, because they're so purist about people being from Ireland", and I said; "well, my mum's from Dublin. I am Irish", so they said, If I could convince them accent-wise, then I could do it.
What was it like working with Dermot Morgan and Ardal O'Hanlon; was it fun on set?
Yeah, it was a really lovely. The thing is, people take comedy very seriously. I'm sure you've heard that before, and the thing with Father Ted is, people work really hard at making things funny sometimes, and there was an effortlessness to it. It's so well written and just everyone, everybody was wanting the best from each other. That's a big part of it, and I was quite scared in the end because you do in front of a live studio audience, so you really have to be prepared. There's something so exhilarating about that, it's just like the best feeling, of seeing an audience react to what you're doing, and the reaction is good. It's not such a great feeling if they don't react well, but it's, yeah, I felt super shocked to be part of that. I still do feel super chuffed to be part of it.
You actually got to contribute some music to it too.
It's hilarious, yeah! I did it with Neil Hannon from Divine Comedy. I think at the time, I was in a play or something, and he was on tour, and we just met up one Sunday. I couldn't even tell you what studio it was, and we just cracked on with it. That's what I love about my life; just these absolutely crazy, unusual experiences that I have with other people, which it's long may it last!
Finally, you're heading out on tour later this year where you'll be performing the 'Bite' album in its entirety; are you looking forward to doing that?
It was actually its 40th anniversary last year and it got reissued, and I decided to do a one-off performance of it. We did it in London and we had a really fantastic, sold out show,. There was quite a lot of work involved in it for me because I was quite determined to not lower the key in anything. I really wanted to sing it the way it was recorded, and when you get older, your voice just naturally dips, so I had to go into some serious vocal training for it. I really wanted to see if I could hit those notes again, and I did, and I just thought; "well, I've done it once, I can't just have done all that work for one show." So I spoke to Simon, my agent at Paul Boswell, and I said it'd be nice to just take this out, and he said; "there's some really lovely venues out there." It's nice to go and do it in little places that you don't normally go to, as well as some of the mains or cities.
That sounds pretty awesome.
It is! I feel really, really privileged in life.
Altered Images play Rewind Scotland, Rewind North, and Rewind South this summer. For dates and info, visit the Rewind Festival site.
It was actually its 40th anniversary last year and it got reissued, and I decided to do a one-off performance of it. We did it in London and we had a really fantastic, sold out show,. There was quite a lot of work involved in it for me because I was quite determined to not lower the key in anything. I really wanted to sing it the way it was recorded, and when you get older, your voice just naturally dips, so I had to go into some serious vocal training for it. I really wanted to see if I could hit those notes again, and I did, and I just thought; "well, I've done it once, I can't just have done all that work for one show." So I spoke to Simon, my agent at Paul Boswell, and I said it'd be nice to just take this out, and he said; "there's some really lovely venues out there." It's nice to go and do it in little places that you don't normally go to, as well as some of the mains or cities.
That sounds pretty awesome.
It is! I feel really, really privileged in life.
Altered Images play Rewind Scotland, Rewind North, and Rewind South this summer. For dates and info, visit the Rewind Festival site.
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