Clare Grogan on Altered Images' first album in 39 years as tour heads to Hampshire | Interview

They sold millions of records, topping the charts in several countries. They recorded three Top 10 Albums and had six UK Top 40 hits including Don’t Talk To Me About Love, I Could Be Happy and Happy Birthday.

But they split in 1983 and frontwoman Clare Grogan went on to have a diverse career involving acting (she starred in cult classic Gregory’s Girl while still in the band), further musical endeavours, TV and radio presenting and writing.

Clare has revived the Altered images name sporadically since then for live shows and tours, but now she is preparing to release a first album – Mascara Streakz – under the banner in 39 years.

Put together throughout the pandemic, Clare worked with her husband – music producer and member of later Altered Images line-ups Stephen Lironi; former Suede/McAlmont & Butler guitarist, producer and somewhat conveniently neighbour, Bernard Butler, and old friend Bobby Bluebell (Robert Hodgens) of indie-pop band The Bluebells on the project.

Clare explains why she decided now was the time to finally follow-up 1983’s Bite album.

‘I think that it just became almost like a now or never moment.

‘In the second lockdown I had the opportunity to have some time to really think and I felt slightly overwhelmed by the desire to write songs.

‘I felt like I couldn't spend another lockdown watching Netflix!

‘In the end it almost became compulsive – I'll never quite understand it. I doubt very much it would have happened if we hadn't had that second lockdown.

‘I might have written some songs again, but I suddenly thought, let's write another song, let's do this, let's do that, I've got an idea for this...

‘It was really extraordinary. Whether it's any good or not, I’m afraid I have no idea!’

‘But I'm genuinely pleased with it – I really am. And it was a fantastic opportunity as well to work with my husband. We have a wee studio at home. It was like, god, let's do something!’

As she talks about putting the album together, Clare adds: ‘I'm making it sound idyllic, and in many ways it was, it just sort of came together.

‘There was a lot of hard work and effort that goes into it also. But some hard work is easier than others! It just grew and grew and became a joy to work on.’

And because there was no weight of expectation, they could take their time with it.

‘Exactly,’ says Clare. ‘Some might say I'm rushing it after all this time,’ she laughs.

However, when it came to material for the album, Clare wasn't sitting on decades of unused songs.

‘Not at all – I pretty much started from scratch.

‘People have always asked me about doing an autobiography and it's never appealed to me, but I really liked the idea of almost doing a memoir through songs, so it's very much about being being 16-17, and it's almost going back to where I started in my inspiration. I went back and listened to lots of music I used to listen to before I would go out clubbing with my fake ID.

‘It really inspired me, it took me back to a place of genuine enthusiasm for music. I was listening to all the old Human League, Kraftwerk, Simple Minds, old Altered Images, it was really good fun!’

Given that Clare was exactly that age when Altered Images started, is this her coming full circle?

‘Yeah I guess so. We probably spent more time with our families than we would normally do. I have a teenage daughter, and I was seeing life through her eyes a little bit.

‘I was also recognising that in many ways I'm essentially the same person I was when I started. I don't know if that's depressing,’ she chuckles, ‘or not a bad thing. For me it's recognising who I am after all of this time – somebody's who's obsessed with music!’

For live shows in recent years Clare has been working with ‘a pool of about 10 really brilliant musicians from Glasgow’, so line-ups have changed from tour-to-tour and even gig-to-gig, depending on availability.

But as Clare says: ‘It keeps it quite exciting – they're all great and it's a nice opportunity to work with younger people, which keeps it fresh. They vary in age from 20 to 40, so they might have been tortured with Happy Birthday at their parties growing up...’

‘I try to work with a lot of women musicians and provide opportunities where one might not normally exist, but they're all excellent.’

When asked if Steve will be back in the band this time out, there is a most emphatic: ‘No.’

‘His touring days are well and truly over. Although I think he's quite excited by these new songs, so it wouldn't surprise me if at some point in the future, Bernard, Robert, Stephen and I did get on a stage and performed together, but that's not going to be happening on this tour.

‘It would be a lovely thing to do, even if just once, to play the album together...’

Clare has been something of a regular on Rewind/nostalgia tours and festivals too. How does she feel about just playing ‘the hits’ at those kinds of shows?

‘I love those songs, and I probably wouldn't have this album deal I do now if it wasn't for them.

‘I have a huge fondness for them, however, I was also doing more smaller venue headline shows and people would say: “Clare, you've got to do some new music”. And I thought, yeah, I do!

‘But I never had the time because I was always working on other stuff, and I'm also a mum so there's only so much I can cram in. I guess now my daughter's a bit older... I was desperate to be creative again.’

With her music coming to the fore, acting is taking a back seat for now, but she has a film currently doing the film festival rounds – My Old School. Part documentary, part drama it tells the true story of Brandon Lee who, as a 30-year-old managed to trick everyone into believing he was 16 and went back to school.

‘I have a small role in it, but it was lovely to be part of,’ says Clare. ‘But this year's very much about Mascara Streakz, because I'm involved in the whole creative process, the videos, the artwork, and I wanted to immerse myself in it all. If it goes wrong, it's all my fault!’

The album is yet to have a release date set because of the ongoing vinyl shortage, so all formats are being held for a simultaneous release, rather than the split digital/physical release approach some similarly effected acts have opted for.

’It should be out in the summer. We decided to wait so we can do it all simultaneously though, I've waited this long, so I may as well see it through properly!’

The album can be pre-ordered here: alteredimages.tmstor.es.

Altered Images are at Engine Rooms, Southampton, on Wednesday, March 23. Go to engineroomssouthampton.com.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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