As The Quireboys headed to Cardiff for a pre-Xmas show, Dom Daley headed into the inner sanctum of The Globe venue for a chat with vocalist Spike, only to find that the frontman was under the weather and his place on the couch had been taken by guitarist Guy Griffin. Luckily, out intrepid reporter had a slew of Griff facts in his locker and, perhaps unluckily for the substitute six-stringer, the photographs to prove it......

Let's not hang about here and get straight down to business: What are your memories of the first time I ever saw a young, fresh-faced Guy Griffin playing the Square Club in Cardiff (not too far away from here) supporting the Dogs D'Amour when you were playing in your band Feline Groove?

Ha ha ha ha, Bloody Hell! Wow yeah. God, I do remember it because that was one of the first gigs I ever did getting out of my home town. I remember The Square Club and going up to the dressing room and thinking, "bloody hell, we've got sandwiches and everything." It was like that's as glamorous as it got back then I can tell you.

I've got some pictures from that night but I forgot to bring them to show you how youthful you looked, ha ha

That was a big deal for us, you know! We slept in the van. I remember a friend of mine was sleeping on the roof of the van (he's a policeman now) and it was near the Square Club and it was right near the bus stop and in the morning there were all these people going to work and this guy is asleep on the roof. That was great, you know ha ha. Here I am back again.

It wasn't that long after that you joined the Quireboys?

Um, I guess it was about a year or so later maybe, give or take a few weeks.

Jumping to the present what can you tell us about the new album the band are in the process of making?

We've just done four songs and I think they're sounding great. We're going to do the next batch for it after this tour finishes just before Christmas then we'll go and do a bit more in January. It's all coming along good.

You played one new song tonight in Cardiff and you did two of the new songs at Hard Rock Hell...

Yeah, it's always nice to play some new stuff but you have to get the balance right. The first one we did was a sort of Steve Marriott song, you know with a bit of the AC/DC thing, but we didn't do it tonight because Spike's not too well and it might have been a bit of a stretch on the opening number. On this tour we've done six dates in a row and one day off then it's another five on the bounce so not the best time to fall ill.

When will you be looking to get it all finished off and released?

We're looking to get it all done and dusted for a May release.

I suppose it'll be back on the road again to promote it then?

Well. it's a whole different thing next year. This tour we're doing right now is like we're doing all sorts of different places that we wouldn't normally do, and with no record out at the moment to push the tour and with no real promotion behind it. It's just sort of getting the new line-up together and do what we do and there's no better way to bed in new members than play some shows. We've just done a Scandinavian tour for three weeks as well so it's been great.

Who decides when it's time to get an album written and start all the work for that? Is writing an ongoing thing or do you not write new Quireboys songs until you have a deadline, like an album due? Was it you or Spike who decided that the time was right now?

Well it's sort of a natural thing and we've been touring so much the last few years and this year we kind of slowed it right down because we've got new management in and new band members and booking agents and to be honest it's sort of all moved up a gear. So this year has been a case of a lot of stuff needed sorting out with business things, you know.

What's the process then, do you come in with finished songs or just grow the music after you've come up with a riff or idea?

I usually write all the time but it's usually just snippets here and there or I'll just sing something like a melody into my phone - 'Mona Lisa Smiled' was written like that on my phone and it was like one of those things where we were in the studio and I was like "Oh hang on I've got something on my phone I came up with the other day" and that was how it came about. I suppose some of the best songs come about that way and they were just meant to happen; it's just in the old days you would have a tape recorder but you couldn't fit that into your pocket could you, ha ha! If you remember it a few days later then it must be worth keeping. There isn't a set way to how we write; we don't make plans to meet up and start writing. I usually come up with the riff and the melody but Spike fills in the blanks and he comes up with fantastic lyrics which is something I can't come up with a lot of the time. I might come up with the title but to pull it all together, that's a quality Spike has.

What about your down time with the Quireboys - Yourself, Keith and Paul nicked off and did the Down 'n' Outs with Joe Elliott: tell us more...

Oh, that was great fun. It was one of those things that sort of came about by accident, well maybe not by accident but it sort of got thrown together and it became this thing and Joe is fantastic and we all had such a great laugh doing it.

Is it something you'll do again?

Oh yes. It'll be an ongoing thing but it depends on things like our schedules and stuff which can sometimes be awkward, then things get put on the shelf.

How many dates did you do with Mott The Hoople at Hammersmith? It was initially just the one night but that sold out so quickly they put more on.....

We just did the one, that was it. That's what really kick started that whole thing off. 

We attended the warm up shows in Monmouth and when I saw you guys were only doing Hammersmith I was a bit disappointed.

It was only ever going to be just the one show. I'd have loved to have been at the warm up shows. They were great, weren't they? You know, meeting all those guys and being given the honour of playing with them was just great, they are such lovely guys and having the pleasure of hanging out with them since.... it was great to meet the rest of the band having known Ian Hunter for a while. They were such nice people. I got the chance to get up and play 'All The Young Dudes' with Mott The Hoople at an awards ceremony which was incredible - it was one of those Wow moments and as good as it gets for me anyway because I still love all that stuff.

The Quireboys album 'Halfpenny Dancer' was sub-titled 'Volume One' what are/were the plans for doing a Volume Two?

Yeah, but at the moment all I'm focused on is the new record.

Any idea as to what covers you might be tempted to do?

Who knows, there are so many to pick from but it's doing them justice and fitting in with The Quireboys. I actually had a lot of fun doing that acoustic stuff we did. I prefer the rock 'n' roll stuff, but I like playing the acoustic stuff with just me and Spike or Paul because when it becomes a whole band thing it sounds great but it's more hassle than stripping it right down, but it's more hassle than when we do it electric because you have about ten people on stage and it's more complicated and you don't get as much money for it either ha ha! No - keep it to record launches or if you're going to do the full ensemble you'd have to do it as some special gigs or something.

I think it surprised a few what with the Leo Sayer cover?

Well that's what we do, you know, it's like we listen to lots of different kinds of music and that's what we do so for us it's just a great song we knew we could do well in our own way. You can come up with any cover which might sound great musically or be different but it's all to do with Spike and if it suits his voice and if it doesn't suit his style then there's no point in doing it.

Seeing as he's not here now how about spilling the beans on Spike because he's always got a smile on his face and likes a laugh; Give us an insight into some of the daft things he says or does?

Oh God, I dunno, there's so much you tend to miss things! When I'm put on the spot I can't remember some then after I've gone away and thought about it things pop into my head and make me laugh, ha ha. The other night we played Belfast and we had Pat McManus from Mamas Boys get up onstage with us and he's one of the best guitar players you'll ever hear and he can outplay any of us but this night he gets up to play fiddle with us and Spike goes "Ladies and Gentlemen, living legend Pat McGuiness!" and the whole crowd was like "Who, what?" You have to remember over there he's like a big hero and everyone knows who he is and he said it twice, ha ha! I tried to whisper in his ear and he was like "What?" so it became a bit of an ongoing joke. So Pat went off then came back on again for another song.

There's your title for the next album, call it 'Pat McGuiness'

There are so many and that one sprang to mind.

Right, it's getting late and we're being thrown out of the venue. Thanks Guy for stepping in and talking to Uber Rock about what's going on with the Quireboys and Down 'n' Outs. Good luck with the album and catch you soon.

Cheers.

[Dreamy photographs by Tessa Blakout : Vintage Feline Groove snap from Mr Daley's personal rock archive]