Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Q&A

Adam Newton

Adam Newton is the bassist in Bristol-based UK rock band Blackbud. Since forming in 2002, they’ve toured the world, won huge critical acclaim, and can count Jimmy Page among their fans

01 What do you miss about Bristol when you’re away?

When I’m up in London I find it too big and busy, and get stressed out. But when I go back to Wiltshire, where I grew up, things are often a little on the quiet side. It’s always nice to get back to the happy balance Bristol has.

02 Where’s the best place to eat in Bristol?

If Indian food floats your boat, there’s a great Indian restaurant on Hotwell Road called Raj Bari (183 Hotwell Road, tel. ). Teohs (28-34 Lower Ashley Road, tel. ) in St. Agnes is good for Oriental food.

03 Where’s the best place to drink in Bristol?

One of the best pubs in Bristol is the Mardyke Inn (126 Hotwell Road). If the weather’s decent you can take your drink outside and sit by the river.

Cider drinkers should also go to the Coronation Tap (8 Sion Place) in Clifton.

04 Where do you go in Bristol when you want to get away from it all?

Brandon Hill is a nice place to relax – you can climb Brandon Tower and admire the view of the city. Oldbury Court in Fishponds is a beautiful place, too.

05 Where do you go in Bristol to soak up some culture?

There are some great festivals like Ashton Court, the Harbourside Festival, St. Paul’s Carnival and the Balloon Fiesta. The Watershed (1 Canon’s Road) and the Cube Cinema (4 Princess Row) show independent films. And of course, the Old Vic (36 King Street, tel. ) is a nationally renowned theatre and well worth a visit.

06 What’s you favourite piece of architecture in Bristol?

Clifton Suspension Bridge is quite an impressive structure, and looks cool at night. The Cathedral is pretty beautiful and I think St. Mary Redcliffe church is a really nice building.

07 Where do you shop in Bristol?

St. Nicholas’ Market on Corn Street sells quirky stuff from all over the world. There’s a great fossil shop in there.

08 Where in Bristol do you most enjoy performing?

I really like Fiddlers Club (Willway Street) in Bedminster; they get all kinds of different music down there. And the Prom Music Bar (26 The Promenade, Gloucester Road) is always fun. There’s a really good, vibrant music scene going on in Bristol.

09 Which other European cities have you particularly enjoyed performing in?

We loved Amsterdam – we had the best time over there. Our gig was part of a festival that was celebrating the Queen’s birthday, and the whole city was one big party. Barcelona was good, too. We like doing shows around Europe. The audiences are normally really open and up for a good time.

10 How did the band get started?

We met back in school. We started by just jamming but soon I found myself short of musicians for a gig I was doing and roped the other guys in. It went down so well that we decided to get a short set together, and we started playing pubs every week.

11 When it comes to songwriting, where do you get your inspiration from?

Songwriting is a funny thing; if you’re in the right frame of mind you can get inspiration from almost anything – any personal experience or moment. It’s important for a songwriter to have the ability to take inspiration from different things to keep the writing fresh.

12 If you weren’t a bassist, what would you be?

If I wasn’t a bass player, I think I’d like to be an astronaut. Or a racing car driver. Although I always wanted to be a cartoonist when I was younger, so maybe I’d give that a try.

13 Which other bands or artists do you admire?

Of all the musicians around at the moment, Amy Winehouse really stands out – she’s got an amazing voice. Currently I’m listening to lots of Hank Williams, Daniel Johnston and Loudon Wainwright III.

14 When did you last cry?

I almost cried in the middle of a Daniel Johnston show I saw the other week in Manchester – he played this song called ‘Go’ which is so, so beautiful. I’m sure it must be bad for your health to not cry enough it’s such a feeling of release to have a good bawl!

15 Which words do you most overuse?

Some of the Bristol lingo has started creeping into my vocabulary. Instead of asking ‘Where are you?’ sometimes ‘Where you to?’ slips out.

16 What arwe you working on at the moment?

We’re working on material for the next album. The sound has been getting a little heavier in the last few sessions, and slowly but surely an album is forming.

17 What would your motto be?

Be yourself and think for yourself.

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