October 4, 2000 11:46

'PHONIC TRUTH

Mere weeks before his first solo tour, [b]Kelly Jones[/b] admits touring as a three-piece got tedious...

STEREOPHONICS frontman KELLY JONES, who is to embark on a solo tour of BRITAIN and IRELAND, has admitted that he became "kind of bored" playing live within a three-piece band.

Jones was speaking to www.mtv.com in the US, where the band are putting the final touches to their forthcoming studio album 'JEEP (Just Enough Education To Perform)' with mixer Andy Wallace. It will be released in the spring through V2.

He said: "When you tour for five years playing as a three-piece, you kind of get a bit bored. So I wanted to make a record with a lot more scope to it, a lot more depth, and a lot more like a record that I'd go out and buy. When we went into the studio, that was a big frame of mind for us. We didn't want to go into a studio and worry about reproducing it live; we just wanted to make the record first and worry about that later."

He continued: "You don't feel the new material is being experimental, you just feel of it that you've grown as musicians you've got so much things in your head that you want to put down on tape, and you're less afraid of doing it. I think that's what it is. You've covered so much ground, you've got a good following behind you, and you're much more confident with what you do, so you just think, 'Fuck it', and do it. I think that's what happens."

Elsewhere he described 'JEEP' as "very lyrical" and "a lot more atmospheric".

As reported yesterday on nme.com, Jones will embark on his debut solo tour of Ireland and the UK, calling at:

Dublin Vicar Street (November 3) Brighton Corn Exchange (15) Bath The Pavilion (16) Glasgow Old Fruit Market (18) Edinburgh Queens Hall (19) York Opera House (21) Birmingham Irish Centre (22) Cardiff Coal Exchange (24).