What took so long to get you on the Ibiza Rocks stage?
Andy’s been trying to get me to do this since they started but my theory
was that the whole point of Ibiza Rocks was to bring rock bands who you
would not normally see setting foot on the island, to bring people like
the Arctic Monkeys and get them a sun tan frankly. I always thought that
because I’m always playing in the clubs here, I shouldn’t be on the rock
stage but he finally called in a favour for something he did for me in my
manumission days years ago but I can’t remember what it was. Unprintable
and unreadable!
How did Mallorca Rocks go for you last night?
It was great, it’s quite fruity the crowd that they get. I’m used to
playing clubs in Ibiza and the crowd is usually quite cool, this lot loose
their shy streak but also I think playing in this kind of set up, Mallorca
Rocks and here in Ibiza, is fairly unique. You feel half indoors, half
outdoors, it’s half a club, it’s half a gig and it’s a very refreshing and
jovial atmosphere.
Do you prepare differently for a gig like this?
No, not really the show is pretty much the same; I’m trying to think what
my level of preparation is. All the preparation is done weeks ago and then
tonight it’s more choice of tunes on the night, but, as I say, the
atmosphere is so different, you look round and you see all the people
hanging off the balcony, it’s very hard to take it seriously. Last night,
in Mallorca Rocks, my lighting guy managed to get all the lights on the
balconies wired into our light show so he made them all part of the light
show, which I’m not sure will work tonight because of Spanish electronics
but, yeah, it’s a unique atmosphere.
Given that they were bringing rock bands to the clubbing capital, have you
been surprised with the level of success Ibiza Rocks has enjoyed?
I must confess, when they first told me about it I thought that’s never
going to work but then as soon as it did work you can see why it did. It
was incredibly brave but it’s great because it has opened it up both ways
with people in Ibiza seeing rock music but also the whole rock fraternity
seeing Ibiza and the first season that they did it everyone that played
was coming back saying, actually Ibiza’s alright, they said it was really
hot but really nice. So, yeah, it’s opened the island up to a whole new
audience.
This season has seen Ibiza Rocks take over Pikes Hotel, is that a good
fit?
Again it seemed like a weird and brave move but that is what the whole
Manumission crew was always about, breaking the chains and freedom from
rules. The thing I do like is that they are trying to maintain the history
rather than turning into another hotel like this (Ibiza Rocks), they’re
trying to maintain the legend of Pikes, which is second to none on the
island I think. There’s an extra history for me because, I just remembered
this afternoon, that my first night out with my future wife involved the
hote. I’d met her doing the breakfast show the day before and we kind of
stayed up all that night and I do remember taking her back to Pikes,
throwing her in the shower and going �wake up ball, you’ve got a radio
show to do in ten minutes.� From Wham and Freddie Mercury right up to me
and Zoe, there’s history all over the place.
EDM takes place this weekend in Vegas and there has been chat about Vegas
being the US Ibiza, is that a fair comparison?
That’s what they say, I’m doing a residency over there at the moment and I
have to say that Ibiza still rocks! Vegas is great but there’s kind of an
Americanism about it and there isn’t that love of life so much, there’s a
love of a party there but there isn’t the same kind of love of life there.
It’s got a little way to go yet to have the kind of beauty that Ibiza’s
got.