In this feature we bring you a little exclusive Q&A with 90s legends The Boo Radleys, who are celebrating 30 years of their No.1 album Wake Up, including the massive hit single Wake Up Boo! We talk to frontman Simon Rowbottom aka Sice about starting out in Wallasey and becoming Indie legends….
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LVL: So, 30 years of that amazing album Wake Up! What do you have planned for it?
SICE: We’ve got a fair few gigs throughout the year. We’re a little restricted as our bass player Tim is a teacher but we’re packing a lot in. We’ve had gigs in Manchester, London and Glasgow and we have the 30th Anniversary gig at Rough Trade in Liverpool on 30th March where we’ll play the whole Wake Up album at a gig for the first time. We’ve got festivals throughout the summer too, so it’s a great year for sure.
LVL: How does it feel to be playing back in your home city?
SICE: It’s always amazing coming back. Like a lot of people, we moved away from Liverpool and found ourselves in London. We get to see a lot of our family and old friends when we return so it’s always a bit of a celebration coming home. It’s always quite nostalgic too, as we used to play so many gigs in Liverpool when we were starting out.
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LVL: How did you guys form back in the day?
SICE: We all grew up in Wallasey and New Brighton and all went to school together. We started playing together and doing local gigs at the likes of The Krazyhouse, Planet X and Yesterdays and things just naturally picked up. We started getting some London gigs and ended up getting dragged into the whole Britpop movement. It was such a wonderful way to spend our 20s and it was a bit of a whirlwind.
LVL: How did Wake Up Boo and the Wake Up album change your lives?
SICE: It changes your life enormously. The travel around to places such as the U.S and Japan and your lifestyle and job role completely changes. You can expect it to last forever but for most people it comes down and it’s all about preparing for that. But the whole thing was incredible and changed all our lives.
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LVL: Any moments that stand out for you in particular?
SICE: So many! Playing Glastonbury twice was amazing, playing such a large scale event! On the Holapalooza tour in the U.S we played some incredible venues such as The Gorge in Washington State which was based in a huge gorge like The Grand Canyon. Playing those kind of venues and getting to see the likes of Nick Cave, The Beastie Boys and Nirvana close up.
LVL: Are there any times where you’ve been a bit star struck or had a ‘pinch me’ moment?
SICE: Yeah loads of times! Being on Top Of The Pops with Stevie Wonder, hanging out with Radiohead and Oasis and people like that who are global stars. Just great memories to have and we’re very grateful.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO THE LIVERPOOL GIG
LVL: What are you doing outside of The Boo Radleys?
SICE: I’m a psychologist with my own private practise, helping people with their mental health. I’m also involved heavily in the Music Industry Therapist Collective — a project that offers mental health support to people in the music industry, led my psychologists who have been in the music industry before.
The downside about all the wonderful stuff I was saying is that the industry can be very exhausting and it can have a really effect on mental health. You can see the effects of the industry on artists such as burnout, alcohol and drugs and suicides.
So I spend time working for people in the industry, we go on tour providing support, run workshops and have therapists from around the world to help people in the industry. We’re trying to change the culture and give people in the industry better education and support. I absolutely love being a psychologist and have found my calling outside music.
The Boo Radleys & The Lunar Pull / Rough Trade, Hanover Street, Liverpool, L1 4AF / Sun 30th March 2025, 6.30pm
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