Feeder drummer Geoff Holroyde goes back to visit his old university when his band play at Portsmouth Guildhall on tour for new album Black/Red

Rockstar drummer Geoff Holroyde, University of Portsmouth alumnus, returned to his former seat of learning when his current band, Feeder were in town for a gig at the Guildhall. Picture by Ben McFadyean

And with Feeder returning to town to play a show at Portsmouth Guildhall promoting their forthcoming album Black/Red, Geoff took the chance to pop in to the University of Portsmouth, or the Polytechnic as it was then, where he studied civil engineering, graduating in 1992. This time though, he took the chance to meet up with music students and teachers.

Geoff, who is originally from Birmingham, lived in the Rees Halls, opposite Southsea Common, during his studies here: “Probably one of the best-located halls at a university right on the seafront. Perfect for everything in town.”

During his visit to UoP he noted how much had changed.

“It's incredible to see the development walking around the Eldon Building; I don't think this building was even here then. A lot has changed, but I still recognise Portsmouth.

"I came straight out of school and I was set on becoming an engineer. My grandfather and dad were engineers, and it was always going to be my career. The course was inspiring, and I remember especially Professor Watson; he was an inspiration and a lot of fun also. It was a particular part of my life, and I remember it well for having a lot of fun times and making friends with people, a lot of whom I am still in touch with.”

And he obviously sampled the nightlife while he was here.

"Martine’s was a venue we visited as students here. We had some great nights there. I remember Nirvana playing,” a now-legendary show at the Poly in 1989 on their first UK tour, “and it was a fiver to get in, and my friends and I just didn't have the money. We really missed out on that one. I took in some great concerts in town, also at the Wedgewood Rooms."

Feeder drummer Geoff Holroyde (right) talks with University of Portsmouth staff member Christopher Whitear. Picture by Ben McFadyean

But it was during a gap year in Australia that he got more into playing his music – and it proved to be a watershed for him.

“There were loads of opportunities to play in bands in the pubs. I went to an audition, and I don't know how, but somehow they took me, and it was the first time I had ever been paid, so I just went with it.”

While in Portsmouth, he played in a band called Inflatable Quartet.

"We played regular shows on the south coast, including at The Wedgewood Rooms and Harry Limes and the Spotted Dog; we would hang out at friends houses and listen to music like Frank Zappa or Soft Cell; there was a great music scene. I did complete the degree, but as soon as I got it, I decided that was it. I was going to focus on music.”

There were several Portsmouth musicians who influenced Geoff at the time.

"I used to go and watch a guy called Bernie Fox, who is well known here; he is phenomenal and had a huge influence on me in my early years. Also, Roy, who had Roy's Drum Pad in Elm Grove, I used to love going in there to talk to him. Ricky Eastman, a local saxophonist, and Rob Milner were in Portsmouth at the time.”

From there he joined “a local psychedelic rock band called Mandragora with a guy called Simon Bishop, Al Jenkins, and Nav Malik, who lived in Penny Street. We recorded an album at a studio called Crystal Rooms, owned by Steve Hoff.

"We went on tour, and we had a residency at a club called Casablanca in Brighton. I then moved to Brighton, and my brother joined Goldbug, and I got asked to play by an artist called Lisa Moorish, who had a top 10 single at the time. The producer of Simply Red, Andy Wright, heard me playing, and that was the moment.”

Among his many projects he worked with Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall on his 2012 solo album, That’s How Strong My Love Is.

"Mick is incredible; he has a fantastic knowledge of music; he is into everything from Sex Pistols to Joy Division, reggae, rock, you name it. He is a perfectionist; he has to get it right and he is a phenomenal musician.”

Feeder’s original drummer Jon Lee died at the age of just 33 in 2002, when the band were recording what became the platinum-selling Comfort in Sound. While others have taken the drum seat since then, notably Mark Richardson and Karl Brazil, Jon’s shadow looms large.

“Jon is still very much present,” adds Geoff. “Taka (Hirose, bassist), Grant (Nicholas, frontman), and him were very good friends, and Jon will always be there. Comfort in Sound was all about Jon. He was an amazing drummer, and it's taken a lot to be able to capture that.”