New project is out on the road

Good news: Frontman James Skelly’s uplifting, blues drenched vocals will be helping put a sun in the sky this summer courtesy of new band James Skelly and The Intenders.

Bringing together a revolving cast of musicians, James Skelly and The Intenders released the album “Love Undercover” on Monday and are now out on the road – a tour which will take in Liverpool O2 Academy tomorrow and Manchester Gorilla on Saturday, Manchester 15th.

James said he could not wait to take the new record out and give it a live showing.

“It’s been going good. It’s sounding really good in rehearsals. I played live with my brother a bit back but other than that it’s probably been around two-and-a-half years since I’ve been on tour. I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t missed sleeping on a bus. It’s not too bad when you’re 21 but no so much now. That’s why I love festivals. Play live, get smashed and then you get a week off.

“We’ll be playing all of this record, some Coral stuff and a couple of covers.”

The Coral did reconvene with producer John Leckie to begin work on a follow-up to 2010’s “Butterfly House” but broke off from recording halfway through.

“I started messing around with a few demos and people then just started joining in,” said James. The Intenders actually comprise members of The Coral along with James Redmond of Tramp Attack and members of The Sundowners. “I just wanted to do something different. There’s only so long you can play in minor chords. I like to change. There is a bit more blues and soul in this record, stuff that was starting to come out in The Coral. It’s a bit more direct. The Coral stuff was a bit more abstract.”

This by no means the end for The Coral though, a point James was quick to stress.

“We’ll probably play a few festivals in a couple of years or so and take things from there. People always say they want a new album but when we put a new album out, nobody buys it. “When we do a new album all people want to hear is the early stuff.

“The stuff we’d recorded was great, but it was just natural. We’d been together since we were 16, younger even, and you just get to the point where you’re almost trapped in this version of what you think you should be. The Coral will definitely do something again but people have got to want it, you know? We’ve been a successful band, ‘Butterfly House’ was a strong record to leave it on, and you kind of want to leave it like that. The thing is, hopefully this break will just make The Coral better.”