Magazine


24-hour party people?

Conrad Astley
28/10/2005

GAZ Whelan says playing in the newly-reformed, middle-aged Mondays is a different experience to the hell-raiser heydays of the late 80s and early 90s.

"When we get finished we still go to the pub and have a laugh," he said. "But it's a bit calmer than it used to be."

Of course, things have only calmed down by the Happy Mondays' standards. While Gaz and the rest of the band now get going in the mid-afternoon, they are usually not joined by Shaun Ryder - a few years older than Gaz - until 9pm, and the singer will often stay up until nine the following morning.

The Mondays have now been swelled with younger musicians from Leicester where the band are temporarily based while they prepare for the new tour and write new material.

And although Gaz joined when the band formed as Salford schoolmates in the early 80s, very few people would be able to recognise him. "No-one really knows who I am, but that's the reason I chose to play the drums initially," he said. "Shaun and Bez did all the interviews. They were brilliant as a pair, like Beavis and Butthead."

This isn't the first time the Happy Mondays have reformed. The band got together again in 1999, seven years after they split. But, after reports of on-stage bust-ups, the members soon decided to go their separate ways.

Gaz went to Perth with his wife and set up Little Big Man records. He only returned to the UK eight weeks ago, saying he loves the Australian city and its musical output.

And, this time, Gaz insists the band have reformed for the right reasons.

"We're not going to get into any situations where we're going to do mad 30-day tours," he says. "I'm going to be 40 next year."

The Happy Mondays play the MEN Arena on Saturday.


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