Thanks so much to Tom Heaney for the interview! I wrote about the Edinburgh based band Elephant Noise some time ago and was lucky that Tom Heaney, one of the band’s drummer and who the song “New Town Tom” is about, got in touch with me. He was very kind to answer all my questions and tell me more details about his time in the band!

++ Hi Tom! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? 

Hi Roque, I’m good thanks. I haven’t spoken with the band members of Elephant Noise for some 28 years so hopefully my memory serves me well.

++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?

I was lucky enough to have 3 older siblings growing up with very eclectic tastes all-round. All of my siblings and my parents loved listening to music, although I was the only one to pick up some instruments and play. My oldest sister was into disco, my second oldest sister was into Motown mainly. My older brother was only a year older so we shared our musical tastes as well as a room. I came of age in the post punk era around 1979, 1980 and beyond. There was so much variety at that time. We liked Krafwerk, Talking Heads, OMD, Depeche Mode, Aztec Camera, Orange Juice to name but a few. My first interest was playing drums, I used to play with tupperware boxes and wooden spoons – drowning out my sisters and brother’s favourite records. My uncle played guitar and sang Bob Dylan tunes and old Irish folk songs at family gatherings, I would sit hypnotised by the sounds. I eventually got a drum kit and an acoustic guitar. Drum lessons would follow with gigs very closely behind that. It didn’t take me long to get on the road. I’ve done gigs on bass, drums, guitar and a bit of keyboards, a jack of all trades but a master of none.

++ Had you been in other bands before Elephant Noise? If so, how did all of these bands sound? Are there any recordings?

I was around 22 years old when I joined EN and had been gigging regularly for around 6 years already. Punk rock was still a big deal when I attended secondary school and not surprisingly my first band at school was a punk outfit. Another band at school I played with was a MOD band playing The Who, The Jam etc. By the time I had left school I was doing 3 to 4 gigs a week in covers bands. I think it is a good thing there are no recordings that I know about.

++ Where were you from originally?

Edinburgh is my place of birth although my family moved 15 miles outside Edinburgh when I was 6 months old. We moved to Livingston New Town which was built as an over-spill town for mainly Glasgow but also Edinburgh families. It all means that I don’t know Edinburgh that well even though it’s on my birth certificate.

++ How was Edinburgh at the time of Elephant Noise? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

In 1991 Scotland was still riding on the crest of the musical wave that started around 1988 with bands like Deacon Blue, Hue and Cry, Love and Money, Wet Wet Wet etc. That was a very polished, blue eyed soul sound. But scratch the surface and there was hundreds of less well known bands doing great things or instance Teenage Fan Club, Goodbye Mr McKenzie, The Silencers, Future World Moves, The Pearlfishers, Cocteau Twins.  At the time Edinburgh was full of live music venues. Most pubs would have some live music at weekends, and certain city center places would have live music every night. With the University community filling up the bars and clubs audiences were a bit more open minded about what to listen to. There were some good independent record stores at the time although with my gigging schedule at the time I didn’t have much time to browse through them.

++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?

I was the second drummer meaning I missed the start of the band but I’d imagine the guys all got together at University as they were all attending or had attended Edinburgh University. My involvement with the band started when I received a phone call from a drumming friend of mine in Livingston who had just been for an audition with Elephant Noise. He didn’t feel the gig was right for him but thought it might be more my style. I called the singer Neil Barber for a chat and headed into Edinburgh for an Audition. My friend dropped in a three track demo cassette for me to listen to before I went to get a feel for the style and songs. To be honest I was a fan from the first listen. They were rehearsing in what can only be described as a broom cupboard on the ground floor of a local council run community center in Edinburgh. Once I had set up my drum kit I quickly realised I was taking up most of the room so put some of my gear back in the car. It was the first time meeting the guys in person, and if my memory serves me correctly their old drummer was there to wish me luck which was a nice touch. It was obvious from the very start that I was of a very different background to the guys. They were all University educated and came across as very middle class, and here I was as a joiners son without a qualification to my name trying to keep up with the conversation. Don’t get me wrong they were extremely polite, friendly and welcoming. Neil the singer was very talkative and opinionated, definitely the band leader I thought. Neil the bass player came across as very quiet, thoughtful, a bit serious at first. Stuart the guitarist was a gentleman and very friendly. At the time I was very shy, still am, and nervous socially. It was a relief to finally get playing some music after the introductions. My experience of playing lots of different styles with different musicians stood me in good stead and I fitted in to there sound reasonably easily.  I believe I was offered the job on the spot or the next day, I really can’t remember sorry.

