Chris Norman. Ireland tour 2023

hello again now the music of smokey saw me through my youth with hits like living next door to Alice if you think you know how to love me oh Carol lay back in the arms of someone and I'll meet you at midnight the front man with the smoky voice was Chris Norman who left the band in the 1980s and a successful solo career followed his first single midnight lady became a massive hit throughout Europe and many more followed and I'm delighted Chris is joining me this evening so let's have a reminder of some of those hits we're always on my mind [Music] you were always on my mind you don't know what it's like [Music] baby you know [Music] like my love oh Chris when I heard you were coming on the program I was so excited that voice is Iconic congratulations oh that's very kind of you thank you very much it's lovely to be here because so many people just love the music of smokey that must have been a really amazing time to be in the music industry when you started yeah because I mean we started um in the 60s believe it or not me and Alan Stillson who was the guitar player from Smokey went to school together along with Terry but me and Alan started the group originally and so we we got in at the beginning of this sort of whole thing you know in a way and then we went professional in 68 um took us a while but eventually we had our first hit in 1975 which was called if you think you know how to love me if you remember that oh I do indeed and and that took us you know that started it all and then we traveled the world and it was like a big adventure you know because I I know with bands like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles they had their rivalry I mean the bands that were around you at the time was the sort of a rivalry or was there a camaraderie that likes of your slayed and mud and Joanna well you know I mean it depends on who it was you were friends with some and you were just you know not in terms with others um mod were a great bunch of guys we Les gray was an amazing guy we hung out with them quite a bit we did they were great guys so yeah all those people Susie Quattro I made a record with later on and uh all those guys you know um sweet if you go back into the archives because people just think oh that was pop music but those were brilliantly written songs as well that you were all performing at the time too and working with Susie must have been an absolute Delight she's been on my program a few times has she yes she's a lovely lady well I mean you know Susie and I we we knew each other from about 1974 because we were both on the same record label so um we saw each other all the time you know going into rat records to see Mickey Mouse or whatever you don't remember um and that came that that thing with me doing a duet with her was just by accident because we we were getting Smoky we're getting an award in Germany and she was in Germany with Mike Chapman who was both our producers and she was doing an album so they came to see us and then there was an after show party of course and in the corner was some band equipment so we're all getting up and singing you know and it was just that me and Susie got up and saying I think Long Tall Sally or something some old rock and roll and Michael was there Mike Chapman said you know you two look great together we should do a song and so I stayed in Germany went into the studio on their session and we recorded stumbling in and another song and then I went back to smoking we went on tour and everything and then a few months later it came out because your voice is married so beautifully yeah and it was so quick fantastic I think we spent two days went and put the tracks down you know I played acoustic everybody played the stuff with her band and then we spent I don't know an hour or so doing the vocal Round One microphone none of this mail in it Round One microphone me and Susie standing singing our parts um and the vocal was done in in no time but it was Yeah you mentioned Mike Chapman and it comes full circle because your new album has been produced by him well not this one I've got one out now called rediscovered love songs which is a covers album with of all my favorite love songs over there but the one before was called just a man yeah which I recorded in 2019 just before everything locked down went yeah yes um and we recorded that and that was the first time I'd worked with my Chapman for like 40 odd years and we had a blast I mean we went in the studio in London and just got a bunch of musicians in and it was just like the old days let's go you know and it was like take it so there was none of this kind of like well we'll do that bit later and we'll do we recorded it like as we as we were playing it you know so fantastic you're going to be in the water from on the 17th and obviously people are dying to see you so what can the audience expect from from Chris well I'm doing the three shows together one in Dublin that um Vicar Street one at Waterfront and one in Monahan at the what's the weather Monahan just Monaghan sorry excuse me sorry about that yeah and um so we'll be doing I've got like a five piece band Six including me and the big production you know with all the business and um we'll be doing a load of smoky songs we'd be doing some of these songs from the new album you just saw um a couple of ones that are kind of favorites now for me to do from over the years but we do all those midnight live next door while is don't play a Rock and Roll to Me do more I have them come along you'll have a great night we have a ball we obviously still love it I I well I enjoy it more than I ever did yeah to be honest because when you're like in your 20s and like it's all kind of new and nerve-wracking and then you kind of get used to it with experience and everything so now I've got the best of both worlds I go on and I feel comfortable and you can you get to an age where you just want the people around you that you want around you that's right well I've had my band and crew now most of my band have been with me for about 20 years so we're like a family you know we're on the road and we need to be because when you're in each of this company all the time if you're on tour and stuff you need to know the people and feel comfortable you don't want any egos no no no we don't do eagles well listen Chris it's an absolute pleasure to see you here back in Belfast because I know you've been coming here for many many years thank you so much indeed you're gonna be in the Waterfront Hall on Friday the 17th and everybody is so looking forward to seeing it thanks very much indeed for joining us this evening pleasure thank you very much well any motorbike Enthusiast will be gearing up for the Northern Ireland