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Graham Clark
Music Features Writer
@Maxximum23Clark
5:09 PM 18th January 2022
arts

Interview With Steve Hackett

 
Hot on the heels of his most successful solo tour ever, Steve Hackett will be touring with his i Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited - Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour in the autumn.

The tour will mark the 50th anniversary of the legendary Genesis album Foxtrot which, in 1972, was pivotal in establishing the band as a major force in British rock.

I spoke to Steve about the new tour and the Genesis songs:

What can we expect on the Foxtrot at Fifty tour?
There will be no support act on the tour, the first part of the show will be a mixture of my solo material and a few Genesis favourites followed in the second part with the Foxtrot album played in its entirety.

That all starts off in the UK during September. Before that though we are playing some European shows starting in March. After that we head to Canada and America before crossing to New Zealand and Australia - all these shows will be the 'Seconds Out' shows before we return to the UK in the autumn for the Foxtrot at Fifty tour.

The 'Seconds Out' tour was a huge success, are you proud of how the tour went?
It went very well, We did thirty one dates across the country, it was the longest one I have done in my life. It was a good time for Genesis fans too as Genesis were touring the UK the same time as our tour. It was like the two versions of Genesis side by side: the singles version and the album version.

I saw the 'Seconds Out' tour and the band seemed to really gel together. Have you played together for a long time?
Yes, the band are very good - the more shows we play we do get better. You have to be on top of your game to play the music we play. For me though it felt like revisiting the past but looking to the future too. For the 'Seconds Out' tracks it took a while to relearn the stuff and get back into the right mindset.

Genesis influenced so many other groups, have any been in contact with you?
I have got pals in Marillion - I have toured in the past with Ian Mosley and Steve Rothery. I have worked with Steve Howe from Yes in the group GTR in the 1980’s. I do enjoy working with other musicians as part of a team.

You have such a loyal fanbase, are you surprised by their loyalty?
The fans have been very good- you have to remember that on the last tour in the UK competition was at its greatest: there was Covid and there was Genesis playing up the road!

Do you ever think of retirement?
I do not intend to retire as I live for touring. I like to think that it energises people. It's also healing. When you see people leaving the theatre with a smile on their face that makes it all worthwhile.

On the last tour we had great audiences from the London Palladium right through to Scunthorpe. I always try to get and check out the town or city we are playing in as I am fascinated with the history of places, though a lot of it is down to time and how long you have got before the show,

My wife Jo is very important to all of the organisation that goes into all the touring too. We are a great team.

Are there any Genesis songs that are harder to play than others?
They are all complicated! The songs off the Foxtrot album in particular as quite a few of the songs have very intricate guitar solos, if you miss one note then the whole timing is out.
If you listen to Watcher of the Skies you can hear the complicated rhythm, you have to follow what the bass drum is doing; there is almost a staccato aspect to it. The beauty of the early Genesis albums is that they were always full of surprises when you first heard them, from a musical aspect they had such wide dynamics.

Do you have any connections with the north of England?
I go up to York quite often to see the guys from Mostly Autumn. My brother lives in Sheffield, I do like my visits up north and try and get up there as much as I can.

Dates in the north are as follows:

Tuesday 20 September - Hull City Hall
Thursday 22 September - Gateshead Sage
Saturday 24 September - York Barbican
Monday 26 September - Buxton Opera House
Tuesday 27 September - Grimsby Auditorium
Friday 30 September - Sheffield City Hall
Saturday 1 October - Manchester O2 Apollo
Saturday 8 October - Liverpool Philharmonic


Tickets for Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited - Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights are on sale from:
www.myticket.co.uk