Roddy Woomble is not your average musician.
As frontman of long-running Scottish indie rockers Idlewild, and currently touring his new solo album The Deluder with bandmate Andrew Mitchell, he has a unique view of music and how it has changed over the years.
Roddy turned 40 during the writing and recording of The Deluder and noted the emphasis placed on age and moving from one decade to another.
He said: “The significance is either there or not, it depends on your circumstance and how much time, thought, and angst you care to put into it”
On turning 40 Roddy looked to two quotes, one from George Orwell — ‘At 40 a man has the face he deserves’, the other by Danish philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer — ‘The first forty years of life give us the text: the next thirty supply the commentary.’
Roddy said: “That certainly got me thinking. The Deluder might be some sort of reaction, maybe justification, in the context of my life, my relationships, my choices – in the face of those ideas.”
The Deluder is out now, and he described it as another type of record, one that was his most personal and introspective collection of songs to date, including new single First Love is Never Returned.
He admits he likes to do his own thing when it comes to making music, recording songs over a period of time without focusing on an actual theme.
Roddy added that because people aren’t going out and buying records anymore, he doesn’t make records with that intention.
He said: “We were lucky that we were around before this happened, so in the 90s when people were still buying records.
“Our fans are fans of music and they’ve been listening to us the whole time.”
Now Roddy is on tour with bandmate Andrew, performing tracks from The Deluder, previous solo records and some Idlewild favourites, in intimate venues across the UK, supported by Teeside-based singer songwriter Tom Joshua.
He said: “It’s good, it’s a duo tour.
“I’m really looking forward to returning to some of our favourite small venues on this tour, while also visiting a handful of places we haven’t been to yet.”
On the album, Roddy worked with Andrew who played guitar and bass, Danny Grant, who played drums and did programming and Luciano Rossi, who played piano, keyboards and bass.
The record was produced and performed by the four of them, with contributions from other long-standing collaborators Hannah Fisher on violin and vocals, and guitarist Sorren Maclean.
The Idlewild frontman has had eight acclaimed albums with the band and three compilations, two of which have charted in the top 10, and 12 top 40 singles.
They have also toured the world as a headline act, and as support to REM, U2, Pearl Jam and Rolling Stones.
Their 2015 album was called Everything Ever Written, and Roddy revealed that they’re working on a new album which should be out soon.
He said: “We toured together last year. We’re working on a new album now and it’s a priority.
“Obviously, the tour now is my biggest priority.”
