Interview: The Coral’s James Skelly
29 February, 2016 in Features, Interviews

The Coral: âWe wanted the rhythm to be more resistant, more driving and monotonous.â Pic: Ben Morgan Vessell
Ahead of the release of the indie band’s latest LP, their frontman and chief songwriter talks about their new sound
As The Coralâs frontman and chief songwriter, James Skelly has had a large hand in creating some of the UKâs best music of the last 20 years, including the Top 40 singles Dreaming Of You, In The Morning, Pass It On, and Donât Think Youâre The First. After a lengthy hiatus his band (well factually speaking it is his brother Ianâs band) finally returns next month to remind us all just what weâve been missing.
From the ramshackle indie shanties of their 2002 debut through to the more melodic Butterfly House, The Coralâs sound has developed with every release and this trend continues with the blues and Krautrock-influenced new album, Distance Inbetween. We spoke with James ahead of the albumâs release to talk about its creation, his songwriting career to date and getting ready to prove himself once againâŚ
When did you decide to record a new The Coral album?
âIt was probably about two and a half to three years ago, around the time that we were putting The Curse Of Love together from all the tapes.â
You were also working on your solo album, Love Undercover, around that time. Did it help bring The Coral back together or was it a distraction?
âIt was neither really. We couldnât just sit around and do nothing so everyone was doing their own thing. I suppose itâs different for me because if I write in my usual style itâs just The Coral, so I had to write in different styles like soul and blues. I did it as an homage to the music I grew up with.â
Did that also influence Distance Inbetween, there is definitely a bluesy feel to it?
âYeah, in a way. Iâd had to learn more lead guitar so once Iâd learned that I was able to put it into something more original with The Coral, whereas it was in the classic blues-soul format on Love Undercover.â
IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER IT, THEN IT WASN’T THAT GOOD IN THE FIRST PLACE
Thereâs a bolder rhythm on the new album, was that also a deliberate choice?
âThere were only four of us, and I was the only guitarist, so we thought rather than try to fill things up weâd play to the strength of the rhythm section and just leave space for it. We wanted the rhythm to be more resistant, more driving and monotonous. We were listening to Hawkwind and then Paul Molloy joined on guitar and heâs really into The Stooges and Black Sabbath and brought a bit of that.â
Did that change your approach to writing?
âNot really, every song is different. Sometimes Iâd come with a riff and then put a tune over it but on others I might just be strumming on a guitar. The approach to every song was completely different, so I could tell you how each one was written but as a whole thing each one varies.â
Does the order you come up with lyrics and melody also differ?
âKind of. A lot of them come from me and Nick [Power] together, but for say 80 percent of them Iâll just get a feeling that wells up and then youâve the initial bit of a song. Iâll have the first verse and will usually get the opening line. Itâs just an emotional thing and then if we donât finish it straight away Iâll either go and finish it with Nick or Iâll finish it myself, because you only really get that moment for five or ten minutes.â

