Marc Almond Chats About His New Album I’m Not Anyone

Whether with his rich solo catalogue or during his time with the iconic Soft Cell, Marc Almond has always possessed a gift for introducing songs - some lesser known, others a little forgotten by time - to new audiences. This is something he continues with the release of his brand-new album I’m Not Anyone on July 12th 2024. Having captured our imagination with the album's first two releases, we decided to catch up with Marc to learn a little more about the release.


We are very excited for the new album, I'm Not Anyone. Tell us more about compiling the project…

The project came about because I had always wanted to do an album of cover songs, and as I found myself working with the brilliant producer Mike Stevens (who I knew through Annie Lennox), it was an exciting opportunity. I spent the longest time listening to countless songs to find the ones that had in some way touched me, were perfectly crafted, or I felt I could bring something of myself to them. I never just wanted to do a songbook album. I tried to find unusual or undiscovered songs. We experimented quite a bit, but the album we have now is far more than I had dared to hope for. I had a well-known journalist who recently told me that he sat and listened to the whole album and at the end he was in tears - he found it so moving and uplifting.

Fans can pre-order the new album I’m Not Anyone HEREYou have released two singles from the new album already - how typical are they of the album itself?

There aren't really such things as 'singles' any longer, instead they are corporately called focus tracks. In isolation, the two tracks (Elusive Butterly and Gone With The Wind Is My Love) don’t represent the album as such, but they do fit into the mosaic of the whole musical journey I intended.

The album precedes a headline tour. How will you balance your back catalogue with the new record?

Great that you should ask... The tour will be, like the album itself, a concert of ‘only’ cover versions - if you want to hear hits you’re in luck as almost all my well known hits are covers! It should be a great tour, some new songs as well as lots of old songs. And the visual design for these shows looks stunning.



How has your success throughout the years altered your ambitions?

I don’t think I really know the answer to this question. I don’t honestly believe I was an ambitious person. I was always creative and wanted to express myself, but everything that happened to me was a consequence of that creativity, not the reason I created it.

What ambitions remain unfulfilled?

I aim to endure long enough to witness the blossoming of the trees in my garden. I do know we don’t plant trees for ourselves to sit under, but I have chosen a few fast-growing varieties!

You have a very loyal fanbase; how do you balance your creative outlook with their wants for your sound?

An artist has an odd relationship with their fans; in my case, they allow me to indulge myself (and perhaps humour me on occasions), but I stay loyal because I speak to them on some level about their lives, and I always play the hits at some point. In truth, I suppose it is not really about me; it is their journey. My music is just an element of the soundtrack of their lives.

You have worked with many talents over the years. What are the ingredients of a good collaboration?

I have no idea; all I know is that it is almost always difficult to pull off. For all artists who collaborate, it is a strange dance; they have to offer each other something in fairly equal measures, or it doesn’t really work.

Lastly, what is the biggest lesson you've learnt from previous releases that you have applied to this one?

I’ve applied none. No two records or releases are the same, and in the end, it is all about luck—about the stars aligning in some way, a moment when it takes off, an appearance on a show... You just cross your fingers and hope, but once it is released, it is really out of your hands.

Tickets for the following Marc Almond September 2024 UK headline shows are on-sale now HERE

SEPTEMBER

8th - Leeds, Grand Theatre

9th - London, Coliseum

11th - Brighton, Dome

14th - Manchester, Bridgewater Hall

15th - Gateshead, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music Sage 1

16th - Birmingham, Symphony Hall

18th - Bristol, Beacon

21st - Edinburgh, Usher Hall

22nd - New Brighton, Floral Pavilion Theatre