Have they got Groove for you

Four years after the release of their last album of new material, Lovebox, dance duo Groove Armada are back with their fifth studio album, Soundboy Rock. Andy Cato and Tom Findlay will also be getting the punters grooving at Malahide Castle this summer as part of their Lovebox Festival, where they will joined by acts such as Super Furry Animals, The Rapture, Toots and the Maytals and Jape. But first things first – just what have Groove Armada been up to in the four years since Lovebox?

“Well, we both had kids for a start,” says Tom, who has just returned home to London after touring in Singapore and Australia. “Also, Andy left London and moved to Barcelona, and I moved to a new house and a new studio as well. Then we both got involved in side projects; I started Sugardaddy with Tim Hutton, and Andy was doing various things with his Pack Up And Dance label. So we basically pottered about for a bit, did a bit of gardening.”
Tom candidly admits that he and Andy both went through a period where they weren’t sure whether or not they wanted to continue with Groove Armada.
“There were a lot of different factors to that,” he explains. “You do wonder if maybe you’ve taken it all as far as you can. Also, we were on a horrible label at the time – the only other UK act they had were Steps. With the exception of a few people, we were basically being promoted by idiots who didn’t give a toss about us. We’d go and do gigs in places like Nottingham, and we’d walk around the corner to HMV and discover that none of our albums were in the shop. So all of those things came together and kind of made you think, ‘I’m not really sure if I can be bothered doing this anymore.’”
Having sorted their record company troubles, Tom and Andy rediscovered their creative spark and set to work on Soundboy Rock. The album features several guest vocalists, including Hard-Fi’s Richard Archer and ex-Sugababe Mutya Buena. How did the latter collaboration come about?
“Mutya’s manager suggested it,” replies Tom. “She was in the process of writing her new album. I worked on the song with this woman called Karen Poole, who used to be in Alisha’s Attic and now writes songs for people like Will Young and Kylie Minogue. The whole process was something I’d never done before, and very different to the way I usually work, but it was really interesting. I’d put some grooves together and play them to Karen, then she’d contribute her ideas. It was a totally different approach for me, but I enjoyed it.”
Perhaps Groove Armada’s biggest crossover track to date was Norman Cook’s remix of ‘I See You Baby’. Were they surprised by the success of that song?
“It kind of crept up in an odd way,” remembers Tom. “The version on the album is more of a quirky, New York club sort of track. But at the time, that whole Norman and Zoe Ball thing was pre-eminent. And Norman, in his DJ battle with Armand Van Helden, played ‘I See You Baby’ for the first time, and that’s where it all started. Norman then offered to remix it, and then it was re-released on the back of a Renault ad.
“We’ve got to give Norman a lot of credit, because he gave us the seal of approval that probably pushed us on a bit. At the time, everything he touched turned to gold. Every five minutes, you’d hear Fatboy Slim on Radio One. He made some money out of it too mind, but it was still a good turn.”
Another big song for Groove Armada was 1997’s ‘At The River’, which found its way onto numerous chill-out compilations. Was that a tag the group were dissatisfied with?
“I got annoyed with the fact that ‘chill-out’ became quite a lazy tag to use,” says Tom. “I didn’t think it was particularly reflective of how we were performing as a band. We were going in front of audiences and, you know, slapping the arse off it, but we were still called a chill-out band. I get irritated with lazy journalism and I thought that whole thing was an example of that.”
Are Groove Armada still playing regularly in Ibiza these days?
“Last year we covered for Pete Tongs at a few of his nights in Pasha, and did a few Space gigs as well,” responds Tom. “I’m sure we’ll be out there again this summer, but I can’t do the full seasons anymore, cos it just takes it out of me too much! When you go to Ibiza, you might as well enjoy yourself. I’ll probably do four or five gigs this summer.”
Closer to home, what is Tom’s favourite club night in London at the moment?
“I think The End has been brilliant recently,” he enthuses. “Night after night, they put on great line-ups and look after their punters. It’s the only club I can think of – although I’m sure there’s more – that has a drinking fountain there and everyone’s using it all the time. I’m sure it cost them five grand to put it in there, but they know how to look after people. It’s run by Mr. C and Layo from Layo and Bushwhacka, and they treat people with respect. It’s on Great Central Street, just outside the West End near Hoban. It’s a great club and if you’re in London, you’ve gotta check it out.”
Soundboy Rock is out now on Columbia. Groove Armada play the Lovebox Festival at Malahide Castle on July 21.