The Coral: âWeâve always purposefully tried not to sound of a specific time.â Pic: Ben Morgan Vessell
Do you write those ideas down so you donât forget them?
âI havenât written anything down for years. Sometimes Nick will but I havenât written anything since the second album. I just keep it in my head. I always think that: if you canât remember it, then it wasnât that good in the first place.â
Has the way you write changed a lot since those early days?
âNo, because I remember I wrote Pass It On without a guitar just on the train. I was only 17 and I wrote the melody and the tune in my head. Itâs quite weird playing it now â itâs like Iâm singing a different personâs song.â
Is that how you see all of your old material?
âIt seems strange but I still like playing them. Iâm looking forward to playing the new album live too, I think it will sound great. Sometimes weâll extend our songs when we play them live but I think the new ones wonât be that different than they are on the album, whereas some of the old songs arenât the same as they are on the albums. We always try and get a balance between the old ones, the fan favourites and the hits, and the new ones.â
I THINK IF YOU DON’T EVOLVE YOU’RE PROBABLY NOT THAT GOOD
Why do you think those fan favourites have endured?
âWeâve always purposefully tried not to sound of a specific time. We always wanted to sound timeless. I think itâs good for some bands, youâll probably look back on The Black Keys Brothers album and be like âthat is the sound of that time,â but itâs still a classic album. So I donât think itâs better or worse, itâs just something that weâve always done.â
Your sound has also evolved with each album.
âI think if you donât evolve youâre probably not that good.â
But is that a deliberate choice or something that has just happened?
âWell every album is kind of a mini concept album.â
Is there a concept to this one?
âYeah the songs have a theme where theyâre meant to be the unknown. In a way, Distance Inbetween is meant to be a comic where thereâs a world between worlds.â
Was that inspired by anything in particular?
âAlan Mooreâs comics and Michael Moorcockâs books. Different stuff where youâre freed up to write about the world in a different way. Itâs strange because sometimes you can tell the truth more using imagery, you can comment on things in a different way. I learnt more from the comics Watchmen and Swamp Thing than I did from watching shows like Question Time, those things donât even scratch the surface.â
Do all the band have to agree on the theme?
âIt will mostly be me and Nick on that level and then Ian will listen to it and do the art work.â
Do you ever disagree?
âWe have to be on the same page or it wonât work.â
What led to the hiatus after Butterfly House?
âWe were just burnt out and needed a break. Do a tour, release an album, do a tour, release an album, over and over. We were exhausted and had gotten to the point where we were burnt out and had fallen out of love with it a bit.â
Does that mean youâll approach things differently this time?
âNo, weâve just had five years off and so we have got a bit more in the tank.â

The Coral: âWeâre going to have to prove ourselves again.â Pic: Dom Foster
You did your solo album in the meantime including Youâve Got It All a co-write with Paul Weller, how did that come about?
âHe just sent me a song and said, âIâm having trouble finishing this tune but I think it could be a good one,â and then I just finished it, sent it back to him and asked if I could use it.â
Was it a difficult experience writing with someone outside of the band, particularly Paul Weller?
âNo it was easy.â
Is there anyone else youâre desperate to co-write with?
âI donât really know, I always think, why would anyone who is any good need me to write with?â
Who were your main influences when you were getting started?
âThe Beatles, Arthur Lee, Brian Wilson, Motown, Pete Townshend, Phil Spector. I also liked Goffin and King and all the Brill Building stuff, I always liked that.â
Do you still refer back to them?
âI mostly just stick with my own thing now.â
IF THE SINGER DOESN’T DELIVER THEN YOU HAVEN’T GOT ANYTHING
If someone asked what you did for a living would you say you were a songwriter?
âIâd probably just say that Iâm in a band.â
But youâve written songs that are loved by thousands of people?
âYou leave that up to other people to say. Weâre really not that big are we? I think people who like us and respect us are just into good music and I think if youâre into songwriting youâd recognise that weâve done some good stuff.â
Are your expectations for the new album different to those you would have had for the early records?
âOn the first record we wanted to be the biggest band in the world, now thatâs probably one of the worst nightmares I could ever imagine. I would like to sell a load of records and be able to tour and be sustainable as a band. That would be brilliant and to be able to build upon it. Hopefully it can gather pace. Weâre going to have to prove ourselves again.
âI think weâve got to be really good at all the gigs, all the singles have got to deliver and everyoneâs got to like the album and then we will do some bigger gigs next year. Itâs not a case of us just coming back, weâve got to work at it again which Iâm okay with. Weâll be really good live and anyone who is sitting on the fence will be convinced.â
Last question, in your opinion what makes a great song?
âThereâs many reasons but I think it has got to be believable and that mainly comes from the singer. If the singer doesnât deliver then you havenât got anything, even if youâve got the best backing track in the world!â
Interview: Duncan Haskell
Distance Inbetween is released on 4 March with the band also heading out on the road the same month. Go to http://thecoral.co.uk/ for more on James and the band. In the meantime, watch the video of Chasing The Tail Of A Dream from the album, below…
