The Woodentops: Before During After

We made a point of not rehearsing some songs too much just in case they got a bit stagnant. And if people were dancing and it was working we’d see no reason to change it. It was at the time when dance music DJs began taking the bits that they liked, that worked and repeated them. That’s exactly what we did.

WHAT DID PANNI’S DESIGNS BRING TO THE LIVE SHOW? The live show was collaboration between Panni, us and our lighting crew - because we had a lighting crew by then. She made a load of backdrops; she had film which she was always topping up as we went along. We basically had a theatrical stage set, which went round the inside of the building. We took over the venue so that the audience was kind of entering our world. The Woodentops freaky grotto! We’d take you over and chew your brains up for the night and hopefully also romance you along the way and get you bopping.

Once the place becomes a theatrical event it’s amazing how it inspires you to go more and more towards the creative edge. It was described as ‘The Woodentops: Aborigines on acid’. I was nicely divorced from reality in there. In the zone.

HOW WAS THE SHOW RECEIVED AROUND THE WORLD GIVEN THAT YOU WERE PLAYING ALTERED, TURBO VERSIONS OF THE ALBUM TRACKS? DID IT SURPRISE PEOPLE DO YOU THINK? There was a reason for it being turbo. It felt good. It just didn’t feel like we were thinking about it; it was all so instinctive. The band feeding the audience, the audience feeding the band.

DID YOU FEEL A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE GOOD EACH NIGHT WHEN YOU PLAYED? Yeah. Once the album was out we definitely felt a responsibility and we really got nervous. We were terrified before we went on stage. I couldn’t speak. I could hardly control what was coming out of my mouth because I was so nervous. Benny the drummer 18