Sweet’s longest-serving member Andy Scott chats to Sophie Clarke about keeping the band’s legacy alive, and the “privilege” of performing at Belfast’s Ulster Hall next month
By Sophie Clarke for Irish News.
“Just because I’ve said I don’t want to do any more touring doesn’t mean I won’t do any more gigs,” clarifies Sweet guitarist Andy Scott as we chat about the band’s ‘farewell tour,’ which includes a show in Belfast.
“I just don’t want to get in the back of a bus for six weeks – I’m never going to do that again.
“But I don’t mind getting on a plane and going to Germany for a couple of days to play or something like that – so while it’s labelled as a farewell thing you never know,” he laughs.
Although Andy wasn’t part of Sweet’s original line-up, joining as their third lead guitarist in 1970, more than half a century later he remains the band’s driving force.
Following the deaths of frontman Brian Connolly in 1997, drummer Mick Tucker in 2002 and bassist Steve Priest in 2021, he believes it’s more important than ever to keep their music alive.
“I think we all struggled enough to get to where we were that it’d be a shame for it to disappear,” he says.
Known for hits like Hellraiser, Blockbuster! and The Ballroom Blitz, Sweet (originally called The Sweet until 1974) was a defining glam rock band of the 1970s with their super-harmonised and multi-layered sound.
“In 1969 before I joined Sweet they’d released a single and had that been a hit who knows what might’ve happened,” Andy recalls.
“Originally they were part of this little factory of bands that had one hit and that was it, but luckily the song flopped and by 1970 they were looking for a new guitarist.
“And when I did join I remember Brian Connolly telling me they had lots of gigs booked – although I quite quickly realised they hadn’t.
“But we were very lucky and managed to hook up with a couple of agents that were able to get us the sort of gigs we needed to be doing in small, club-style venues and that was the start of it really.”
While the 1970s are often hailed as a golden age for music, marked by the rise of artists like David Bowie, Pink Floyd and The Who, Andy admits that working among such towering figures wasn’t without its challenges.
“Record companies would’ve pitted bands against each other and wouldn’t release a Sweet song at the same time as Slade and things like that.
“But, again, we were lucky because at that time we were with a label that was also looking after Elvis and David Bowie which put us at the forefront of everything and gave us a lot more credibility and respect as a band.”
Given the climate, stories and rivalries between bands became commonplace, often fuelled by competition for chart space and media attention.
One instance which Andy remembers well was the supposed feud between Sweet and Queen, which he claims was simply the result of an offhand remark and the press’s appetite for drama rather than genuine animosity.
“That was the newspapers more than anything,” he explains.
“Brian Connolly was brilliant but he used to shoot his mouth off sometimes and on one occasion he was talking to a journalist in a pub somewhere and he said ‘f***ing Queen are ripping us off’ and of course the journalist reported it.
“Next thing we knew, Melody Maker (a weekly music magazine) had done an interview with us, and an interview with Queen, and they’d done a two-page spread with Brian on one side, and Freddie Mercury on the other, with the title ‘Sweet vs Queen’.
“And I’m thinking ‘where the hell did this come from?’.
“I remember hearing that first Queen album and thinking it was brilliant, and that if they became something we would need to pull our socks up.
“What Queen did opened the door for a lot of bands – and I actually don’t think songs of ours like Love without Oxygen would’ve been such big hits if hadn’t been for something like Bohemian Rhapsody coming along first.”
By the mid-1970s, however, Sweet’s fortunes had begun to shift. During sessions for a new, heavier-sounding album in early 1974, frontman Brian Connolly was attacked outside a pub in Staines – an incident which damaged his vocal cords and, according to Andy, changed the band’s course.
The assault forced the cancellation of a major support slot with The Who and dealt a serious blow to Connolly’s confidence.
As the decade wore on his drinking worsened and tensions within the group increased. With punk, new wave and disco reshaping the charts, Sweet’s brand of glam-infused rock began to feel out of step and by 1982 the original line-up had gone their separate ways.
“It was a very horrible and big decision for Brian to leave,” Andy explains.
“And when he left and Steve moved to America it was left to Mick and I to carry the sword for a while.”
Following Sweet’s split, Andy stepped away from the band and focused on his own projects. He released a handful of solo singles during the early 80s, experimenting with song-writing outside the group.
During this period he also turned his attention to producing and session work, collaborating with artists such as Paddy Goes to Holyhead and Suzi Quatro.
However, by 1985 the pull of Sweet proved too strong to ignore and he reunited with drummer Mick Tucker to form a new incarnation of the band with new members Paul Day (ex-Iron Maiden) on lead vocal and Phil Lanzon (ex-Grand Prix and now with Uriah Heep) on keyboard and Mal McNulty (ex-Weapon) on bass.
“I’ve had about six incarnations since the beginning of the 90s which isn’t actually too bad,” he says.
“And the one we have at the moment has been together since 2018 and we’re honestly cracking live – the vocals are exactly like what you hear on the record – it’s amazing.
“This is also the first time since the early days that I’ve been in a band where nobody is pulling in a different direction which is great.”
Andy adds that the cohesion within the group has made life on the road smoother than ever, both on and off stage – something Belfast audiences will be able to experience for themselves when the band play the Ulster Hall on November 30.
“I’ve always loved playing in Ireland,” he enthuses.
“And the Ulster Hall is such a historic venue, so it’ll be a real privilege to play in there.
“We used to come to Ireland just before we went on tour to get ourselves hyped up because the crowds were always so good.”
Since being diagnosed with cancer in 2009, Andy has spoken openly about his experience using his platform to raise awareness through Rock Against Cancer benefit shows and by encouraging fans to get regular prostate checks.
However, despite his ongoing health battles, he insists he has no plans to stop performing just yet.
“Doing big, long tours where I’m getting no proper rest is the sort of thing that’s going to spoil my health,” he explains.
“But I don’t think the odd gig here and there will do much harm.
“We haven’t been to Ireland for so long and I’m hoping this gig is going to be magnificent so we can come back at some stage in the future and do it all over again.”
Sweet will play Belfast on Sunday, November 30 at Ulster Hall. Tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster.ie.