“I’ve never seen that before, it was interesting.”
Nathan Moore is the lead singer from 80s and 90s groups, Brother Beyond and Worlds Apart. Associated with hit songs such as ‘Everlasting Love‘, ‘The Harder I Try‘, and one of my personal favourites, ‘He Ain’t No Competition‘, Moore has been part of some of the biggest pop tunes. These tracks, his work in various groups, and his extensive touring schedule have provided Moore with an impressive legacy as someone not afraid to show their appreciation for the pop genre, both from the 80s and otherwise.
Q: Recently, you’ve played loads of shows and some are at some holiday parks, some are at bigger festivals. Do you prefer playing bigger or more intimate crowds?
“Good question, I quite like intimate. I think that’s where I’m at my best, when I’m close to the crowd. But, you know, this is a bigger festival and I’m playing with 8-piece band, so that’s good too. Sometimes, and quite a lot of the time, I’m doing a playback show which is great, get the party going. It’s nice to play with musicians like I’m doing today. Yeah, I love them both, but I’m very good close up.“
Q: Shows like this [Rewind] are obviously throwback festivals. What do you like about playing these kinds of shows?
“I love seeing people dress up, they go to, like, level 10. Nothing is too much.“
Q: Have you seen any outfits this weekend that you like?
“I haven’t, kind of, been out there seeing everyone just yet. Last week, last week was quite funny. I was at a festival, there were 10 people with Nathan masks on. I’ve never seen that before, it was interesting.“
Q: What are some of your favourite things about live music in general? Do you like being in the crowd, or actually being on stage performing?
“Oh. I guess, really, I perform at lots of gigs. The last thing I want to do is go to a gig, I’ll be really honest. It’s hard for me to get excited about going to other gigs, to be honest.“
Q: As a solo performer, and as part of Brother Beyond and Worlds Apart, who have some of your biggest inspirations been?
“In the 80s, I always loved George Michael and Wham, just brilliant.“
Do you think people hear that in your music?
“Yeah I think so. George definitely, as a singer.“
Q: The website that I write for focuses on artists with less recognition. Do you know of anyone that you think deserves more recognition, or perhaps someone you like that you think more people should listen to?
“Ooh, I’d love to give a big up to somebody. It’s really hard to…you ask really tough questions. I actually can’t answer that, I don’t know.“
What about general advice for smaller artists then?
“I think you’ve just got to get out there, do live gigs, that’s the way forward. That’s the fun part anyway. When I started out, I was in a band with my sister, The Palm Tree Club. We did pubs, every weekend, that’s the way forward. Get out there, it didn’t matter about things like payment because at 17, we felt it was just great fun.“
Q: If you had to start this all again, with things like social media, do you think you’d be able to be as successful as what you became with the likes of Brother Beyond?
“In some ways, you have got an avenue to get yourself out there. You really had to go and do gigs and meet the public, sing for the public. Whereas, you could post stuff, I guess. Wow, that’s a really good question! I don’t know. Yes and no, I think. I think there’s less opportunity to pitch to record companies. Back then, there was lots of money in records, so there was lots of record companies.“
Q: Are there any particular songs that are your favourite to play live, or perhaps ones you think get the most interaction from the crowd?
“Well, I’m doing a song today, I’m finishing with not a Brother Beyond song, but one from my other band that I sang for called Worlds Apart. We had a really big hit with ‘Everlasting Love’ in France. Everyone knows that song. When the crowd hear it, I’m sure they’re going to sing along. That brings me a lot of pleasure, I love that.“