After 30 years of performing, Feeder frontman Grant Nicholas still gets the same thrill from playing live as he always did.

“As much as I love recording, when you’re playing live and you know your music is connecting with people, that’s what I’m really grateful for,” he said.

Recalling harrowing moments onstage, including an amplifier blowing out during a performance at a major music festival, Nicholas stressed that was “all part of the danger”.

“That’s what makes it addictive; it’s a buzz, it’s challenging, it’s enjoyable – it’s all those things. And when you see people enjoying your music, it’s just the best thing ever,” he said.

“That’s what I love about being in a band.”

The performer and songwriter was speaking to Times of Malta ahead of Feeder’s debut Malta performance at the Aria Complex in San Ġwann on October 11.

While this will be Nicholas’ first visit to the country, he said he was looking forward to performing in Malta, adding fellow UK artists had described Maltese audiences as “really good.”

Despite playing live for decades, “there are still a lot of places we haven’t played... and I’ve heard good things about Malta”.

Feeder formed in Newport, Wales in 1994 and burst onto the scene three years later with the release of their debut album Polythene and have since gone on to release a further 11 studio albums, 12 compilation albums, four EPs, and 43 singles.

Their latest album Black/Red – the name of their current international tour – was released in April this year.

Describing the band’s newest release as a “big journey”, Nicholas explained it was the spiritual successor to the band’s previous album Torpedo released in 2022, combining unreleased material from two years ago with recent songs.

“Lyrically, it’s a combination of what was going on during lockdown and the state of the world at the moment... everyone has been through a really tough time, [so] there are songs touching on mental health, but also lots of love songs and stuff about relationships.”

Nicholas said the upcoming concert in Malta would combine tracks from the latest album as well as songs from the band’s extensive back catalogue.

“There’ll be a good mix of Feeder classics, some heavy stuff, and we’ll definitely do four or more songs from the new album,” he said.

“It’ll be a rock-and-roll gig; hopefully it will be fun, and everyone will have a great time.”

Audiences

Having just returned from a run of concerts in Germany and the Netherlands, asked if audiences differed across the continent when compared to those in the UK, Nicholas said every audience was different. 

“Our profile is probably the biggest in the UK, so we have a really big fan base there which obviously brings something a little bit different to the shows as they probably know the music better,” he said.

“German audiences can be quite tough, but once you win them over, they’re really great and very loyal. But I don’t mind that; you have to set a good standard,” said Nicholas.

“There were particularly good audiences in Paris – they were really up for it, the proper ’90s vibe’... if things go well in Malta, we’d love to return and build on it.”

Lure of the big city

Asked what Maltese bands should do to build their own audiences – and whether they should consider a move to cities like London – Nicholas was keen to underscore the importance of building a loyal fan base at home.

“Hone your skills first and get a bit of a fan base in Malta. Keep posting stuff, because if the band is good and the music is good, it will get noticed by other people,” he said.

“Nowadays, with social media, you can get discovered. You don’t have to live in London anymore,” he said, contrasting that to the difficulties when Feeder started out in South Wales.

“You can get stuff out there. And that’s quite a powerful thing. So, my advice would be to use social media in the right way but just keep playing live – you can’t get that from social media; it’s all about connecting with an audience.”

A changing industry

But with solo artists and DJs increasingly seeming to hog the limelight of the musical landscape, is there space for bands anymore?

“The climate is so much about social media now, and I don’t think many rock bands are that comfortable with that kind of thing... it’s just become a very different industry,” he said.

Nicholas noted that rock bands had always faced difficulties, however: “Even in the ’90s... there was a certain type of guitar band that would get a lot of coverage, but if you were too heavy, they wouldn’t put you on the radio; it’s always been a bit of a challenge.”

And while acknowledging that festival lineups were increasingly diverse, with DJs frequently headlining at major events, the Feeder frontman stressed that rock bands were still popular and big names still reliable draws for festival organisers.

“It’s still a very popular form of music – it’s really just how much the media embraces it that makes it more or less successful in the public eye. But rock will never go away.”