The Bevis Frond | Interview | Nick Saloman

A legendary psychedelic rock band led by Nick Saloman.

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A steady stream of albums showcase Saloman’s strengths of strong songwriting, finely crafted lyrics, and a musical mixture from wig-out guitar jams to sensitive folky numbers.

“There’s a lot of room for experimentation”

What’s the story behind the formation of the project?

Nick Saloman: I’d been playing in bands since I was about 15 in the late sixties with not very much success. I always had quite a lot of confidence in my abilities as a guitarist and songwriter, but for various reasons (often of my own making) I never really got anywhere. I left home at 18, and needed money for rent et cetera, so I never had decent equipment. I think if I’d been a bit more dedicated, I might have found ways to get a good guitar and amp. By the time I was around 20, the prog scene was in full flight and I never really got my head round that stuff, so that was when I started collecting old vinyl. I played in a folk rock band while I was at college, and did some solo acoustic stuff. By the time punk took hold, I was back in London, and I got a band together with some old mates with the idea of doing a mix of punk and psych. We called this band The Von Trap Family and we played loads of shows round London in the late 70s. We even got played on John Peel’s show. After that, the band sort of morphed into Room 13, and then I had a bad motorbike accident, which kind of finished the band. When I was okay again, I decided to do some solo recordings, and I issued a self-financed album called ‘Miasma’.

I called my project The Bevis Frond as I’d been in a band called The Bevis Frond in the 60s, and I always liked the name, which was thought up by an old school friend Julien Temple (now a famous film maker). Much to my surprise, ‘Miasma’ went down very well, so I continued making albums, and eventually I was asked to do some shows, so I put a live band together. This would be around 1989. We’ve had quite a few personnel changes since then, but Adrian Shaw has been on bass since the beginning, and is still an integral part of the band.

” I was delighted when punk kicked all that stuff out”

What are some of your favourite records?

Wow! How long have you got? I started buying records when I was about 5 years old. I really like rock and roll. Gene Vincent, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates. The Shadows figured big, then of course it was The Beatles and the British Beat thing. When psychedelia took off in ’66, I was about 13. I just went for it hook line and sinker. I guess my favourite bands from that period would be Jimi Hendrix, Country Joe & The Fish, Mad River, H.P. Lovecraft, Ultimate Spinach, Savage Resurrection, Clear Light, Spirit, Pretty Things, Love, Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Steve Miller Band, that kind of thing. I started going to gigs regularly in about ’68. I lived in Central London, so it was all virtually on my doorstep. Over the next few years I really got into bands like Patto, Caravan, Blossom Toes, Taste, Cressida. I thought it was just going to continue like that forever, but by about 72, it was over. You had bands like Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant et cetera doing things like ‘Return Of The Space Goblins parts 1 -5’ in 17/8 time, and it did absolutely nothing for me. I was delighted when punk kicked all that stuff out. I really liked The Damned, but The Wipers for me were the key band of the late 70s/early 80s. For songwriting you can’t beat David Ackles or Joni Mitchell, and Dave Crosby’s ‘If I Could Only Remember My Name’ is an important record for me. I love my UK folk too…Sandy Denny, Shirley Collins, Barry Dransfield, brilliant. More recently, I’ve got a lot of time for Teenage Fanclub, and I really like The Wellwater Conspiracy’s ‘Brotherhood Of Electrick’ album. I could go on (and on)….

What’s the audience reaction to your shows?

It’s usually very good. We don’t gig very often, so when we do, it’s a kind of minor event I guess, so people tend to travel a bit to see us, and they’re always up for a good time. I suppose because we’re not that young any more, there’s always a chance that we’ll die, and they’ll never be able to see us again!

What’s the usual creating process for you like?

There’s no set pattern. We do some jamming, but we also have things rehearsed. Remember, when we go into the studio, I’m paying for it, and I’m not rolling in money. It’s a bit like sitting in a taxi with the meter running. I have to be a bit thrifty, so there’s not too much spare time for working things out in the studio.

Why do you think psychedelic rock is being so “popular” these days?

Personally, I reckon, it’s because it’s so artistically free. Psych is pretty open-ended, it doesn’t really have rules or restrictions. After all that’s the idea behind it isn’t it? So there’s a lot of room for experimentation, and when the whole point of it is to “expand the mind”, it gives the artist a lot of scope to do just that. And I don’t think it’s a revelation to say that lots of people like to have their minds expanded.

What about your side projects?

Well, at the moment there aren’t any. In the past I did the Fred Bison V album, which was a little trip into garage psych. Then a few of us did the Scorched Earth record, which was a kind of heavy, late 60s type of thing.

Is the band interested in occultism?

In a word, no. I really like writers like M. R. James and H.P. Lovecraft, so I’ve incorporated a bit of that into some stuff. The name Room 13 was taken from an M.R. James story called ‘Number 13’. But I don’t really think they’re occult are they?

What are some future plans?

I’m planning a new album for 2015, and we’ve got some shows lined up for the Summer, and a tour of Europe might happen in the Autumn. Other than that, I don’t know. I tend not to make too many plans, as they have a nasty habit of not happening. I usually just wait & see what comes along.

John Wisniewski

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