The StageLeft Podcast

In this bonus episode, Russ Pritchard shares his journey from early struggles to playing stadiums with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, offering insights into success, songwriting, and the music industry.

Russ Pritchard's early struggles and side jobs

The definition of success for musicians

The co-writing and popularity of Valerie

Deciding when a song is finished

Evolution of bass playing in different bands

Choosing and switching bass guitars on tour

Qualities sought by Noel Gallagher in band members

The importance of personality and humility in musicians

Locking in with drummers for tight rhythm

The impact of songwriting on career success

Produced by Darcy Dewar
Socials by Alex Fordham
YouTube by Beth Iles
With thanks to Annabel Kiddals.
Support us to support emerging musicians by buying our merch from here > https://the-stageleft-podcast.printify.me/

Join us for a recorded live episode with Clive Deamer of Portishead, who analyses and reflects on the iconic Roseland NYC 1997 show, which is regarded as one of the greatest live albums of its era. 
A surprisingly emotional experience, we dive deep into the show itself, the period around the rehearsals and Portishead’s legacy. 
Thank you to Steve Baker from The LongPlay Sessions for putting on the event, we may well do more. If you’d like to do a similar event with us - contact us at chris@thestageleftpodcast.com 
Please support us to help enable young musicians to access educational content for free by buying some merch!
https://the-stageleft-podcast.printify.me/

Recording by Steve Baker
Produced by Darcy Dewar
YouTube Channel by Beth Iles
Socials by Alex Fordham
Hosted by Chris Simpson
www.thestageleftpodcast.com

Join us as Colin MacIntyre of Mull Historical Society shares insights into the psychology of songwriting, album creation, collaboration with authors, and the importance of storytelling in music and literature.
Key Topics:
- The emotional journey of album release
- The process of songwriting and knowing when a song is finished
- Collaboration with authors and visual storytelling
- The importance of human stories in songwriting
- Balancing control and collaboration in music production
- The influence of personal history and environment on creativity
We exist to provide free educational content, so p lease support us by tapping into our merch range here... the-stageleft-podcast.printify.me

Hosted by Chris Simpson
Edited by Darcy Dewar
Socials by Alex Fordham
YouTube by Beth Iles.

They say never meet your heroes. How about interviewing them? Having travelled up and down the UK with mates, skipping train barriers and the like to get to the majestic Secret Guerrilla style Gigs in his late teens, Chris gets to interview the man who wrote one of his favourite albums of all time. 
Recorded the day Embrace released their newest top-ten album 'Avalanche', Chris explores Danny's relationship with avoiding choruses, songwriting camps, the role of a song for the listener and Danny himself and when a song feels complete.
We exist to provide free educational content, so p lease support us by tapping into our merch range here... the-stageleft-podcast.printify.me
Hosted by Chris Simpson
Edited by Darcy Dewar
Socials by Alex Fordham
YouTube by Beth Iles.

On this episode of The StageLeft Podcast, Chris Simpson sits down with Jack Bates — bassist for Smashing Pumpkins and Peter Hook & The Light — to discuss the reality of stepping into one of music’s most iconic musical legacies.
From balancing tours between Billy Corgan and Peter Hook, to playing alongside Jimmy Chamberlin, to recording with the late Mark Lanegan, this is a deep dive into musicianship, identity, touring life, pressure, and what it really means to become a “stage left” musician at the highest level.
Jack opens up about:
• Growing up with Peter Hook as a father
• The emotional reality of performing Joy Division and New Order songs nightly
• How Smashing Pumpkins rehearsals actually work
• Locking in musically with Jimmy Chamberlin
• Why being “easy to be around” matters more than technical ability
• Touring life, introversion, and handling pressure on stage
• Recording Mark Lanegan’s final album
• Choosing setlists for Peter Hook & The Light
• Fan culture, validation, and identity in music
• Why some songs change every night on stage
A fascinating conversation about musicianship, legacy, pressure, creativity and life inside some of alternative music’s most influential worlds.
Edited by Darcy Dewar
Socials by Alex Fordham
YouTube by Beth Iles
Merch:
The StageLeft Podcast Merch Store