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

As mentioned above we rehearsed in a very small room in a community center just outside Edinburgh city center. Normally it was three times a week, sometimes more or less if we had a gig at the weekend maybe. The creative process from my memory usually started with a very basic idea, riff, chord sequence. We’d jam round it and find some variations on it, getting a verse, chorus, bridge structure maybe. Neil Barber would sing ideas over the top, finding melodies and harmonies and some words. We’d record what we came up with on a 4 track tape machine and the guys would take it away. At the next rehearsal Neil would have some lyrics written and the song would start to take shape. We’d jam the track, discuss the pros and cons, then jam some more, then discuss what we liked what we didn’t like until finally it was a finished song. It was always exciting bring a new song out to gig.

++ What’s the story behind the band’s name? 

Good question. I think it originated from Stuart’s guitar gymnastics. He used to mimic sounds with his guitar, like a car revving away through the gears on the track Motorway. He used to do an elephant impression on the guitar and so it probably came from that.

++ Who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

That’s a really tough one. I think the band sounds very unique, my opinion is that the influences aren’t very up front and obvious. The band all had different tastes in music and brought it all to the writing process. It’s hard to say what comes through. I’d heard the band’s sound during my tenure as something between The Smiths and REM.

++ And I want to ask too about Scottish pop, being quite a fan myself. If you were to do a top 5, from the top of your head, which bands would you pick? 

These questions get harder and harder Roque. I’m delighted you have an interest in Scottish music. My top 5 would change depending on my mood but if I were to put it to ink I’d say No.1 The Blue Nile, No.2 Deacon Blue, No.3 Aztec Camera, No.4 Simple Minds No.5 Am I allowed to included David Byrne since he was born in Dumbarton?

++ As a band you only released one record, the “Elephant Noise” EP on RUB Records. One thing I was wondering was that it came on this label where it is its sole release in the catalog. Was RUB Records your own label? Was it a self-release? What does RUB stand for?

The EP was financed by money that Neil Barber had secured as a gift if I remember, and it is the only release that I’m aware of. I have absolutely no idea what RUB stands for sorry. There was a run of 1000 vinyl records pressed and a quantity of cassettes perhaps 500. There can’t be many cassettes still around.

++ Was there any interest by labels to put out your music? Perhaps big labels?

Yes, there was interest, and I remember playing a gig in Dundee which was attended by at least one record company rep. Neil Barber was a great communicator and promoter who would have definitely phoned every single record company in the UK at the time, and beyond probably. There was no record deal came from it unfortunately.

++ Tell me about the art of the jacket. It looks like a painting of perhaps a Spanish street? Is it a real location or what inspired it?

The front sleeve is a sketch by a local artist by the name of Carolyn Burchell. I met her at the time. She travelled quite a bit sketching as she went I understand. There is a finished painting of the sketch which she calls Caceres. Caceres is a town in Spain she must have visited. You can google her collection to view it. I believe she was a friend of Neil Barber’s and submitted the sketch at Neil’s request. I think it looks great.

++ What about the photos on the back? Where were they taken?

I think those photos were taken in Raymond Albeson’s tenement flat in Edinburgh. He was yet another friend of Neil’s who had been persuaded to help out. We all look very serious don’t we?.

++ The songs on the record were recorded at Pier House Studios. How was that experience? Was this your first experience at a proper studio?

Pier House was near the harbour at Granton in North Edinburgh. It was basically built in an old town house. Looking back it was my first experience of a professional recording studio and a good one. It was fully analogue, safe from the new digital technology emerging at the time. We recorded the 4 tracks in a day or two, with the drums, bass and rhythm guitars going down together. Then the overdubs, lead guitars, vocals and harmonies were done later. I remember sitting in the control room being blown away by the sound. It was amazing. My only gripe is that the opening fill for This Song is Our Friend was negatively impacted by the compression and sounds a bit odd to my ears now, though I’ve no hard feelings.

++ Aside from the songs on the record you did record a few demo tapes. These would later appear on the compilation “Remember the Big Time” that had 13 songs. Are these all the songs the band recorded? 13? Or are there more that you know?

There are far more songs than the 13 that are on the compilation but I’m not sure how many were done before my short tenure and after. I have some old demos that I had transfered to digital years ago but most of those have been released on the compilation. The demos I remember had three songs each and released on cassette around 1989, 1990 before I joined. Demo 1 was Hearsay, Wallpaper Tour, In My Room I think. Demo 2 was In Secret Dreaming, Lost to The World, Cactus Talk. There was a third with a song called Almost Home but I can’t recall the other tracks. There was a song called Black and White which may have been on the third one. Another unreleased track was a song Eleven O’Clock Alarm. I have the demo of it, I’m not certain it was ever included on a release.

++ You didn’t appear on any compilations either, right? I couldn’t find any information.

I played on all 4 songs on the EP plus Motorway. That’s 5 songs from the compilation.

