Photo Credit: Press

This week we sat down with The Farm’s guitarist Keith Mullin to talk about the band’s latest single ‘Let the Music (Take Control)’, Keith’s top three shows of all time and what the future holds for the band going forward.

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What has the reception been like for ‘Let the Music (Take Control)’ so far?

Keith: The reception has been fantastic to be honest. A lot more than we expected too. We’re releasing the music ourselves like we have always done, and this song came a lot later than we originally planned. That was purely because the last single ‘Feel the Love’ was received well so we decided to push this one back a little bit. It has been played by Jo Wiley on BBC Radio 2 and Dave Monks at BBC Music Introducing Liverpool, so overall it has gone down really well.

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What was the reason it has taken 20 years to release new music?

Keith: We started gigging again in 2005 after a ten year break, and that has grown significantly. Back in 2017 we started playing around with writing and then it was put on hold. I was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2019, and spent the whole of the lockdown to and from the hospital for treatment. We are all busy outside of the band too so that does take up a lot of time.

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Now both singles are out in the open, can fans expect new music again anytime soon?

Keith: The plan is to release new music every 6-8 weeks going forward until the album is ready, which we are aiming to be out by the end of the year or early 2025. We are just finishing the next few songs currently. We like to work ahead and it is taking some time to adjust still.

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It has been 20 years since The Farm reformed, what is different this time around?

Keith: The writing starts at Steve Grimes’ (Guitar/keyboard) house, he has a studio there and it just works for us that way. You don’t need a large amount of money to be able to get your music out there; it’s all pretty basic in the grand scheme of things. I suppose there is a bit of luck involved too as Carl Hunter (bass) has a lot of contacts through his own label and working with lots of up and coming bands like Quayside who are doing really well at the moment. The Reytons are a great example; they nearly got their second #1 album recently with no backing, but have built up a great following themselves.

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What is the Liverpool scene like currently and how much are The Farm involved with it?

Keith: I work at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, so I deal with musicians on a daily basis. Carl films documentaries and runs a label called The Label Recordings which is a product of Edge Hill University. Keyside are an up and coming Liverpool band that Carl has been working with have just signed to Modern Sky. They are doing really well. We are fortunate in that respect and it’s great to be involved with music as a whole. Some of the bands coming out of Liverpool are fantastic like Rats, The Sway and The Kairos.

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What are your three stand out shows whilst playing in The Farm?

Keith: Finsbury Park with UB40 in 1991. That was about six months in of us being popular at the time and we played in front of 70,000 people. I loved that show and I loved UB40 at that time. Another one would be the KU Club in Ibiza. We went out there with our manager and a film maker to document what Ibiza was like in 1990 and it featured us quite heavily I must say but that stands out for me. In 2012 we formed the Justice Tonight band and were asked to support The Stone Roses at Heaton Park in Manchester which was the third night of their reunion shows. It felt like we utilised music in a more positive light, being a voice for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign.

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The Farm has a handful of shows and festival appearances already announced for 2024. How excited are you to be performing live again?

Keith: We love performing. It does get tough as a band with the pressure of sales and how well your music charts but the main reason we got back together in 2004 was purely for the love of playing together. It takes us back to why we started the band in the first place. I feel we are one of the few bands where we all still get along when we are together, even after all these years.

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How different is it now when you are all together compared to what it was like in the early 90’s?

Keith: All of The Farm are highly intelligent. There are members in the band who have master’s degrees for example. People in the 90’s thought we were thick, which is an anti-working class thing that we experienced from journalists. The reality is The Farm are hardworking highly intelligent people, but when we are together it’s like herding cats. When we are in the van it’s like we all revert back to being 12 years old again. We have fun, we have a laugh and we all have our own individual character that defines who we are and that is what makes it interesting.

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The Farm’s biggest hit ‘All Together Now’ turns 35 next year, how does it feel to have such an iconic song in your catalogue and be one of the biggest songs from a British band?

Keith: It’s fascinating that after over 30 years people still love it. There are people out there who know the song but don’t know the band, and that is completely fine. To have something that stands the test of time is quite flattering really. It’s an anti-war song at the end of the day and its keeping a really important piece of history alive.

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Has The Farm’s rider changed over time? What items are included?

Keith:  I don’t drink anymore. It’s pretty much the same though, bottles of lager, bottles of wine and some vodka but a little bit less of it now. You’ll find me drinking green tea.

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What plans does The Farm have going forward?

Keith: The next 12 months are about releasing music, continuing to write and record. We would like to do some special shows in Liverpool, maybe with an acoustic focus or with a string quartet. We’ve not done anything like that before. There may even be a documentary. I feel The Farm’s story is quite interesting it would be good to share that in more depth. Everyone has their own skills who can make that work.

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Do you have any final words?

Keith: Listen to our new single ‘Let the Music (Take Control)’ and come check us out on any of our upcoming shows. We are all approachable people and open so we’d love to chat. Any up and coming bands out there just keep going. Do it for yourself, learn as much about the industry as you can just believe in yourself.

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A huge thank you to Keith for taking the time out of his evening to chat with Taped Magazine.

‘Let The Music (Take Control)’ is out now. Listen HERE.

The Farm will be performing at various shows and festivals across the UK this year, see all the dates below.

27th February – Manchester, Music Feeds Live @ O2 Apollo
13th April – Newcastle upon Tyne, Interzone Festival @ O2 City Hall
20th April – Rotherham, Magna Sciene Adventure
25th May – Stone Valley Festival South
1st June – Manchester, Islam Festival
22nd June – Stone Valley Festival Midlands @ Newark, Thoresby Hall
6th July – Hertfordshire, Chilfest
13th July – Askern Music Festival @ Doncaster, Askern Events Field
10th August – Kent, Priory Live Music Festival