Yahoo Finance Fran Healy from Travis is surprised live music is coming back in 2021: 'I’m in disbelief'
Watch: Andy Dunlop & Fran Healy talk about 'that' magic Glastonbury moment
Travis frontman Fran Healy said that he’s shocked that live music is able to return in the UK this year.
Healy was chatting, alongside band-mate Andy Dunlop, on White Wine Question Time about news that gigs are hopefully able to restart later this year. While he’s obviously happy about the news, he wondered if people would actually want to go to a concert so soon.
“I'm still in disbelief,” he admitted.
“Will people actually want to go into a field together? Do you think? I just wonder, just from a ticket buyer, I mean, like 'gig' gigs, indoors gigs?”
Listen: Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop reveal the songs they wished they'd written
The roadmap out of lockdown, set out by Boris Johnson on 22 February, says that from 17 May large indoor performances, with a capacity of 1,000 people, will be able to return, while larger outdoor performances can go ahead with a maximum capacity of 4,000 people.
From 21 June, all limits on social contact will hopefully be lifted and festivals will be able to take place, possibly with the proviso of mass testing on entry.
Read more: Quiz: How well do you know England's roadmap out of lockdown?
Bandmate Dunlop said the tentative dates were “so exciting” and that the band were scheduled to hopefully play a couple of festivals this year, including the Neverworld Festival in Kent and the Summer Sessions in Edinburgh.
“Don’t concerts feel like a different life?” he asked host Kate Thornton. “I think people are really wanting to go back out!”
Like many of us, the Travis bandmates have been working from home, but it’s something they’ve been used to for a while with everyone living in different parts of the world. Healy resides in downtown LA, Dunlop lives in Liverpool, Neil Primrose is in Lancaster and Dougie Payne now lives in Glasgow.
However, Dunlop said it took the lockdown to make it work more efficiently.
“Do you know the weird thing is we were rubbish at it before the pandemic, but we've suddenly become very good!” laughed the lead guitarist.
Read more: Which events will you be able to attend this Summer?
“I think I think it brought it into focus what you could do, because you had to do it. And actually, we’re in ruder health than we've ever been and seen each a lot more than we ever did.”
While they may be closer, Healy said the remote way of working made things about “four times harder” when it came to recording any performances.
“Now we have to record something, I send it to Andy, Neil and Dougie to play on it,” he explained to Thornton.
“I'm like to everyone ‘Right guys, please line it up’ and then they all send that back and none of is lined up, so then I have to line it all up every single time! And then you eventually get it, and it’s mixed and then we make a video…
"I hit the wall on October — and I am over the wall now — but it's been tough. It has been tough for everyone. I didn't lose any family members and I know people who have, so when you when you scale off with what is actually important, it doesn't really even factor into it.”
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Despite being able to carry on working together, Dunlop recalled how one live online performance that he and Healy recently did for a competition winner didn’t work out that well!
“The time delay was just so insane!” he exclaimed! “Fran was playing and then I was behind him, then the person would be singing along to it like another second or two behind that.
“It was weird — it was like a Steve Wright record. It was like experimental music!”
The one thing the pair agree on is that they cannot wait to play together live as a four-piece once more.
“I can't wait for us to just play together again, even just in a rehearsal room, because you really missed that,” said Dunlop. “To play in a room together again, it's going to be great!”
Hear Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop on how their fame was a happy accident on the latest episode of White Wine Question Time. Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Watch: Travis embrace lockdown life for new album
