Greg gears up for UK tour

SIX-DATE tour . . . Greg Griffin

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AFTER three years in the almost never-ending sunshine in San Diego, Greg Griffin is preparing to return 'home' for a six-date UK tour with his new band Midnight Clergy.

Royton lad Griffin was the frontman in Proud Mary for well over a decade from the turn of the current century, famously being signed by Noel Gallagher in 2001, when the Oasis legend produced and released the local outfit's debut album 'The Same Old Blues'.

That exciting offering from the hard-edged blues rockers reached number nine in the album charts, with Proud Mary eventually going on to release three more long-players.

The last one was 'Pilgrim Fields' in early 2013, but by that time Griffin had already emigrated to the USA, six months earlier.

"I'd always loved the States, even from being a kid, and the west coast music scene always appealed to me," said Griffin, speaking exclusively from his home in San Diego.

"My Proud Mary bandmate, Paul Newsome, was already over here in Los Angeles working on his music, and once I'd been over visiting him I just fell in love with the place.

"It's great. We had some brilliant times with Proud Mary, though. There are a lot of great musicians out there, and I was just lucky that at the time I got into the band, I just hit it right with really good people.

"We were close, we worked really hard. We used to rehearse in a barn in the hills in Saddleworth, it was freezing cold, but we just got on with it."

Influence

After hooking up with popular San Diego radio DJ Tim Pyles soon after emigrating, Griffin swiftly returned to band mode, and now, helped further by a guest appearance from Black Crowes' legendary guitarist Marc Ford, Midnight Clergy release their first album 'One' later this month.

Taking influence from the likes of John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Captain Beefheart, it appears Griffin was particularly keen to show off his latest band to a 'home' crowd, and to that end, Midnight Clergy will play at Hertford, Bournemouth, London, Glasgow and Ilkley in mid to late June, and at Oldham's Jackson's Pit on Saturday, June 24.

Griffin said: "I'm proud of where I'm from and I love the UK, but I've got a new record coming out on Parasol Records and I'm really proud of that.

"I wanted to release the album and come home, basically, and just play it to my friends and my family before I play it for anyone else."

So why choose Jackson's Pit?

That gig is sure to be jam-packed.

"I always loved the vibe inside Jackson's Pit, and the guy who owns it, Kev, is a great guy," revealed Griffin.

"Him and a guy called Carl are some of my best mates from home, while Andy Calder is going to DJ for us. I just thought that if I was to come home and do a show, I didn't necessarily want to go down to Manchester and do some gig there.

"I wanted to do something where I know my friends can go and enjoy themselves in their own time, without having to go down to Manchester where they'd spend a load of dough.

"Tickets are already on sale, and though it is a little way off yet, I haven't been home for three years so I hope there's going to be quite a lot of people trying to get in.

"I hope everyone can get in, because I think it'll be very busy."

Many, including yours truly, will be envious of Griffin's new life in the USA sunshine, but the man himself must yearn for some things now and again.

"Of course I miss my family," he said. "I do speak to them every day, but you miss seeing them.

"I've no complaints from over here, though. It's beautiful every day, but I will be home soon so whatever I do miss I'll soon be catching up on."