Interview: Fergus McCreadie

From Scottish saxophonists to comedy podcasts – we sat down with pianist Fergus McCreadie ahead of his headline show at Band on the Wall last month, to find out what he likes to listen to on the road.

Deb Grant (DG): I’m backstage at Band on the Wall with Fergus McCreadie. Hello, Fergus, how you doing?

Fergus McCreadie (FM): I’m very well.

DG: Nice to see you again, and to see you in Manchester. Have you played many gigs in Manchester before?

FM: Quite a few, I think. I did a project with the Manchester Collective last year. We played here, but also got the chance to stay in Manchester for about four days and do a bunch of rehearsing, which was great. Tonight we’re at Band on the Wall, and that’ll be the third time we’ve played here. We’ve done a bunch of other things as well, so yeah, I know the city quite well.

DG: And how do you feel about Band on the Wall? Because I feel like, in terms of jazz in Manchester, it’s one of the venues at the forefront of the scene. Do you feel that way?

FM: That’s definitely the reputation that comes out of Manchester, for sure. And I can definitely speak to the quality of the main room, because it’s really nice. It has that sweet spot between feeling like a club—intimate—but also like a wider space. You can almost tailor the room; it feels like it shapes itself to how you choose to play the music. For expansive stuff, the room feels larger, and then it can tighten in again. That’s quite unusual. I haven’t experienced many rooms like that, actually.

DG: Is that the physical space, or does it have to do with the audience as well?

FM: The audience of course helps. Both times we’ve played here, we’ve been lucky to have a really nice audience, which makes a difference. But the room itself is great too.

DG: And what about the time you’ve spent in Manchester? Anything particular you’ve enjoyed about the city?

FM: This is quite random, but there’s a food marketplace, I think near here.

DG: It’s next door, it’s Mackie Mayor!

FM: We really love going there. It’s closed today, which is devastating, but when we had days off during rehearsals, we went every day, trying different things. That was great.

DG: I love that you stick to the same 100 square metres around Band on the Wall.

FM: I barely left here!

DG: How has the tour been going? You’re halfway through—how’s it been for you so far?

FM: Honestly, it’s been feeling really good. A lot of previous tours were broken up—you’d do a few days, go home, then another couple of days. But this one’s been super continuous. We haven’t had a day off since the start, and that’s been about 11 gigs in a row. I’m surprised I don’t feel too tired. The music feels really nice, and I’m really enjoying it. Long may it continue.

DG: Who’s in charge of the stereo on the tour bus? Do you all share a bus, or drive separately?

FM: It’s nice that we’re just a trio, so we can go in my car. It’s a little bit squished, but it’s just us. Dave, the bass player, does most of the DJing, but it depends who’s in the passenger seat. Sometimes I’ll have a particular thing I want to listen to while I’m driving. We also listen to a lot of podcasts—sometimes it’s nice not to overburden yourself with music before playing.

DG: Are there any acts or artists emerging at the moment that you’re really enjoying?

FM: I really like a sax player called Norman Willmore. He’s been my friend since we were teenagers, so not “emerging” to me, but he’s based in Shetland. He plays in a duo with drummer Corrie Dick. They put out an album a little over a year ago, and it’s been in constant rotation for me since. We all love that album, in the trio.

DG: Amazing. What podcasts do you listen to?

FM: We listen to Off Menu. Love that podcast. Certain episodes we’ve listened to many, many times because they’re so good. The Bob Mortimer one is great, Greg Davies is good, and I’ve listened to the Bridget Christie one more times than I can count.

DG: I love that—that’s how you’ve kept your sanity, listening to the same episodes of certain podcasts again and again.

FM: Yeah, it’s comforting when you listen to the podcast and you know exactly what’s coming, you’ve almost memorised it, but it still makes you laugh.

DG: It’s kind of the opposite of jazz, Fergus!

FM: Exactly! Maybe that’s why it works.

DG: Fergus McCreadie, lovely to chat to you as always. Thank you so much.

FM: Thank you.