It's Sweetpool Week in Outsideleft and today we get on a shopping trip with singer and guitarist, Nic Beales, who clearly gives a lot of thought to shopping as we must do. He can certainly talk about it...
1) What was the last electrical appliance you bought?
Well, now this is the deeply incisive questioning that we have to deal with in the rock and roll world! Not ‘how did Cold Play’s last album affect you on a spiritual level?’, ‘what position would you have to sit in if you want to sing like the singer out of Cold Play? Or ‘can you name any number one single from the last 20 years?!’ No it’s a question about electrical appliances. Oh, well - for Christmas I bought my lovely wife a device to basically force grow herbs, you know with a light that shines on the seeds for 17 hours a day and its own water supply, It’s basically her own little Cannabis factory -with less Cannabis and more Basil. It’s really good actually-you whip up your Italian slop, pluck a few leaves and bob’s your uncle you feel like a real chef and start shouting ‘get out of my kitchen!’
2) How many shoes do you own?
Well, I would normally calculate this answer in twos, seems appropriate? So there’s the brown pair that I saw at the Merry Hill shopping centre, where I walked all round Merry Hill thinking about these shoes. Should I buy them, could I possibly live without them, would my life feel empty if I wasn’t the proud owner of those particular brown shoes? After an hour or so (the actual timing isn’t that relevant to the story, just let’s imagine, it’s a while) I returned to the shop and spent my twelve pounds on these shoes. Ok twelve pounds may not seem that much. It was a sale and it was quite a long time ago. Do you know, I got them home, tried them on again and never wore the bloody things! That was until several years later when, I don’t know, the then current ones had fallen apart-that I spied these brown, somewhat dusty shoes in the rack and thought, hey, why not-who’s going to judge me for wearing those fairly unpleasant shoes in public and they slowly became my favourites. I have got other shoes but space is limited so you you’ll not get the full story of all of those.
3) Thinking about only what you are wearing now and including your watch, jewellery and glasses if you wear them, how much would it cost me to get dressed up just like you? And where would I have to go to get the look?
I find this question a little disturbing, why would you want to dress like me, weirdo?! However, if you did, you’d need to find black jeans and a black long sleeved t-shirt. As you can imagine, these unusual items are quite difficult to find, unless that is, you google black jeans and black long sleeved t-shirt and then it’s remarkably easy! I have just got a watch which tells you who’s phoning and if you’ve had a whatsapp -goodness the seconds it’s saved me looking at my phone!
4) What are you going to be eating for dinner tonight?
Referring back to one of your previous questions ,tonight for a change, we’re not eating Italian slop! I’m thinking quiche and new potatoes. Fancy that?
5) What is the most amount you have ever spent on a bottle of wine or other alcoholic beverage and when and where was it?
I drink a lot of wine, I can’t deny it and I do tend to spend up to eight pounds on a bottle – yes, I can almost hear the sharp intake of breath! However, I do remember the most expensive round that I’ve been involved in. It was a holiday in Turkey. It was hot and there were a few of us so we decided to try out the only bar in the airport. Four beers please, I happily asked the expectant bar person. "Certainly sir, that’s just one hundred pounds!" Ouch.
6) What and where is your favourite shop?
Sadly, my favourite shop isn’t there anymore. It was a Western shop in Netherton just outside Dudley. You go in there and you could by cowboy shirts, boots, hats, you know anything that made you like you were from the wild west rather than the West Midlands. I said to the owner one day, wow, this is amazing, I guess your customers are all into line dancing? He said , in his strong Dudley accent, "no, they’re just people who want to dress like cowboys!" Presumably you get a lot those in Netherton?
7) How do you get around town?
My trusty 12 year old diesel has done thousands of miles getting us to the rock and roll centres of the world, well, of the country at least. Camden was last gig but before we’ve been to places like Bridlington, Great Yarmouth, Preston and all sorts of wild and wonderful places!
8) Where is your favourite place to holiday?
Well, I’ve spent a lot of time on the Isle of Wight over the years but the last holiday was Italy. Which I’d have to say was nicer than the Isle of Wight. Who’d have thought?!!
SWEETPOOL WEEK IN OUTSIDELEFT
MON: It's Sweetpool Week All Week in Outsideleft → | Record Release In-Store at Slow Century →
TUES: Happy Shopper with Jase →
WEDS: Happy Shopper Ant → | Interview with Nic →
THU: 3AM. LP review by Jonathan Thornton → | Happy Shopper with Nic →
FRI: Some Songs Sweetpool really need you to know about...
essential information
Main image photo supplied by Nic Beales
Sweetpool's website is here →
