Being Paul Draper (my world exclusive for Louder Than War)

So, quite by accident - I managed, just before Christmas to secure an interview with Paul Draper, the lead singer and chief songwriter with Mansun, who were my favourite band when I was a teenager. It all came from a feature that I wrote for Louder Than War about a fan petition established to persuade Draper to release his mysterious solo album. This is an album that was recorded ten years ago, after Mansun split up, and was scheduled for release by EMI before Draper dramatically pulled the plug.

Well, things seem to be really happening in the world of Paul Draper right now. "The Anchoress", a project he has co-produced with the singer Catherine Anne Davies (and helped with some of the writing) has a debut single "What Goes Around" coming out in May on Too Pure Singles Club. And there is even talk of a solo release of some sort this year. It is likely to be a single to begin with but who knows? The release of "Spooky Action At A Distance", the title of Paul Draper's solo record as revealed exclusively to me, may not be as distant a prospect as fans once thought.

My Paul Draper articles for LTW can be read here, here and last but not least, HERE.

There is even going to be a Mansun convention in Chester over the summer, on Saturday 23rd August. I have been invited to speak about Mansun's "legacy" (pun intended, I think).  More to come on that.