Total Production Magazine: Human Resources
An interesting feature on The Humans, and interview with sound engineer Paul Nicholson, from the April 2010 issue of ‘Total Production’ magazine.
On the recent debut tour by Toyah Willcox’s new outfit, The Humans, The foh and monitor mixes – and the live recording – were all engineered by Paul Nicholson who explained all to Mark Cunningham at London’s Scala…
In February, The Humans – the new outfit featuring singer Toyah Willcox, Bill Riefl in of R.E.M. and Chris Wong, with honorary member Robert Fripp (of King Crimson fame) on spaced-out guitar – played their first UK live shows in the wake of their début album, We Are The Humans.
After intimate warm-up shows in West Country churches, the four-piece astonished audiences at The Assembly in Leamington Spa, Cambridge’s The Junction and The Scala in London’s Kings Cross, where TPi saw them in all their experimental glory.
Inspired covers of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘These Boots Are Made For Walking’ and Hendrix’s psych-rock classic ‘Purple Haze’ were the only vague nods to Toyah’s 1980s pop past. With Mr. Fripp onboard – her husband of 24 years and a globally-worshipped God of Prog – there was never going to be anything mainstream about these gigs.
Their intriguing sound has been variously described as ‘art rock’, ‘twisted funk’ and ‘complex’. Arguably, all three labels stand up and though not comfortable listening, the audience – with exception of one individual who clearly bought his ticket to hear the singer reprise her 1981 hit ‘It’s A Mystery’.
• Read the full feature at the ‘Red Square Audio’ website, here.