++ From what I read in the liner notes of the compilation the band had a following, so it is kind of surprising that you didn’t get to release more records, why do you think that was?

We’ll that might be partly due to the drummers. When a band member leaves it puts the band on the back foot and kills the momentum. I have to take some responsibility for that. But they were a fantastically talented band with a following and should have done more.

++ I think my favourite song of yours might as well be “New Town Tom”, which I believe you are the subject of the song! wondering if you could tell me what’s the story behind it?

Neil Barber had coined the phrase Newtown Tom to describe me before the song came about. When I decided to leave the band Neil wrote the song about me/to me. Not long after I’d left Neil invited me to a gig they were doing supporting the Pearlfishers at The Music Box venue in Edinburgh which I attended with a good friend of mine. Neil told me in advance he had written a song about me which they were about to debut at the gig. The gig itself was broadcast on a local radio station which was a big deal at the time. So there I am in the packed out venue with Elephant Noise playing a song about me and it’s being broadcast everywhere. Very surreal. I didn’t get the chance at the time to assess the lyrics but I’ve had every opinion on it since. I’ve thought of it as a bit bitter and insulting. I’ve also thought it affectionate and positive. To be honest I think its heartfelt and honest just like everything else he wrote so I’m good with it. I have part of Newtown Tom from the live broadcast on tape. For years I didn’t have the first verse.

++ If you were to choose your favorite Elephant Noise song, which one would that be and why?

I think I’d choose Halloween Day. Its an epic. It has a real momuntum about it and great chorus.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many?

We were desperate to get out and promote the record and played everywhere and anywhere in Scotland. Glasows famous King Tuts Wah Wah hut wasn’t long open then and we played there. Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Livingston, even Carlisle in North England.

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

The Carlisle gig was memorable as we got onto the local radio station in the afternoon for an interview and to promote the record. Lets just say I hope that no one has a recording of that interview, it must have been truly awful. We got shown the door earlier than expected after Neil questioned Jason Donovan’s sexuality live on air.

++ And were there any bad ones?

Not really, we only suffered sometimes from being the wrong band at the wrong gig. I remember we played a local park festival in Edinburgh. You had kids running around playing football in front of the band and families who were expecting a cover band playing the up to date top 40 tunes. And there we were playing our serious Indie pop numbers. I like to think we won them over but then again I might have miss judged the mood at the time.

++ When and why did Elephant Noise stop making music? Were you involved in any other bands afterwards?

I left the band during the recording the song Motorway at a studio in Penicuik south of Edinburgh. To be really honest, I don’t know. I heard the supported Jools Holland on Tour for a bit and released Newtown Tom and seemed to be doing ok, but I haven’t had contact with the band since just after the gig I attended.

++ Has there been any Elephant Noise reunion?

Not that I’m aware of. I believe all four original members are still friendly so I wouldn’t rule it out. I’d still say it’s unlikely.

++ Was there any interest from radio?

Local radio was very supportive and played the EP regularly. They done a feature on the EP as part of an emerging talent spot which I have recorded somewhere. As mentioned before we got some local radio support around Scotland and Carlisle although that latter door is firmly shut.

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?

We got some nice write ups in local and national papers. The good thing about having the vinyl EP was that it opened doors that demo tapes couldn’t. The photo on the right at the top of your blog about the band is a cutting from a local newspaper who sent a photographer out to get our picture. We are sitting in a tree which was in the grounds of the community center where we rehearsed.

++ What about from fanzines?

I’m not sure about the details but there was a local Edinburgh fanzine that had an Elephant Noise feature. I think it was called Meadowbank Thistle fanzine. I’m guessing now sorry.

++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

I can only comment for my time in the band and would say that recording the EP was the best experience and legacy. The re-emergence of interest in rare vinyl has made it a bit of a collectors item now. I think the tunes are great and the recording is unique and timeless.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

I tend not to have any time other than for work and family now. I’m no longer playing music and rarely get a chance to properly listen to good music. Hopefully that will change in the future.

++ Have been in Edinburgh twice and really enjoyed it, but would love to hear from a local, was wondering if you could recommend any sights, record stores, traditional food or drinks that one shouldn’t miss?

Good to hear that you have ventured over. It really is a great city. I live in the North of Ireland now and haven’t been in Edinburgh for a while so I’m maybe not the best tour guide. I’d recommend the Innis & Gunn Tap Room on Lothian Road. Excellent craft beer brewed locally and amazing food. I would definitely recommend anybody to visit Edinburgh and Scotland. It will blow your mind.

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

Just to say thanks for the interest in the band and reaching out. Let me know if you or your readers have any further questions, I’d be happy to answer.

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Listen
Elephant Noise – New Town Tom