Neil Arthur has got a lot on his plate at the moment but appears completely unphased by it all.
Tomorrow, Everything is Connected, a career spanning compilation is released featuring material from the early days with Blancmange to the band’s most recent offerings plus some previously unreleased material.
And later this month he embarks on an 11-date UK tour, including a show at Manchester Academy on Saturday, May 25 where he will, in effect, be supporting himself as part of one of his many collaborative projects, The Remainder.
“I’ve tried to negotiate a better fee for the support act but that’s not cutting much mustard with the main act at the moment,” he joked. “It’s going to be hard work but I’m really looking forward to the tour. Hopefully fans will get down early and get to see both.
“I think we’re going to have to find a good place to stop for a really good pub lunch before each show, that’s for sure.”
The Darwen-born singer and songwriter is an endearing character to interview. His Lancastrian warmth and humour are evident throughout our conversation.
But you get the sense for all his success, the release of Everything is Connected represents a special landmark in his career.
“It effectively looks at the two phases of Blancmange,” he said, “the stuff that started in the late 70s and finished in the mid 80s and then the second side looks at the plethora of stuff gone on since 2011 up to present day.
“I also wanted to include couple of new songs to show we are still going forward, and there will be more Blancmange material without a doubt. I’m working on songs for a new album in 2025.”
One of the new songs on Everything is Connected - Again, I Wait For The World - perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the record.
“That song started life 45 years ago,” said Neil, “but I’d just ignored it for decades. We were moving last year and while everything was being packed up I came across a cassette with Blancmange/L360 written on it.”
L360 was the band Neil was in which predates Blancmange.
“I didn’t listen to it all but I remembered what was on it,” he said. “I thought Again, I Wait for the World would be a song I’d never finish. Certainly I don’t think I had the experience at the time to know how to finish it.
“But seeing that cassette something clicked and I finally got round to completing it in January.”
Blancmange’s early period saw Neil and Stephen Luscombe achieve great success with hits such as Living on the Ceiling, Blind Vision and Don’t Tell Me as well as releasing three albums.
The band effectively broke up in 1986 and it was 25 years before a new Blancmange album would be released - the critically acclaimed Blanc Burn.
Since 2011, due to Stephen’s ill health, Neil has been the driving force behind Blancmange and his output has been phenomenal, releasing 14 albums since then plus working on collaborative projects such as Fader with producer and musician Benge and The Remainder with Finlay Shakespeare and Liam Hutton.
“From the outset we’ve never had a real formula,” he said. “I think we’ve always started with the kitchen sink and worked backwards from there. But we’d be prepared to give anything a try and I think that is what led to the various collaborations.
“I’m very proud of what Stephen I did in the 80s and when you’re on on tour you’d be a fool not to play those songs.
“You can’t sometimes play them all depending on the length of the set and where you’re playing but Living on a Ceiling, Blind Vision Don’t Tell are always likely to feature at some point. I’ll probably have to do Waves as well.
“It’s been a great experience trying out different stuff really. Also I feel very lucky to be working and learning from such great musicians and technicians as Benge or Near Future project or with Finlay and Liam on a Remainder album.
“They are great musicians and really know their stuff. I don’t know how they put up with me!”
Neil is genuinely grateful for the support he has received from the fans over the years and how they embrace his music from the earliest work to his solo material and collaborations.
“They have been so supportive,” he said. “Even now I’m quite nervous before I go on stage. But when you go on you have got to believe in the songs; you need to be locked in and deliver it with absolute honesty. If you do that there’s a chance that whatever it is that comes across to the person who receives it in the audience, they’re going to believe it, react emotionally and they have a good time. Then you are all as one.
“It’s still an amazing feeling when you can feel the fans are with you when you’re performing.”
With a new album and tour ahead you might think that ‘s plenty for Neil to be going on with. But that’s not the nature of the man.
“The plan is to release a new Blancmange album in 2025 and I’m writing for that now,” he said. “I’ll also be doing another Nil by Mouth album (a series of instrumentals). I think this will be the sixth of those.
“Benge and I making plans for another Fader album and I’ve also got a Near Future album ready to mix. Oh, and we’re having masses of work at the new house too!”
Everything is Connected is released tomorrow on London Records. Blancmange play Manchester Academy 2 on Saturday, May 25
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