During Blur reunion, I was determined to stay connected to Rose, says Graham Coxon
GRAHAM COXON and Rose Elinor Dougall, partners in life AND music, have taken things to the next level.
If their first album as The Waeve was the sound of “working it out as we went along”, their second is bigger, bolder, darker, edgier.
For the Blur guitarist and the former Pipettes singer, City Lights is proof that this meeting of like minds has staying power — and that it can pack a punch.
When I mention his squalling guitar on the opening title track, Coxon says: “As soon as you put it on, it’s like getting a few punches in the face.”
And when asked to define the essential difference between the two albums, he replies: “The first draws on the natural world — the countryside and dreamy coastal settings.
Everything felt more muscular and more driven. And I was up for exploring that energy further.
Rose Elinor Dougall
“The guitars had a bluish, smudged sort of attitude.
“But because the second one is more city orientated, we were a lot less gentle.”
Dougall nods in agreement, adding: “I don’t think Graham needed any encouragement this time around.
“Everything felt more muscular and more driven. And I was up for exploring that energy further.”
Coxon draws my attention to Broken Boys, another song with a gritty, urban vibe and inspired by his love of “cheap, post-punk weirdo music”.
He says: “It’s got distorted guitar, then Rose cuts right through with a nasty synth noise. She’s being as bad as me!”
Then there is the unnerving Moth To A Flame, which, says Coxon, has “an almost moronic bassline” and is based on his “recurring nightmares and mad scribblings at 4am”.
‘So transformative’
When I spoke to the couple early last year for the self-titled Waeve debut, Dougall was bouncing their baby daughter on her knee — now the subject of their heartfelt Song For Eliza May.
This time, when our video call flickers into life, they’re sitting in the same room somewhere in North London but Dougall reports: “She’s at nursery today, thankfully, so we can string a sentence together properly.”
Of the song she calls their “loving gesture” to Eliza, she adds: “When we started working on the record, I was a bit reticent about referring to her because it felt too vulnerable.
“Within the music and the lyrics, there’s a feeling that we can’t always be optimistic and sweet . . . because the world isn’t like that.
Graham Coxon
“But The Waeve is a place where we reflect on what’s happening to us in the moment.
“I thought it would be a missed opportunity not to engage with the idea of motherhood. Having a child is so transformative.”
Propelled by Coxon’s mandolin, Song For Eliza May is no sugar-coated ode. Instead it addresses any parent’s concern about bringing a child into our dangerous world.
One verse goes: “I dread the day when you first realise the cruelty of the truth that life ain’t fair. Seek out beauty and magic everywhere.”
Coxon says: “I’m glad it’s not happy-clappy or comparable to John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy.
‘There is a threat running through all of the songs, even the one about our daughter.
“Within the music and the lyrics, there’s a feeling that we can’t always be optimistic and sweet . . . because the world isn’t like that.”
Talking to Coxon and Dougall, it’s clear their little daughter has had further influence on their new album.
Of the languid Simple Days, Dougall says: “That nice bit of (acoustic) guitar came from Graham fiddling around in the front room, playing for Eliza.”
Coxon picks up the thread: “The chords at the beginning of Sunrise, and the melody, came from me playing to her early in the morning.”
Now, before we go on, it’s time for a Waeve recap. Their self-titled debut record arrived in February last year, just before the not insignificant matter of the Blur reunion which included two momentous shows at Wembley Stadium and an acclaimed LP, The Ballad Of Darren.
Guitar heroics
Coxon and Dougall were mindful that their project should not lose momentum but the return of the Britpop darlings proved a great experience — for both of them.
“I was lucky enough to go to quite a few shows. They were joyful,” says Dougall.
“And Graham did such an amazing job keeping all the plates spinning throughout last year.”
Coxon’s guitar heroics were among the great spectacles of the Wembley shows — one photo showing him playing mid-air like The Who’s Pete Townshend in his prime.
He says: “It was quite surreal just how well it all went and how relaxed it all felt.
“We had a lot more people working on Blur machinery than The Waeve’s, so I didn’t have to worry about an awful lot.
“I just had to show up, play guitar and not make too much of an idiot of myself — oh, and not hurt myself!”
It’s safe to say that the Blur crowds were blissfully unaware that Coxon was in the middle of a delicate juggling act involving two bands.
“I wasn’t resentful about being taken away from Waeve-land,” he says. “It was great fun to be back out with those boys and facing big audiences.
“But I also really needed to keep connected to Rose and to what we wanted to do musically.”
Even while Blur were playing festival dates after their Wembley triumph, Coxon was coming up with ideas for The Waeve’s album No.2.
