Birmingham rockers ELO talk ahead of hometown show

Jeff Lynne has breathed new life into his band in recent years, having kickstarted his band back into life five years ago.

He sparked interest by playing Children In Need in 2013, he returned to live action in 2014 and in 2015 he released his first new music in 14 years, Alone in the Universe, which was his band’s 13th album and earned a platinum disc after breaching the UK top five. The record helped to cement ELO’s reputation as rock legends. The band had previously sold more than 50 million records worldwide and enjoyed huge success in the USA during the 1970s and 1980s. They enjoyed 20 top 20 UK hits and 15 top 20 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100. The band also scored a record for having the most Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits (20) without a number one single of any band in US chart history.

Jeff was blown away when he played Hyde Park in September 2014 – a show that sold out in 15 minutes. It helped him to find new love for his band and sparked a period of intense activity. Within a year, Lynne’s ELO had played at the Grammy Awards for the first time, performing a medley of Evil Woman and Mr Blue Sky.

Then he released Alone in the Universe and performed a full concert for BBC Radio 2 along with ELO’s first two shows in the United States in 30 years, both of which sold out very quickly. A 19-date European tour was announced for 2016, with the band also playing the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival on 26 June 2016.

Jeff has enjoyed being back in the spotlight – though the Hyde Park that ignited his purple patch initially induced fear.

“I was frightened to death,” he says. “It had been 30 years since I’d done a big outdoor thing like that. When I peeked around the curtain [backstage], I was like ‘Gordon Bennett – are they all going to be there still when we’re on?’

“I thought they might have gone home, because it was a festival and there was a lot of other groups on. I didn’t know if they were there to see us or all the other lot.

“But anyway, it turned out that they did wait to see us – and they were fantastic. It inspired me to carry on doing bigger things.” In 2017, Jeff’s ELO played Wembley Stadium, having been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“I was a little worried about Wembley. But our fans are the best, because they not only showed up, they sang along with all their hearts. I will never forget standing on stage, looking at that audience and hearing the sound of 60,000 of them singing my tunes – and sounding great, I might add.

“After that, I wasn’t nervous at all. We had a wonderful night and I played for two hours and 23 songs, the longest I’d ever played. I loved it, every minute of it.

“At Wembley, there was three generations: there was all the old rockers, then there was their kids – and then there was their kids. And they were all singing every word. That’s the amazing part of it that makes you want to carry on.”

Jeff doesn’t intend his present renaissance to be a flash in the pan. He’s planning new music and is looking forward to issuing a new record.

“I’ve already started on the next album. I’ve got about six songs ready. That might be ready soon, although I have got a few other things I’ve got to do as well – like knock my house down.

“My studio is in the house, so it’s a bit awkward. But I’ll find some way of finishing it for you.”

Though Jeff has long since left Birmingham and now lives in the USA, his roots remain in the Second City. He formed the band in the late 1960s when Roy Wood—guitarist, vocalist and songwriter of The Move – had an idea to form a new band that would use violins, cellos, string basses, horns and woodwinds to give their music a classical sound, taking rock music in the direction to ‘pick up where The Beatles left off’.

Jeff was then playing in fellow Birmingham group The Idle Race and he was excited by the concept. In January 1970, Jeff accepted Wood’s second invitation to join the band on the condition that they focus their energy on the new project. Soon, ELO had recorded the 10538 Overture and a debut album followed in 1971.

The band enjoyed a rapid rise but Wood left soon after following managerial problems and issues arising on a tour of Italy. Jeff kept the band going and led it through an era of unprecedented success.