Want to ask
me a question?
Ask me something
interesting (it can be about anything at all, not just my
music) via my
contact page and the most
interesting will be posted here!
What’s your
favourite song… ever?
- Tim Rice
“It’s impossible
to say, I haven’t written it yet.”
What’s your stance on rodents?
- Susan Drawbridge
“A firm one.
In a sturdy boot.”
The hair thing that’s going on right now…what’s the plans
for it?
- David Dawson
“Well, David,
right now I’m rocking a bleached blonde Mohican with one
side shaved to the wood. Since we’re in a recession, I thought
I’d get two hairstyles for the price of one.”
What's your favourite film score?
- Andy
“One of my
favourite films of recent years would be the psychological
thriller; The Jacket [Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley] with
an original score by Brian Eno. The movie is a dark, intense
and disorientating tale about out-of-body time-travel whilst
being held in an intolerably tight straight jacket. Eno's
talent for penning a beautiful simple melody is breathtaking
extraordinary. The unobtrusive themes are subtle enough
so as not to detract from the complicated story, though
the final theme never fails to bring me to tears. It's a
totally well constructed piece of work from everyone involved.
I highly recommend it.”
What pedals are on your fancy pedal board thing you have
on stage?
- Dave Hughes
“That fancy
pedal board thing you refer to is a piece of misshaped knackered
splintery old wood that I’ve found, stuck things to and
prettied-up. The ‘Wonder Woman Board’ does have a brilliant
Fishman’s Pro-EQ Platinum Preamp/EQ/DI and also a bunch
of Boss stomp boxes; Digital Reverb, Digital Delay, Chromatic
Tuner, since you ask.”
You seem to tour constantly. Don't you ever feel like settling
down - marriage/children?
- Katy, Lancaster
“Good god
that sounds awfully dull. I doubt I’d make it past the first
nine months of being sober...”
If you weren't a musician what would you want to be and
why?
- Andy, Leicestershire
“I’d probably
have trained to be an astronaut, a dancer, trampolinist,
synchronized swimmer or joined the circus as ‘UK’s tallest
woman’. Something that involves showing off no doubt.”
Which heavy metal band do you wish you’d been in?
- Jonathan Hudson
“There weren’t
that many metal fiddlers around back then, not that there
are now, come to think of it. Roxy Music might have been
a cool thing to get involved with, I love the fiddles on
their early stuff. If Iron Maiden ever felt like adding
some Nockalls-style real strings, they should call me. I’d
do it nice.”
Have you ever wanted to learn Japanese?
- Darren Pataki
“You know
what, I’ve never felt the urge to learn any other language.
I could lie and say something like ‘Ooooh yes, I’d love
to learn Spanish one day’ but honestly, short of moving
to the country in question, it isn’t gonna happen. The Japanese
language is so far removed from ours (as we discovered when
the band visited in 2009) that we only just mastered ‘please’
and ‘thank you’ in the entire time we were there. We did
have a go though, which I believe was appreciated.”
If you had to be a herb or a spice, which one would you
be and why?
- Jon Hawkings
“Chilli. I’m
absolutely addicted. Some women carry around pepper spray
in their hang bags, I carry Tabasco in mine. There are few
things worse than eating dull tour food, so hot sauce is
undoubtedly a touring essential, enlivening most of my service
station crap masquerading as ‘food’…every little helps.
Apparently chillies have the ability to release endorphins
and serotonin into the blood stream too, giving you happy
vibes. I’m willing to believe it. They are also thought
to increase metabolism and curb your appetite. All good.”
Which music idol would you have dinner with?
- George Houliston
“Well a dinner
party with just two people sounds a little dull, and Trent
Reznor might think I’m coming on to him. So in addition,
I’d have Brian Ferry bring a trifle over too. I’d make pie
for all, get them all drunk on fancy wine and play them
both the new material for my debut album Imminent Room.
Trent would decide that he needed to produce my album and Bri would insist on singing a cameo. Sounds like a great
night to me.”
Knitting or sewing?
- Michelle Bartlett
“I’m crap
at both, but I’m less bad a sewing. My Mum amusingly bought
me a child’s book called ‘How to Knit’ last Christmas, knowing
that I’m atrocious at it. It’s all a bit too fiddly. I’m
better at coming up with designs/drawings of clothes – I’m
designing a tutu for stage wear right now. Who doesn’t love
to dress up?”
Do your feet ever get cold onstage?
- Anonymous
No. Dirty, yes. It all started when I was once late getting
ready for the stage at a big outdoor festival and I had
the option of going onstage on time in bare feet, or appearing
late with shoes. I ended up enjoying the grounding sensation
of not wearing any shoes, you’re able to feel the vibrations
more. Being 6 foot I also don’t need to wear heels. Add
that to the fact that I already suffer a touch of vertigo
on stage, going barefoot is an ideal solution. I do like
to wear big black para boots with my dresses in winter though,
I’m not a total hippy.”
