One of two former members to have reunited Atomic Rooster a decade ago, guitarist Steve Bolton chats about the band's latest burst of activity, documented on their first album in 42 years, Reach For The Sun.
Besides two spells with Atomic Rooster, your career has included being asked by Pete Townshend to play lead guitar for The Who on a 25th-anniversary tour in 1983.
That was incredible, because as a 16-year-old mod I was among thirty people to see The Who play as a three-piece in Manchester. When I mentioned that night to John Entwistle he said they were experimenting as a trio because Pete has always wanted to sack Roger Daltrey. The stories I could tell!
You became good friends with Entwistle, The Ox, who has been called the last great rock star. Do you agree?
Oh yeah. John once arrived for rehearsal in a Rolls-Royce with the registration number PHALIC. I was gutted when he died [in 2002], but boy, what a way to go [in a Las Vegas hotel room with an exotic dancer, and cocaine in his system].
A decade ago you and singer Peter French obtained the permission of Jean Crane, widow of the late Atomic Rooster founder Vincent, to reunite the band. At that point, the Rooster had been extinct for thirty-three years. Why did that sound like a legitimate business proposal?
It had been happening all around me, so many other bands were re-forming with one or two members, so why shouldn’t we do it? I wasn’t exactly thinking that it would make my fortune, but it felt worth giving it a go. It’s been a lot of hard work, but finally it’s paying off.
The permutation gigged regularly until French left suddenly during a European tour in late 2023. What happened there?
Peter told us he had a cold and had to go home. We took a bit of a dim view of that. This was during the tour’s first week.
The band’s keyboard player Adrian Gautrey then became lead singer.
The day that Peter French left, the Rooster found its wings. We have never looked back. We have no use for a standalone singer that doesn’t play an instrument, preening themselves like a rock god.
In the sombre spirit of a band whose leader took his own life, the new album was made in a log cabin deep in a creepy Lincolnshire forest.
First of all, I absolutely loved Vincent Crane. He was the sweetest man. But all of the [self-destructive] signs were there in his music. The guy really was depressed. When we no longer had this singer dragging us down, an agent friend found the studio for us. It was the perfect location in which to record.
The tracks were done with the minimum of fuss.
Yeah. Except for the vocals everything was recorded live.
What do you think Vincent would have made of the new record?
I think Vince would love it. I hope so. People tell us that it nods forwards and also looks backwards at the same time. We embraced the whole dark, gothic side of Atomic Rooster, but I consider some of the songs to be quite commercial.
In a broader sense, have you been able to overturn any doubts from the fan base?
To be completely honest, we expected some flak when Peter French bailed on us, but it never came. And then when the album came out we were a little worried that the reviews might be negative. It’s been quite the opposite. People are embracing the band. The gig list is growing long and longer. I’ll admit that the sense of acceptance has knocked us sideways.
Atomic Rooster's Circle The Sun tour kicks off at Drummonds in Aberdeen on February 17. For dates and tickets, check BandsInTown.
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