Interview: Dave Hemingway

From The Beautiful South to new evolution The South, this band’s hits have been ever-present on the music scene since 1988. Holly Cozens catches up with long-standing vocalist Dave Hemingway as he talks about the new tour, chart success and old friend and ex-member Paul Heaton

From 1983 drummer-turned-vocalist Dave Hemingway and vocalist Paul Heaton have brought popular music to a lot of UK households; from singing about a Caravan of Love with The Housemartins (also with Brighton local Norman Cook) to the successful pop band The Beautiful South.

With the latter deciding to call time on their 20 year long relationship in 2008 due to “musical similarities”, band members Hemingway and third female vocalist Alison Wheeler were having too much fun to hang up the hits and formed ‘The South’. With other regular members of the original forming, The South are beginning their new tour with some of the old back catalogue of tunes as well as a new album, ‘Sweet Refrains’.

As my family is in its third generation of Beautiful South listeners passed down devotedly from my Father through me right down to my 12 year old sister, I was given the honour of speaking to the man who made many of these songs a joy for me and other fans to listen to. Dave Hemingway wasn’t always a vocalist, he began as a drummer until Heaton asked him to be a frontman with The Beautiful South,
‘It was hard to adjust at first, I mean where do you put your hands? but I grew into it over time and now I really enjoy it.’

His soft tones matched with original female vocalist Briana Corrigan’s won them their only number one hit with ‘A Little Time’, a song that propelled them to become one of the most popular UK bands.
‘When ‘A Little Time’ went to number one, it was one of the happiest days of my life. I was so proud it was incredible to hear that song everywhere we went. It’s why we still perform it today, as it was an important song for us’.

With The South boasting a whole host of past hits on their playlist for their tour including old classics such as ‘Old Red Eyes Is Back’, ‘Song For Whoever’ and one of my personal favourites ’36D’, I was keen to find out how the absence of ex-frontman and songwriter Paul Heaton would affect the re-union,
‘Paul was ready to leave and we weren’t. Now he is off doing his own thing which is great and given us his blessing to carry on with the music. We are a happy band together who just want to continue to play good tunes’.

Songs from The South’s debut album ‘Sweet Refrains’ will be played amidst the many Beautiful South hits on their tour and Dave Hemingway feels a real responsibility to produce a new sound that will both compliment the old and entertain die-hard fans who treasure those oldies,
‘We realised that the standard has to be so high but also that the album will stand up on its own away from the regular tunes. I know that the audience will want to hear those and we love playing them but we hope they enjoy the new album too’.

‘Sweet Refrains’ is now available to buy on iTunes.
The South started their tour on Monday 30 September at Komedia, Brighton.
Visit www.thesouth.co.uk for more information or join them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSouthBand?fref=ts