Originally published by L.S. Media. January 30th 2012.

Parr Street Studios has Liverpool iconic status stamped heavily all over it. Its reputation as a place of musical birth is legendary. Bands, rocks groups and the odd solo star have recorded albums there, albums that have gone on to be best sellers. Even in the last few weeks Liverpool legends Space have recorded their long awaited new album there. Parr Street studios may not be instantly recognisable say as the waterfront skyline that visitors from across the globe see as they travel up the Mersey and dock underneath the three graces. Not as the much visited homes of the four Beatles or even as Penny Lane.

However to music lovers in Liverpool and those that actually read where albums are recorded, Parr Street is a vital part of the community and set up as say Mathew Street, Liverpool Docks or the two recent additions at the other gateway to the city, the statues of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock. All of these other scenes of Liverpool are photographed by the thousand fold. You can’t wander through Lime Street without seeing a tourist stand proudly between the two imposing images of Liverpool’s glorious past.

It seemed the right thing to be coming to Parr Street, not a day for interviews in public coffee shops where the sound of people drinking tea, partaking in coffee and sometimes casual conversation which can drown out the sound of one great solitary quote. You can hardly miss the sense of history as you look through the large and imposing sheet of glass that separates the bar from the lounge where some great night have been held by Gary Millar. Normally there would be nothing in the way of some of the pictures that highlight some of the outstanding albums recorded in the other part of the building. You can hardly fault any fan of Coldplay for making a pilgrimage to see where Shiver was recorded or the many Marillion fans that come and adore the building as the birthplace of the album Brave.

Today though the irony isn’t lost upon me as I await Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds to see that in the room next door seems to be a gathering of very senior policemen meeting over cups of tea and the odd delegate suddenly jumping up and shouting out something incomprehensible to applause from the other delegates but surely that will be lost to the rest of us.

Ian Broudie could be seen as one the senior man of Liverpool music. His time as the frontman of Liverpool band The lightning Seeds is assured and there is no doubt he gathers good wishes wherever he goes. The man who bought albums such as Cloudcuckooland, Sense and Dizzy Heights and songs such as The Life of Riley, Lucky You and Perfect can meet wherever he wants to be honest.

Ian Broudie is running late, it’s not a problem though as I feel that ten minutes is enough to get an idea of the man and to talk about the bands up-coming return to Liverpool to play at the o2 Academy. I don’t want to take up too much of his time anyway as I know that there are many journalists in the city and from outside the Liverpool catchment area that want a piece of the musical legend today.

Ian walks in, seemingly full of energy but with his usual wonderful demeanour on full show. For anyone who has seen Ian on stage, they will know what I mean. A deep thinker collects thoughts that sometimes can pray on a man’s time. I know I don’t have long and to make matters worse and to my eternal regret, the trusted Dictaphone goes belly up about a minute before Ian comes through the door. It becomes all a bit of a nightmare for me whereas Ian is, as ever, the gentleman and takes it in his stride as I apologise and look mortified to be taking up precious time writing down answers and not letting the natural flow of the interview go on. We touch upon Ian’s excellent gig at Chester Rocks last year and it surprises me when he mentions that he really wasn’t sure if he was going to do it or not. First it was on, then not and then on again. Like other fans of Ian and the band I could only say to him that I was glad that he did.

The conversation goes on, my pen is desperately trying to keep up with Ian’s words and I feel as though the talk is not coming out the way I would have liked it to. I’m interested in Ian’s take on Liverpool itself, does it still hold that unique position, the Liverpool scene, the vibe, whatever label you want to dress it up in. Ian looks at me, partly I feel out of sympathy and partly as he knows I am an outsider who has an interest in the whole Liverpool music phenomenon.

With a wry but wonderful smile, Ian explains that he believes that there is not quite the same energy as there was and it’s all down to the internet and the immediate access that is afforded new bands now. He explains this as there isn’t time now for a scene to develop. I can in a way understand this and who I am too argue with Ian Broudie. In times gone past and before globalisation, bands had time to grow, to create a buzz, an excitement that people would have to travel to Liverpool or London or Birmingham to catch. Now at the click of a button, the band is there direct in your living room before they have even had chance to become the band they were meant to be. Everybody can check it out with no sense of investment into the band. It is sad to think in the home of many an album’s creative birth, that one of the leading men of Liverpool’s iconic music heritage can be so right about something so important.

Time has been against me from the start and whilst I get the feeling Ian would have been happy to talk more, (we did touch upon his beloved Liverpool Football Club) but I don’t want to annoy him anymore with the flash of my pen going faster than a good guitar or perfect drum beat. I bid my farewells and curse my own stupidity as I leave Parr Street. To spend time in the company of one of the best musicians of his generation was thrilling, to realise that times, music especially, is changing the way we invest into something we like and adore. Perhaps it is time to realise that music is a fad, a disposable fashion that is much a fleeting commodity of the here and now as much as the buildings that block the sight of the three graces from the docks or the Daily Post no longer being printed as a daily paper.

However I realised as I made my way back towards Williamson Square that I would rather keep the mystery, the love of music as a long, deep seated affair that provides stability, a reassurance in a world that doesn’t operate that way anymore. I put my earphones in my ears, touch play and let The Lightning Seeds fill an empty void.

The Lighning Seeds will be at the Liverpool Academy on the 11th February.

Ian D. Hall