The 22nd anniversary of the release of The Coral’s iconic debut album will be celebrated at a show in Lichfield.
Singer James Skelly and keyboardist Nick Power will roll back the years for a night of music and conversation at the Lichfield Garrick on 29th March.
Their show comes two decades after their eponymous debut album saw the Liverpool-based band announce their arrival in the mainstream.
Sonically unique, wilfully leftfield and thrillingly eclectic, The Coral combined psychedelia with dub, disco groove with pop, and ragtime with Egyptian reggae.
Their efforts saw the band win universal acclaim as they landed BRIT Award and Mercury Music Prize nominations.
Singer James said the need to conform to the mainstream was never on the agenda for The Coral:
“We were very different – that was our thing. When we’re at our best that is our thing. Maybe it’s not the thing that sells most records but that’s our thing.
“We’d stand on the beach and if we looked one way it would be Wales then you’d look in the other direction and see Liverpool. That sense of identity was important.
“There was this quirkiness and uncool thing. It was almost the opposite of London, almost the opposite of bands like Radiohead. Not that there was anything wrong with Radiohead, they were a genius band, but I remember at the time that they seemed liked this big prog band and we wanted to be the opposite of that.
“We wanted to bring the Welsh psyche thing and the Liverpool thing together, the skiffle thing. We wanted that wackiness and psychedelia with that hillbilly thing of the Welsh.”
James Skelly
The band’s debut release was an instant hit. Released on 29th July 2002, it sparked a whirlwind period where The Coral toured the UK twice, while also supporting Pulp and Oasis.
The album climbed the UK charts while also making an impact in in France, Ireland, Japan, Scotland and America. James said:
“We just did the album ourselves. In some ways, the album was almost an afterthought.
“Making a record wasn’t even really discussed, really. It was just telepathic.”
James Skelly
Tickets for The Coral: The Making of The First Album are £29. For booking details visit www.lichfieldgarrick.com.