Bearing in mind your current state of vehicular deprivation,
what car would you like if you could choose any?
- Simon Rickards
“I don’t really
care – one that works? I don’t claim to know anything about
cars and I’ve never owned my own. Something with a little
style like an old red Audi Quatro, a la Gene Hunt. I’ve
never taken one for a spin, but I bet I’d look bloody good
in one.”
Pandas or Koalas?
- AJ Rez
“I don’t know,
I’ve never seen them fight.”
Daddy or chips?
- Stuart
Lancaster
“My Daddy’s
chips. With Daddies Brown Sauce.”
If all chillies (and their derivatives) became a banned
substance, what would you use as an alternative? More importantly,
how would you cope?
- Melina Vent
“Ground glass.
I wouldn’t.”
What’s your favourite cake?
- Stuart Mole
“I don’t actually
have a sweet tooth. If you wanted to make me a cheese, bacon
and chilli scone, I’d stick a candle in it and call it a
cake! I’ve decided that Miles and I should write a song
about something we actually want… it could go something
like ‘Veuve Cliquot and real ale…la la laaaaa’ and it would
be a huge hit, I’m entirely sure of the matter.”
If you could go back in time and join The Wonder Stuff at
any point, at what era would you like to have been a part
of?
- Jared Prothero
“I would have
liked to have joined in March 2005, which is exactly when
I did join the band. If I’d have taken the place of Martin
‘Fiddly’ Bell, it’s likely I wouldn’t be in the band
now, and I adore being in the band now. I would’ve maybe
liked to headline Reading Festival, or go on Top of the
Pops drunk, larking around destroying things, but there’s
still time for that.”
You've already
accomplished quite a lot for a 25 year old. Where do you
see yourself in 10 years from now? Also, I love your style!
It's very 40s with a rock chick edge to it... - who's style
do you admire and why?
- Amanda
"I think I
can speak for most musicians when I say that no matter how
much you've already achieved in your career, you always
look for the next big thing. You could be striving to write
the next big song that will live on forever or you might
be about to play the biggest gig in the world, a musician
will always say afterwards "alright, what's next then?".
There's something of a Holy Grail aspect to a musicians
life. I have a list of 'dream session work'. If in ten years
time I've ticked off half of the following artists I can
die a happy fiddler. Bowie, Devin Townsend, Nine Inch Nails,
Def Leppard, Marilyn Manson, etc…it's actually quite a big
list! As far as how I like dress is concerned, I do have
a different style though I'm not going out of my way to
look individual. I genuinely hate high street shopping,
being much more comfortable snooping in charity shops or
digging around in vintage stores. I'd be horrified if I
was to walk down the street and passed someone who was dresses
identically to me."
What music
did you listen to growing up? Also, what was the best gig
you have been to recently?
- Steve
"A Strange
mixture of Vivaldi, Pet Shop Boys, Holst, Roxy Music and
latterly Marilyn Manson could be found on my teenage bedroom
hi-fi. This could perhaps explain a few things today...
Best gig recently has to be Nine Inch Nails at Wolverhampton
Civic Hall on my 24th Birthday. We heard someone's post
gig review in the pub… "That wasn't a gig, that was a bloody
art installation!" An accurate description."
Chocolate
or cheese?!
- Jane
"Cheese! Blue
cheeses, smoked cheeses and mature cheddars that burn the
roof of your mouth! I would eat chocolate it there was nothing
else left in the house. I'm not your typical girl where
this is concerned."
Why the violin?
Was it something your parents encouraged you to take up
or were you inspired by a specific violinist?
- David Mercer
"My father, Martin Nockalls is a classical guitarist. He
initially tried to convince me to take up the guitar over
the violin (perhaps to save money on paying for lessons!)
but he soon realised that I wasn't interested. After being
inspired by Nigel Kennedy's rendition of Vivaldi's Four
Seasons, I pestered my folks for a violin and my wish was
granted on my 7th birthday. My parents didn't push me into
playing the instrument and I thank them for the endless
support they've given to me. When a violin is first presented
to a child, it doesn't really sound any good until about
10 years in. I have a VERY patient family."
How would
I make those sweet potato chips you were telling me about?
- Helen
A. "Par boil
the potatoes for around 4-5 minutes. Tip them into a tray
of hot olive oil (3 tbsp) and a handful of mustard seeds.
Dust with vegetable stock powder and add soy sauce and Tabasco
to taste. Cook in a preheated oven at 200C for 45 mins -
1 hour turning once half way through."
