The iconic band A Flock of Seagulls has achieved much more than just a one-hit-wonder. Although they rose in popularity with their single “I Ran (So Far Away)” back in 1982, which reached #9 in the US charts, and made them one of the leading bands in what’s called the “Second British Invasion”, the group is touring and writing new songs forty years later, and will be performing in Tampa this weekend.
We had the opportunity of catching up with the band’s singer and composer Mike Score, who is the only founding member in the current lineup. We talked about the band’s new music, the story behind some of his more popular songs, and how it feels to be playing and performing after all these years.
Read the interview below and make sure to secure your tickets to see “A Flock of Seagulls” Live on Sunday, January 14th at The Ritz Ybor, Tampa.
TML - You are going to be playing in Tampa this weekend. Are you going to be performing all the classics or also new songs?
Mike S - We play probably about 50% Classics. A few songs that have been on albums in the past, hits like I Ran and Space Age (Love Song). And then about three or four brand new songs, which are gonna be on the future album, but we call 'em Future Hits rather than just new songs. You know, we play some future hits. All in all, it's about 75 minutes. In a way, you could say we play the classics for the audience 'cause they know them, but we play the new songs too. We kind of try and educate them about where we are as a band and, what kind of songwriting we're up to now. Because after 40 years you can't stay the same all the time, otherwise you'll just wither up and die. So you have to change, and yet the core of it is still there. The Seagull sound is still there. Just the writing is a little bit different.
TML - Tell me about the new tracks… How’s the songwriting process?
Mike S - I have a studio in England, and I have a studio in America in my house. So usually what happens is I, I get up, and I wander down to the studio and I either start playing a guitar or I start messing about on a computer or play a keyboard. And if something comes up, then that inspires me to write, then I stay down in the studio and I write the song. But I tend to find that once you've started a song to be written, the song helps you out, and actually more or less writes itself. So you just have to listen to what the song is saying to you, um, you know, and just kind of work with the song. It'll talk to you. It's a very weird thing that when you're writing a song, it's actually writing itself as well.
I don't know if other musicians get the same kind of thing, but you sometimes finish a song and you go, ‘Where did that song come from?’ I don't really remember writing that, and now it's here and it's in the computer and usually I get it to a point like that, and then I'll take it to the band and say, okay, play something like this. And Gordy who's the guitar player now, will come up with a guitar line based on my guitar line, but play better because he's a better actual player. But writing songs is difficult and it's easy at the same time. It's hard to explain.
TML - And do you like to change them when you play live? Uh, or do you kind of stick to the original version?
Mike S - We tend to stick towards the original version. But sometimes, when you play a song a lot, it will change itself just slightly, but we try and keep, especially the hits, we try and keep them as clean and as originally done as possible. Sometimes we do mess with them a little bit, but we know that people are there to hear the song as they know it off the radio or as they have it on a record or a CD for themselves. When I was young and I used to go see bands all the time, I wanted them to play that song exactly. Note for note. So that is the way I try to do the songs that are well-known.
TML - And talking also about the new tracks… Are you working on a new album?
Mike S - I've already given the record company, August Day (Recordings), three or four new songs, which they are, you know, working with, with videos and to get released. There should be an album coming out in the next couple of months because all the songs for the new album are written. I don't think there's a mad rush for us to put an album out. I think it's, it's just better to have a good album rather than a rushed album, you know? If you're gonna put your name on it, make it the best you can, you know.
TML - Last year was the 40th anniversary of your debut, self-titled, album. You released a remastered version. How do you see that record now looking back?
Mike S - It's a really strange feeling that when we did that album, we kind of knew there was nothing else quite like it. We were quite sure that we'd made a great album. But obviously, when it first came out, it wasn't, people weren't saying it was great. People were going, well, you might sell a few hundred thousand, you might do okay. But once, once it had reached maybe five or six years old and it was still selling, you know, we started to say ‘We told you it was, it was a great album, and it will stand up’. And even today it still stands up. And because it's being remastered and stuff like that, we kind of look at it like a child. We had a child 40 years ago, and now that child is standing up straight and proud of himself.
TML - And that album is still considered to be an iconic record of the ‘80s…
Mike S - The things we did at the time, we didn't know they were gonna be still recognized today. We just did what we wanted because we were lucky enough to have a record company that basically just said, we're behind you, do what you want. So we dressed as we wanted. We played the game as we wanted. We wrote music the way we wanted. We had a great time out on the road doing things and playing the songs and had a great time with fans. It is very weird, though, to look back 40 years and go, wow, do you remember doing that? And it was 40 years ago, you know, and it's still, people are still saying, what about your hair? What about I Ran? Space Age is great. You know? And it, it's just a very strange feeling. We expected it to last 2, 3, 4 years at the most. And that's why I say after about five or six years, we, we all started laughing and saying, wow, what did we do? It was great.
“A Flock of Seagulls” Live on Sunday, January 14th at The Ritz Ybor, Tampa Presented by Heroes Live Entertainment TICKETS HERE
