Paul McGregor, also known as the Britpop footballer, is from Liverpool and went on to play in Europe with two-time European Cup winner Nottingham Forest, before signing for Plymouth Argyle and Northampton Town. He went on to have a successful football career, but this was all while playing his vocal chords. He helped form a number of bands during and after the Britpop era of the 90s and into his late 00s.
Paul is currently buzzing with his new band and upcoming podcast, and spoke to Gigsrutz about the past, present and future!:
Hi Paul, what was the first music you remember hearing?
My old man never listened to music, but my mother always had the radio on. One of my earliest memories is hearing my mother sing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” in her thick Scouse accent. It may not sound appealing to most people, but to me it was beautiful. In her house, she has about eight records, consisting of The Beatles Rock ‘n’ Roll Volume II, The Best of the Troggs, An Evening with John Denver, Johnny Mathis’ I’m Her Coming Home, and Jeff Love’s Star Wars & Other Space Themes. did. A dedication to his orchestra, the Bay City Rollers, and finally The Jungle Book. I hear all of that in what I’m doing now.
What was the first serious music you remember hearing?
I don’t know what “serious” means, but the first album other than the Beatles that properly stopped me and transported me to another planet was Simple Minds’ New Gold Dream. “was. Adam Ant and Madonna were my first loves, but then I went on to comp, and some of my friends had older brothers who were super cool. I remember the first time I went to visit a friend. Just then, I heard “Promised You a Miracle” from the bedroom across the landing. I was fascinated. And yet, when I listen to this album today, I still get the exact same thrill I felt as a teenager in the ’80s. I still listen to it often.
Who influenced you to start singing?
I think she was my mother in the sense that she was unashamedly singing at the top of her voice while cooking Sunday dinner every weekend. Back then, it was common for us to sing along whenever we played music, and it always felt natural to me. I’m always singing, whether there’s music on or not. Something is always playing in my head.
What about writing your own songs? Who influenced you to do this?
Not someone, but something. There was an old beat-up acoustic guitar on top of my wardrobe. There was an E string and the bottom two strings. Everything is out of order. I would sit for hours and just play very linear riffs over and over again. Sometimes I would add words or melodies, but I never wrote anything down, so in a sense you could say I wasn’t really writing the songs, but forming tastes. yeah. After 10 years of doing that, can you imagine how much my little brain exploded when I heard Spacemen 3 for the first time?! That’s why I’m drawn to drone and repetition in music . My new band, The Upper Body, was formed with the sole idea of playing an exact copy of her three-string guitar on stage, wrapping a band around it, and just riffing on her E string. Every track I’ve ever written was written on his E string and given to a “musician” so he could listen to it. It’s a discipline of sorts, and one that leads to places that are “wrong”, but I love writing that way. I feel like I’m a kid again.
Previous musical output includes Merc and Ulterior. Is there anything you are particularly proud of about your work with these bands?
Merck was just the school band I happened to be in when I joined Nottingham Forest’s first team. We had six songs, two of which were covers (David Essex’s ‘Rock On’ and Bebop Deluxe’s ’Made in Heaven’), which unfairly made it into the national press. Ta. To be honest, we were all a little confused. I wasn’t ready. I don’t count them as part of my musical composition. Bands people should check out are Ulterior, Vilence, and The Upper Body. All three of us are active and proud of everything we put out.
The new project is “The Upper Body”. Can you tell us how this came about and who is in the band?
It’s a fun cheesy dream of a band. During Covid, I had a bit of a breakdown and an epiphany, even if it was subconsciously caused by fear and anxiety artistically. During that long, hot first summer, my musical tastes had receded into pure melody, harmony, and just great songwriting. Pre-COVID, my natural state was Sisters of Mercy, Suicide, Spacemen 3, Velvet Underground, Nick Cave, Scott Walker, Nico, and a lot of techno. It was pretty goth-ish (I’m a moth), but I went back to the Beatles, Stones, Big Star, Beach Boys, Kinks, Jam, and lots of 90’s guitar stuff. It’s all very fashionable, but it felt right, and on one of our (at the time) regular family vacations, we sat on opposite sides of my mom and dad’s garden and, of course, were legally safe. I couldn’t explain it until we were drinking and keeping our distance. These are the words my father gave me. A trash bag full of my old training kit and a worn match shirt I found in the loft. It’s a treasure trove of memories and, to cut a long story short, a kind of character was born in me, inspired by what the newspapers used to call me…the ‘Britpop footballer’. I hated that word at the time, but to be honest, this character allowed me to shoulder my past, which was a bit of an albatross artistically for me, and to wrap it up in an ambro and turn it into art. I feel like I was able to do it. The band members are myself, Craig (The Duke) Yorke, Regan Norton and a special thanks to Kev Smith who will be playing drums live.
How does the band’s music come together?
The Britpop footballer writes all the tracks on the E string, which Duke turns into something listenable. Record it directly to your computer and release it.
The first song, XL Bully, reminds me of The Fall, The Stooges, and The Velvet Underground. How did this track come about and what is it about?
See above. This is actually my 6th release, and it’s not about anything in particular.
Do you have any plans to release an album?
No, just singles. Please write. release it. Constant content. That being said, if someone makes us an offer, we will consider it.
How about live shows, are you going on tour?
There are no tours. We all have families. Free tours are a young man’s game. If I feel like doing it or I like the offer, I’ll do a show. I don’t have a burning desire to join this band for someone else’s convenience. Imagine saying to Mrs. and her children, “Hey, I’m taking her on a three-week trip around the UK in a van.” lol.
I heard you also have your own podcast in the works. Can you tell us more about this and when it will be released?
Britpop footballer introduces The Fifty Fifty. It’s the ultimate collision of music and football. There’s one soccer legend, one music legend, and me in the middle. Unfortunately I can’t say anything about it as it will be released soon. All I can say is, I’ll be going live soon, so keep an eye on my socials. Search for ‘The Britpop Footballer’. I’m on Twitter and Instagram.
Finally, what’s on your turntable right now?
It’s still all over Fake Rankum. An incredible album. I love Fat White Family’s new single, but today I listened to Julian Cope, the Stones, and early Napalm Death (I feel like I’m working at a High Fidelity store!).
Britpop football players can be found at twitter
Freelance writer who likes anything