Ian Broudie, a singer, songwriter, and producer born in Liverpool in 1958, gained recognition for his successful songs during the Britpop era with his band the Lightning Seeds. In addition to producing music for other bands such as Echo and the Bunnymen, the Zutons, the Coral, and the Fall, Ian has had a diverse career that includes playing guitar for the post-punk group Big in Japan in the 1970s and achieving a No 1 hit with the 1996 football anthem “Three Lions.” To celebrate their 35-year anniversary, Ian’s son Riley, 32, who also manages him and plays guitar for the Lightning Seeds, will be joining the band on their upcoming tour promoting a greatest hits album.
Ian
During the initial five years of Riley’s existence, our residence was a sandstone cottage situated on Beaconsfield Road in Liverpool, directly across from Strawberry Fields – the orphanage that influenced the famous Beatles’ song title. In this photo, Riley is approximately four years old and has taken up a guitar while singing along to the tune I was attempting to compose. Riley would frequently try to divert my focus and engage me while I was working, but I didn’t mind. Ultimately, we would end up simply playing music together.
During the third album of the Lightning Seeds, I primarily worked in a studio setting and did not go on tour. As a result, I spent a significant amount of time with Riley during his younger years. Looking back, I consider this time at home with him to be the most enjoyable and content moments of my life. Although I had not achieved much success at the time, I was on my way towards it.
Riley arrived a few weeks after the expected due date. As the date passed, I began to write a song called “The Life of Riley,” expressing my concerns about becoming a father. When I finally met him, I was overwhelmed and scared, afraid that I might accidentally harm him. The midwife, a kind nurse from Liverpool, announced, “It’s a boy! Here you go!” and motioned for me to hold him. I hesitated, saying, “I don’t have experience with babies.” She replied, “You do now, dear.” Placing him in my arms was a remarkable moment.
Similar to all young children, Riley would wake up multiple times during the night. During this time, I owned a Citroën car that had brakes with suspension. At 4am, I would bundle him up and we would get into the car. I would turn on the heating and suspension, and put on Oasis’s debut album at a high volume. The music would blast from the car stereo as the car moved up and down. While he slept in the backseat, I would doze off in the front. Our neighbors must have been quite amused by the sight of us on our late night drives. It’s no surprise that Riley developed a love for Oasis as he grew up.
When Riley was seven, I separated from his mother and we lived separately. During this time, I was anxious about our future and the state of our relationship. However, we ended up becoming close friends. From the beginning, I made the decision to treat him as an equal, explaining things to him as if he was an adult and avoiding giving him simple answers when he asked questions. As it turned out, he became very curious in school. Although his teachers were annoyed by it, I thought it was impressive.
Riley’s a lot brighter than me, in most ways. I’m not well educated. I left school when I was 15 and I’ve got a really awkward way of writing songs – it’s based on not knowing how to do certain things and being obsessive until it’s right, but that can also take me to interesting places creatively.
The first time we performed together, he was 14 and we played acoustically in Liverpool. I wanted him to have that experience, and our chemistry just clicked; the way we played guitar complemented each other like brothers. During that time, I wasn’t fully invested in my music. I felt like our band had gone from being at the top to playing at a lower level. However, I gradually started performing more, including a solo show with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2014. Ian McCulloch joined me for one song, along with Terry Hall and James Skelly and Bill Ryder-Jones from the Coral. Riley was on guitar that night. His energy was a driving force for me to rediscover my enjoyment for performing.
Over time, as tasks arose in my profession, Riley began taking them on for me, thus becoming my manager. During a recent conversation, I expressed my confusion about being labeled as difficult to work with. I do not believe that I am difficult to work with… After a prolonged silence from Riley, I asked if he had anything to say. He responded, “I have nothing to say.” When I spoke to his mother later, she confirmed that Riley had indeed described me as a nightmare.
Possibly, this is true, but collaborating with my son is wonderful. He approaches things with passion and he even calls me to give me instructions and directions. This is helpful for me because I tend to get easily distracted. This picture captures our dynamic perfectly: I am more laid-back and avoidant, while he is more proactive and solution-oriented.
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Riley
This picture captures my childhood perfectly – sitting in the backyard, strumming the guitar with my dad. If we weren’t doing that, we would be running around with a football. We also spent time indoors, listening to his songs on the radio.
My father’s occupation always seemed ordinary to me. It never struck me as strange. My friends were familiar with the music of the Lightning Seeds, and most people were kind, even though it could be a little annoying when they sang “Three Lions” to me. This didn’t happen too often, and I never felt ashamed of my dad’s accomplishments. I was proud.
My father is a significant figure in my life, both as a parent and in my career. We have a strong bond and are very close. My parents separated when I was young, so I only spent weekends with my dad. But now, as we perform and travel together, I am able to make up for lost time from my childhood.
When you reach a certain age, the dynamic between you and your parent may shift. As the child, you may feel a sense of responsibility towards your parent. As I am the one who looks after my dad, I definitely feel that way towards him. He now relies on me to ensure that everything runs smoothly for his career. While on tour, we have a great time together and if anyone needs reprimanding, the tour manager takes care of it – not me. My dad understands that all my actions are in our best interest, as well as for the band and his deeply personal songs.
I never anticipated becoming a member of my father’s band. I was fully focused on studying history. During my gap year before starting university, my father invited me to join him for some performances. One of the earliest ones was at Glastonbury in 2010. I was initially quite anxious, but as time went on, I realized that despite being on the Pyramid stage, it was similar to us playing together in our backyard. From then on, I became hooked. Playing my father’s songs comes naturally to me. They are ingrained in my mind and soul.
My father is emotionally expressive, but he communicates most effectively through his lyrics. If there are things he struggles to express in conversation, he conveys them through his music. As someone who knows him intimately, I can decipher this hidden meaning. Keeping a collection of his songs and thoughts is truly special, as it is a part of him that will remain forever.
Source: theguardian.com
