Kris Dollimore

Kris Dollimore propelled himself to notoriety in the mid-late eighties as the swaggering and explosive lead guitarist of legendary London rock five piece, The Godfathers and his CV also boasts bands such as The Damned and Del Amitri, as well as touring round the globe with Adam Ant.

A complete one off and one of the most highly regarded guitarists/musicians in the country, Kris has decided it’s time to change direction and fulfil his dream of becoming a solo artist. When Music-News were given a chance to catch up with him we jumped at the chance and didn’t waste it, asking him to guide us through his career right from it’s very beginnings to date and the forthcoming release of his phenomenal debut album '02/01/1978’ set for the 5th February on Sun Pier Recordings and distributed by Cargo Records.

MN: Love the album, let’s start with the cover.

KD: It’s a fantastic thing, I like the fact that the photo was taken on my 12th birthday and the fact that I had no idea that years later, that was going to be my debut solo album cover. It’s me and it’s the start of my journey into music, that is the very start of it. It says so much because you’ve got Johnny Rotten and Led Zeppelin together, and that just wasn’t the way it was meant to be! Just by looking at the photo, you can tell that I can’t play, I had no idea.

MN: So how did you start on the guitar?

KD: My brother taught me the basics. The first riff I ever learnt to play was 'Caroline’ by Status Quo. I wasn’t brought up in London, I was brought up on the Isle of Sheppey, so we used to listen to anything and everything, we didn’t have any type of segregation when it came to music. I used to listen to it all, Led Zeppelin, Sex Pistols, Quo. I was really into Dr Feelgood as well.

MN: What were the first band you were part of?

KD: Before joining The Godfathers, I was in a band called 'The Major Setback Band’ with my brother. We were a pretty good little three-piece, just a pub rock band really, doing stuff like Feelgood and Inmates songs, plus a few of our own. We did a record which wasn’t too bad, and I was only 17 at the time. The Godfathers, however, was my introduction into the real world of rock 'n’ roll. I’m proud of all my history, but The Godfathers especially. For a start, it was mine, well,. a bit of mine! I was a massive Sid Presley Experience fan, 'Hup Two Three Four’ was the record that changed my life. I put that record on, and that was the band I wanted to be in, that was what I wanted to do, it was sensational! I went to see them at The Marquee a couple of times and I loved them. When I read in Melody Maker that they’d split up, I was gutted. Then I went to the ads at the back and under 'Musicians Wanted’, there were 2 ads: 'Drummer And Guitarist Want Bass Player And Vocalist’, and the other one read 'Bass Player And Vocalist Want Drummer And Guitarist’. I got into the band and it was a dream come true. We played a couple of gigs under the name Sid Presley Experience, and then became The Godfathers.

MN: We were massive Godfathers fans. Which do you think was your best ever gig?

KD: St Valentine’s Day Massacre at The Town & Country Club in 1988. We’d sold the place out and it was really starting to happen. My worst gig was the next night in Bath playing in some horrible pub!

MN: So, after The Godfathers, you joined The Brotherland. It was quite heavy metal,.

KD: Yeah it was, it was big time rock. When I left The Godfathers, I didn’t really have a plan, so I formed this band with Vom (ex-Dr and the Medics). I was just going along with it more than anything, and because of that, the band imploded really, although I knew he really loved the band, he really did. That has stayed with me ever since. I then got a call from Rat Scabies and ended up joining The Damned, who I loved. There were no rules in the band, it was every man for himself, you never knew what was going to happen when you went on stage with them. It was mayhem, but it was brilliant! I then went on to tour with Del Amitri and also Adam Ant. Touring with Adam Ant was great, he was a legend and he was fantastic to play with. Previously, I had never been a massive fan of his music, but he was huge and it was a great experience.

