Stuart interviews...DARIUS.

This article was originally published in the North East's Sunday Sun.

Since turning down a recording contract with Simon Cowell after finishing third in Pop Idol, Darius Campbell (formerly Danesh) has gone on to become a platinum selling, chart topping sensation. After winning ITV’s Popstar to Operastar earlier this year, he was involved in a horrific car crash. He spoke to STUART EDWARDS about his recovery and future plans.

“I’ve learnt to be grateful for every day and to make the most of it. I’m incredibly lucky to be here right now.”

Darius Campbell fell somewhat off the radar after the lukewarm response to his second album Live Twice. The pop sensation became a leading name in pop music following the number one album Dive In and single Colourblind. After the release of his second album, Darius became involved in West-End theatre and faded slowly from the public spotlight. His career has found new life following winning ITV’s Popstar to Operastar, with a leading role in Carmen, performed at the O2 Arena in London.

Life evolved from something appreciated to something sacred for Darius in July. A car crash at 70mph left him with a series of injuries, but fortunately no major life-changing injuries.

“I’m so grateful that I came away from the crash with no neurological damage. The doctors also told me if I my neck injury had been 3mm in one direction I would be paralysed for life. 3mm the other and I would have been killed.”

“Eight weeks later I’m still doing physio five times a day and I’m getting there. I’ll be going all out when the tour starts though. I’ve been so lucky to have a focus to get me through.”

Darius’ focus has been the upcoming History of Big Bands tour, which sees him fronting a concert that takes us on a montage through decades of Big Band music. The tour started last night in St. Albans and visits the northeast with a show at Darlington’s Civic Theatre on October 21^st.

But what exactly is ‘Big Band’ music and why is a pop icon so involved?

Big Band music is the term coined for a form of jazz music. It usually features ten or more musicians, including a rhythm section, singers, saxophones, trumpets and trombones. The genre was at its mainsteam peak in the 1930s and 40, however the genre has continued to evolve into the 21^st century. Using his celebrity status, Darius hopes to encourage more people to discover the genre.

“We’re trying to bring the sound up to date whilst paying tribute to legends such as Sinatra and Tony Bennett, who was a massive inspiration. I want to try and do for Big Band music what Amy Winehouse has done for 60s soul. I’ve always found this type of music so inspiring but I never thought I could perform it right.”

“Music like this has to be sung with life experience; the singer has to have a connection to what the song is saying. I find it difficult to connect to lyrics about life when they’re sung by a kid.”

Carefully navigating a comment about Justin Bieber, Darius explained how he still looks back on his pop career with pride and pays homage to how it guided him to this career.

“I think everything happens for a reason and at the time it does. I learnt so much from my training with Rolando. I understand parts of life better now than I had used to, having my heart broken and, dare I say breaking a few along the way myself. Without everything I have done in my past I might not be in the position I am now.”

“Right now I’m just really looking forward to getting out there and performing again for my fans. We’ve just put one of the songs on my website (www.dariusmusic.com) so there’s a taster of what to expect from the shows. I’ll then carry on working on my third album, though I can’t say when that will be ready.”

“I just feel lucky to be here and performing. Rehearsals have been going great so come along!”

The History of the Big Bands, starring Darius Campbell is on tour now. The show comes to Darlington Civic Theatre on October 21^st. Tickets can be purchased by calling 01325 486555. Visit www.historyofthebigbands.com for further details.

Stuart interviews...Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane/Mt. Desolation)

This article was originally published on 12/9/10 in the Sunday Sun.

After a decade of hard fought success with household name Keane, Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quinn needed an escape. The brainchild of a drunken night in an Irish pub, Mt. Desolation has become an experimental guise. Tim reveals to STUART EDWARDS how and why the project was born.

Tim Rice-Oxley could be lying on a beach in Barbados right now with a cocktail in his sunburnt hand. The word ‘holiday’ means little to him. As Keane enjoy some much deserved downtime after a cycle of relentless touring and recording, that spawned four out of four number one records in six years, Tim is preparing to hit the road again. This time, without Keane.

“One night we [himself and Jesse Quinn] were sat in a bar in Dublin having a few drinks. After a few, somehow the conversation got onto country music. Somewhere in the conversation, we came up with the ridiculous idea of writing some country music. A year later, we’ve got an album ready for release and we’re just about to start a tour.”

“It was a very fast process, we made the whole thing in a month, and most of the songs were done within the first two weeks. Before Keane released the Night Train E.P. we had a natural break before touring that, so we just got the whole record done then.”

”Keane’s always going to be our top priority but writing the Mt. Desolation record was really fun. I’m very proud of this record and I think I’ve been playing at my best on it. It’s just a really refreshing way of working without pressure.”

Keane shot to fame in 2004 with their debut album Hopes and Fears. The album has been certified a staggering 9x platinum, the equivalent to over 2.7 million copies sold within the U.K. alone. Mt. Desolation will provide Tim and Jesse with an excuse to play more intimate venues. The tour includes Tuesday’s gig at Newcastle Academy 2.

“We’re really excited to get back into the smaller and more intimate venues on this tour. I love the feeling of being in there close up, getting sweaty and hanging around in the bar with everyone after the show. At an arena show you can’t really do that; everything’s a lot more formal.”

“There’s six of us on stage in the shows with a lot of chemistry between us. The band feels tight, fresh and because most of the songs are unheard of they’re exciting to play.”

Side projects are a regular feature in many artists’ lives as they try and channel their creativity into new areas. As a relentless musician, Tim wants to try his hand at many different genres during his career.

“I’m not a great respecter of genres and musical snobbery. If I had my way then I’d probably be trying to make albums of every genre. I don’t know yet whether Mt. Desolation will become the umbrella for that. It’d be pretty cool to have a series of Desolation albums, with a new genre every time though. Maybe that will happen and the name will become a concept.”

Despite a fast and low-key recording, the self-titled record features collaborations with a host of musicians, most notably with The Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci and Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons.

“We wanted to get a few of our musical friends to come in and play a few pieces. The Killers are taking a break like we are at the moment and so Ronnie wanted to come in and drum on a couple of tracks. It shows just how organic the writing and recording of the record was. Hopefully that will come across to people when they listen to it.”

Mt. Desolation (the album) is released on October 18^th on Island Records. The band is currently on tour and play Newcastle Academy 2 on Tuesday 14^th Sept. Tickets are priced at £10 and can be purchased from box office or through www.ticketweb.co.uk.