Phil Wilson - The John
(the baptist) of Pop
Not so long ago, when June still used to be June and hence
a band could still call itself the 'June Brides', we were enraptured by a
band of the same name, made up of a group of shy and unaffected young men
who had shot to the top of the indie charts with their album 'There are eight
million stories'. Magnificent unspoiled childlike pop, jangling guitars from
the heart, like a soothing balm for our wretched souls it made the river of
tears from the fans of Josef K lamenting their departure stop immediately.
However, when the NME gave birth to its C86 child, the divorce was already
filed.
'We had a lot of press', remembers Phil Wilson the former lead
singer of the Junibräute (literal translation for June Brides in German),
'but after a year, with a number one indie album in the background, we were
still on the same level, still touring the same little clubs, the fun had
apparently gone. So I decided to end the thing.' And so Phil Wilson found
himself where he should have been from the start, namely on Creation (who
at the moment, after last years illustrous additions of Felt and Nikki Sudden
to the label, seem to buying up anything the transfer market for upcoming
talents has to offer, the Razorcuts after just one single on Flying Nun UK,
Brighton's Blow Up after just one gig, but as reported elsewhere also the
reliable and experienced Edwyn Collins). 'Everybody said that when we started,'
smiles Phil, 'but Alan McGee never acts on anybody elses advice, he is a bit
perverse when it comes to that. We still always were friends, and when the
June Brides were finished, he instantly offered me to put out a single, a
gift from God.' Although, as owners of the Peel Sessions know, the song is
an older one, 'Waiting for a change' the first solo single, didn't meet the
expectations at all. Moreover, Phil, after an infusion of self confidence
('Some time ago I realised that there aren't that many bands out there that
are better than me'), presented himself as a cowboy, or better: what the Boothill
Foot Trappers would take for a cowboy, and duly the press labelled Phils new
music 'Countrypop'. Yet his second single 'Ten Miles' and him playing the
warm up slot for Primal Scream at the University of London made them reconsider
their labelling, since the majority of his set was rather 'noisy' (Talulah
Gosh would surely have called it 'Hardrock') and even old classics like 'This
town' were not missing from the playlist.
'Of course I like Country. My father is a C&W singer. But on
my planned solo album I would like to be as diverse as possible. I have a
skilled band, they can even play Jazz. Yet, a friend, who also played violin
in the June Brides, left us on Wednesday, and, uh, I am not so sure as to
what our guitarist is up to ...'.
On 'Waiting for a change' Phil, who personally prefers to listen
to Prince and the Beastie Boys ('I hate the indie scene. By now there is as
much crap in the indie charts as there is in the mayor charts.'), had nearly
the whole Triffids crew as his back up band. 'Bill Drummond brought us together.
Pure luck. It was very embarrassing for me to use the marvelous Triffids as
a band. "Sorry, that's my song, yes, it's a bit boring, but you'll get
your money for this." Behind his young & cunning face good Phil Wilson
might be all-knowing, but to the outside he looks like a younger brother who
you just want to hug. When Creation dashingly calls itself the 'Gospel of
Rock'n Roll', then accordingly Phil Wilson must be John the baptist.
Written by: Frank Lähnemann
Many thanks to Alex Foyle for the translation!