Off the record

My most asked question, after Who is Alice?”, is about recording new songs. I would love to say that Smokie have dreamed up and recorded new songs but it is unlikely to happen now. As a band we must take notice of what the audience like us to play and also be aware of changes in the public’s choice of music consumption. Record sales used to massively boost our income and it was financially worth going in to a studio for several weeks and secretly create a new work that could then be unleashed on the public through interviews and TV appearances. The initial outlay was more than covered by the eventual success in sales and the resulting royalties that went into our bank accounts. In the 1970’s the royalties enormously outweighed the touring income but the balance changed as physical record sales waned and music consumption moved towards free streaming. With little in the way of returns there was no incentive to return to the studio and the record companies started to downsize. Even today it is important to attract millions of streams in order to make any worthwhile income. With this in mind, Smokie are no longer signed to a record label and our whole year is devoted to touring, which is a good thing for a band that loves to tour. What keeps us going and why are things even better for us now than they were ten years ago? Firstly, we have the huge benefit of a set list that is made up mostly of classic songs, and these are the songs that people want to hear. Because a lot of these songs were recorded many years ago we sound like fresh material to the younger generation, although not to their parents. We also have a handy trump card that is a blessing to any band that wishes to attain notoriety, and that is the “f” version of Alice that is ubiquitous among tourist destinations far and wide. There is another reason that Smokie are still attracting the attention of promoters and audiences around the world and it is simply that we are a better band than we were ten years ago, both musically and in performance terms. Our long term fans have recognised this and are keen to let us know how much they appreciate the evolution of the band that gave them so many memories over the decades. For some people we provided the soundtrack to their lives and their celebrations. On moving to The Highlands in 1994 I learnt that Alice was the Scottish wedding song (after the marriage, not during) and that is a huge accolade. Who could guess how long Smokie will continue? Nobody knows and that if fine by me. We’re more likely to find Nessie than be able to answer that question.