Zak Starkey has been talking about how moved he felt when he played the Cavern in Liverpool recently.
The ex-Oasis drummer, who of course is the eldest son of one Ringo Starr, was there with his new group Mantra Of The Cosmos. But he also found time to play alongside fellow ex-Oasis man Chris Sharrock with the Cavern’s own Beatles tribute band, something that left him somewhat nervous.
"We set up two kits and we double drummed the Beatles show,” he explained. “It was amazing because I was shitting it.”
"I've never been nervous in my life - I've been on stage since I was 12 years old - but it's holy music. I know it, but I don't know the drum bits... But as soon as I walked on it was like being picked up and carried by the music."
Starkey has arguably been the most musically successful of all the Beatles’ offspring. He’s played all over the world, on the biggest stages, not only with Oasis, but also with The Who - indeed it was Keith Moon who gave him his first drum kit, aged 8 - as well as Johnny Marr and The Lightning Seeds amongst others. In many ways, he’s as safe a pair of hands as his old man.
And now he’s popped up in Mantra Of The Cosmos, which is something of a supergroup consisting as it does of Andy Bell, the Ride (and ex-Oasis) guitarist, Shaun Ryder and Bez. They’ve also been joined on their latest single, Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous), by Noel Gallagher, who sings the chorus vocal. The single is available exclusively through the Cavern’s own website.
Noel, who you can always depend upon to chip in with an apt soundbite, said of the group: “Mantra Of The Cosmos is like Dylan, Dali and Ginsberg on a rocket ship to the moon to have it with the Clangers.”
Starkey also praised the venue for allowing them to perform two shows in the same day, which meant they were able to cover the costs of the crew and expenses to put on the gigs as a band not signed to a major label.
He said that he feels more needs to be done to support smaller venues like the Cavern: “It’s alright spending billions on great big arenas like they have in Manchester but no one’s looking after little venues. Great big arenas are great for big, boring bands but they’re not for up and coming bands.”
