Moody star Justin is full of smiles ahead of Sheffield show
June 12, 2015
Veteran rocker Justin Hayward is pretty happy with life.
He may be the frontman of The Moody Blues, but he is anything but grumpy.
His talent for and love of music has given him a wonderful life – and his love of music shines through as he talks about being back on the road with the famous ‘Moodies’ as he calls them.
“Music is always about enjoyment,” he says. “Every day of the Moodies had pressure on it.
“It’s a serious business, but ultimately, I think music is trival.
“However, it’s huge in my life and brings enjoyment to others.”
The Moody Blues are on the road with Timeless Flight – The Polydor Years tour, which arrives at Sheffield City Hall next week.
Justin says: “I hope there’s something for everyone in the set list.
“We do songs from most of the albums.
“The first half is stuff from the 1980s, the Polydor years, from Long Distance Voyager through to Sur La Mer.
“The second half is the stuff you can’t go off stage without playing.
“There’s something there in the set from every incarnation of the Moodies.
“We have been exploring our catalogue of songs recently and we’ll be playing some songs on stage that we only experienced for a day or so in the studio the first time around.”
With a string of hit singles – including UK number one Go Now and US smash hit Nights in White Satin – to choose from, there is something there in the set for every fan.
And Justin is proud the band have kept their fanbase for so many years.
“People love the music of their youth thankfully and that stays with them,” he says. “The songs young kids are falling in love to, that will stay with them.
“We do get a lot of young people in the audience to see us.
“There’s a lot of people who identify with the stuff we made when we were young.”
And he admits he is proud songs such as Nights in White Satin, which he wrote, have stood the test of time.
“I am just grateful some of the music we have made has lasted,” he says.
“I am very proud and pleased with that.
“However, the other side of that is that after Nights, people were asking: ‘Can you write another?’
“Sometimes, I thought I had, but sometimes you write music that people are into, and some they’re not.”
And Justin has urged people to come out and see the show in Sheffield next week.
“Dedicated Moodies fans will be out in force, and we love it,” he says.
“I can say this is the best incarnation of this great band I have been in.
“It’s certainly the happiest and truly faithful to the Moody Blues spirit.
“How long will it continue for us?
“I have no idea – none of us would have thought in our Wildest Dreams we would still be up there – but it’s a fabulous ride and as long as we’re still playing from the heart and the fans are with us I’m in.”
The Moody Blues play Sheffield City Hall next Thursday, June 18.
For tickets, priced from £41.50, visit www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk.
