Interview: Grant Nicholas of Feeder – Spotlight Report

0 2 3 minutes read

Interview: Grant Nicholas of Feeder – Spotlight Report

With Feeder heading back to Australia in 2025, we caught up with frontman Grant Nicholas to chat about the band’s return, their latest double album Black/Red, and what Aussie fans can expect from the tour.

Grant gave us the lowdown on where Feeder’s at right now – and why they’re more excited than ever to hit the stage Down Under.

SR. It’s been a 14 years since Feeder last toured Australia—what are you most looking forward to about coming back?

We had such a great visit there last time, on the Soundwave festival tour. Great audiences and really enjoyed seeing Australia as well as the great food, beautiful weather and the audiences were so up for it.

SR. Your latest album Black/Red shows a great balance between melody and heaviness. How did you approach the songwriting and recording process this time around?

I wrote most of the songs on acoustic guitar as usual, as that’s my go to when writing stuff. Some of the songs were written during lock down and some after, so it was a real musical journey. It was all recorded in London at my home studio the Treehouse, apart from the drums and Taka recorded a majority of the bass guitar at his home near Leeds.

SR. Feeder has built a reputation for delivering high-energy live shows. How do you keep that energy fresh and exciting for both yourselves and the audience after so many years on the road?

I think being creative and continuing to write and record new material, brings a spark and freshness still to the live shows. We aren’t getting any younger but still enjoy rocking out and having fun. A good audience makes for a happy band, and we just want people to have a great time and feel a connection.

SR. Your music has been a soundtrack for many fans over the years. Is there a particular song that people tell you changed their life, or one that still feels special for you to play live?

I think there are a few but definitely “High”, “Just The Way I’m Feeling”, and “Just A Day” are 3 that spring to mind.

SR. How did it feel when your smash hit ‘Buck Rogers’ hit the UK Top 5 and going platinum.

It really was a surprise to me, especially as I had originally written the song for another band. Our label and producer at the time Gil Norton convinced us to keep it and it just blew up. It’s such a simple, quirky song, but it just connected with a lot of people.

SR. The band has evolved through different eras of rock, from Britpop to post-grunge and beyond. How do you feel Feeder has grown musically, and do you ever look back at your early days with nostalgia?

We have always been about the songs and melodies and that really hasn’t changed. It’s still what’s important to us as trends come and go, but good songs live on. We can go from being heavy to super mellow and that’s really in our DNA as a band and from the type of bands and artists we listened to growing up. I think as I’m getting older, I’m getting more nostalgic and think back to the amazing journey we’ve had so far. It’s been tough at times, especially after losing Jon and it’s such a different industry nowadays, but we still believe in what we do and the music we like making is always the goal. When it’s time for us to leave the party, hopefully a few songs will live on, and people will discover Feeder.

SR. Share with us a fun touring story, or what’s the weirdest request you’ve ever received from a fan?

Sharing a private jet with Coldplay when we opened for them was a pretty crazy one and playing stadiums with U2 and the Stones was pretty up there, sharing catering with Charlie Watts and the band.

Also, a fan once asked me if I’d meet him in a park so he could propose to his girlfriend whilst I played a song from my solo album ‘Yorktown Heights’ on my acoustic guitar.