MN: So here we are now with your new solo career and '02/01/1978’

KD: This has been coming since that photo! The album represents an accumulation of everything that has happened to me and everything I have done since that picture was taken. This is what I’m meant to be doing, this is what it’s all been leading up to. I’ve been in bands, and I’ve been a session guitarist, but deep down, I knew I wanted to do my own thing and play my own gigs. There’s something fantastic about just one person up there making music, and hopefully making people dance. And I tell you, it’s scary up there! My first gig was at a local pub in Rochester, and it took everything out of me.

For the album, I wanted to get back to the basics of basics. The idea was to do a purely acoustic instrumental. I hooked up with Stuart Turner, the producer, and he really encouraged me to do my blues stuff. So I asked him if he wanted to produce the record, and he was more than willing. I wanted to be as primitive as possible, but he disagreed and wanted me to do blues, which I love. I needed that guidance. If I could have done everything on an album, I would have, but obviously, you can’t, because you need to fine tune it. Now I also have Pete (PeteCoyne ' ex-lead vocalist of The Godfathers) involved as my manager, it’s really coming off. I genuinely, genuinely am loving what I do, more so than ever, more so than when I first started playing, because every day I can learn something new.

MN: What was the inspiration for doing a blues album?

KD: Not many people are into the blues and it’s got a very bad reputation. People think of dreary old jams in pubs or the Blues Brothers. What I wanted to do with this album, was get to the very essence of what blues music should be, an earthy sound, blues players like your John Lee Hookers, Robert Johnson, people who have the world in their voice. They mean it and they mean what they do with every pore in their body. It’s not just blues that has this, any good music should. Blues music should have a human element to it to, that’s what I’ve tried to get across, to make it real. I’ve been as honest as I could possibly be at that moment with this album. You can’t fake being honest. There are 3/4 key elements in my life, that are a constant source of inspiration. I will always go back to them, to draw from them. There’s a bit of a sinister element running through the whole record. My mate Ray, who died, is all the way through it.

MN: And you recorded the album live?

KD: Totally live. It’s real, as honest as possible.

MN: Talk to us about how you write your songs,.

KD: It’s a natural thing, I can’t sit down and say I’m going to write a song, it has to come out and be whatever it will be. I’ve got hundreds of riffs and lyrics that I’ve written over the years and sometimes they come out and 'bang’, it all settles into place. I’ve got many years to draw from, and this is a real creative period in my life. I’m also listening to lots of different stuff, lots of blues and some African bands which are quite hypnotic, I like that. For example, the last song on my album is totally different to all the others almost as if to lead onto the next thing really and say 'I’m not only about the blues, there’s more to me'. It’s a statement really. It’s called 'East Of England’ and just came from a sign on the M1 motorway, I thought it would be a great title for a song. It’s a chill-out instrumental, there’s nothing underlying. I get inspiration from absolutely anything. I’m really settled now in my personal life and very content and that is what allows me to let it out and that has a lot to do with the amount of creativity that is coming out of me at the moment. I’m so proud of this record, I really am. I can’t wait to do the next one.

MN: So you’re happy with the way the album’s turned out?

KD: Totally, I’m so proud of the record. And with my manager Pete Coyne, we make a brilliant team. It’s most definitely a blues record, but it’s not pure enough for the purists, and maybe it’s not rock or indie enough to be commercial. I’d like to think I’m taking blues a little bit further, I’m doing what I perceive blues music is.

MN: So what’s next?

KD: There’s talk of a single some time soon and touring. There are brilliant things on the horizon. Even though I’m not a festival person, I’d love to play festivals, so we’ll see.

MN: Listening to your passion is great. Life begins at 40!

KD: Yeah, it’s like being reborn. There’s one period of my life over and an exciting new period is starting.


After hearing the first album, Music-News will be sure to follow Kris as he progresses with his solo career.

The launch party for '02/01/1978’ will be held at 12 Bar Club, 26 Denmark Street. WC2 on the 7th Feb. Kris will be playing two 45 minutes sets of totally different material. A UK and European tour will follow later in 2007.

For more info check out www.krisdollimore.com & www.myspace.com/krisdollimore