6 questions to...

Black, is it always important to come from Liverpool when you are musician in England?
I think that this town has indeed a very strong influence on musicians, life is harder here, there is more unemployment, so it is more difficult to live comfortably at Liverpool than in London. That forces you to work more.

You begun in a punk group, your music hasn’t something to do with that trend now...
Indeed, my music has evolved, as music in general. At the beginning of Black, the musical style (we were three) was more melodic but stayed aggressive. But we have never done new wave “to dance” like Human League. I like dance music but in discotheques and then we hear on the radio enough stuff like that. Now, I write melancholic and soft songs because I’m more inspired when I have a feeling.

Is there a link between the name “Black” and your look, the design of your record sleeves and the video clip in black and white?
No, Black is a name found at the beginning of the group. later i wanted that all goes with my music it forms a visual whole. It’s the record company who has taken care to find artists to do it, and at the end we have chosen together. I go on working with Gerard de Thame for the next video clip because we found with him, for “Wonderful life”, exactly what we look for.

Do you live in Liverpool?
Yes of course, I’d only like to have a house outside the town, in the countryside, but which stays in a short time from centre of town.

Isn’t it difficult to live at Liverpool when all decisions are taken at London?
No, I’m used to do return trips now. And it’s nothing compared to travels that I have opportunity to do. For my tour of december, I went to Belgium, Holland, Spain, Germany and Austria. There, I came back from Japan, States, Italia, Canada... and now France. I enjoy travelling.

Which are your records at this moment?
I like Big Pig a lot, an Australian group who is on the same label that me, Jennifer Warmes (the co-performer with Bill Medley on the film song “Dirty Dancing”), she’s releasing an album, unreleased yet in France, the last album of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits i enjoy it. It’s important for me that music transports emotions.