“You can get out of the habit of writing music but I wanted to get into the habit because I felt that a second album was in reach,” he says.
“I took a little studio set up with me so when I was jet-lagged at four in the morning, I wasn’t just watching crazy TV that I didn’t understand — I could actually work on something.
There’s nothing stunted about the way we work together and that makes me feel optimistic for the future.
Rose Elinor Dougall
“It was very important to me to keep everything bubbling at the surface rather than dropping out of sight.”
Coxon offers a wry smile when he recalls the first proper sessions with Dougall for the City Lights album.
“I always seem to be feeling well when I do stuff with Blur but I was so exhausted when I finally got home that I succumbed to illness.
“And that was when we had to do the recordings for The Waeve.”
Dougall remembers the moment well, saying: “We both had horrible colds for the first session and then Graham got tonsillitis for the second.
“On Girl Of The Endless Night, there’s even a tonsillitis kind of timbre to Graham’s vocal but it turned out rather well.”
The pair soon got into their stride, however, cementing a creative partnership which both appreciate enormously.
“It’s comforting and reassuring that we’ve managed to make this second record quickly,” says Dougall.
“There’s nothing stunted about the way we work together and that makes me feel optimistic for the future.”
As for Coxon, he sensed the spark between himself and Dougall was there from the start.
‘Can be a disaster’
He says: “When we were swapping ideas really early on, late 2020, early ’21, I just thought, ‘Crikey, how often do these moments produce good music?’”
And Dougall again: “I’ve done a bit more co-writing than Graham.
“It can seem really brilliant on paper but if the stars don’t align and there isn’t the right energy in the room, it can be a disaster.
“When I got the opportunity to work with one of my favourite ever musicians, I worried that it might be a total nightmare. I was relieved when it wasn’t!”
Coxon adds: “Maybe it was just luck but it felt as if someone was looking after us — as if the universe was knocking our heads together.”
Kickstarting and setting the tone of the new album is the aforementioned title track, City Lights.
Not only does it feature Coxon’s guitar at its searing best but also his dizzying saxophone solo.
He describes himself as a “bit of a jazzer at heart” but says the sax can “sit quite awkwardly within a lot of pop music”.
For Coxon, exceptions include Hazel O’Connor’s Breaking Glass album and various songs by Ian Dury & The Blockheads, King Crimson and his favourite prog rock band, Van Der Graaf Generator.
Two of the new Waeve compositions, also the longest naturally, have a distinct whiff of prog about them.
Druantia, named after a tree goddess in a Robert Graves book, is nearly eight minutes of retro-styled freak-out.
As for its message, Dougall says: “It’s about the blood and guts of life and how nature isn’t just this beautiful thing but can also be dark and weird.”
Despite its unsettling lyrics, the album finale Sunrise builds to an uplifting crescendo, driven by keyboards and strings.
For Coxon, the song’s “outro” harks back to the closing passages of Pink Floyd’s Saucerful of Secrets or What Goes On by the Velvet Underground
He says: “I like stuff that subtly gains intensity. So, yeah, I love doing long stuff — I can’t really help myself.”
Another song worthy of note is You Saw, the idea for which was initiated by Dougall.
“It’s a reflection on reconciling your past self with your present self,” she says.
“Obviously my life has changed dramatically in the last few years since I met Graham.
‘Oasis reunion good’
“And just because you have a kid, you don’t suddenly become this whole new person.”
Before we go our separate ways, the conversation inevitably drifts back to Blur and a certain other Britpop band which has hit the headlines, Oasis.
Coxon backs the decision by Noel and Liam Gallagher to put aside their feud and follow in Blur’s footsteps to Wembley Stadium.
Hopefully it’s a genuine reunion because some bands break up and don’t get that chance again.
Graham Coxon on the Oasis reunion
“It’s good for them and it’s good for fans. I’ve been saying, ‘Just do it,’” he says.
His path crossed with Noel this summer when The Waeve appeared on the same festival bill.
So did Coxon encourage him to reform Oasis? I ask.
“God no, I wouldn’t have talked to him about it and it’s not really my business. I don’t know him well enough to say that.
“But hopefully it’s a genuine reunion because some bands break up and don’t get that chance again.”
And what about the future of Blur?
“Each time we get together, there needs to be a shared experience like making a record, otherwise there’s no point in doing it for us,” affirms Coxon.
“That involves a hell of a lot more work and stress though!” he insists.
Then he pauses for a second before adding: “And we all feel the need to go out and do our own things.”
That, of course, is where The Waeve comes in. “It’s the best gig ever!” says Dougall.