Interview by LBJ Photos RBY and Band Media
Peter Hart is a name long associated with the infamous late-’70s post-punk band Those Naughty Lumps — but there’s much more to him than that. He’s also a military historian and a podcaster.
We sat down with Pete to talk about his latest project, Pete and the Lovehearts, who’ll be sharing the stage with bands like Bite Back and Broken 3 Ways in Birkenhead this December (19th December). Our aim was to catch up with Pete, learn how this new band came together, and find out what the future holds for both his new band and Those Naughty Lumps, who are still very much active.
Q1: So, who are the Lovehearts? And, more importantly — who are you?
I am the Lovehearts vocalist Peter Hart, also the singer with early Liverpool punk band, Those Naughty Lumps, who after many changes of personnel are still going! Some of us are getting old!
The Lovehearts guitarist and backing vocalist is Russell Cottier, who is also our production maestro and all round sex god! Brings a polished yet edgy tone to any mix. On bass and vocals is the wonder that is Lewis McWilliam Smith, formerly the drummer for the much missed Three From Above and on bass for the Lumps. Multi-talented! On drums we have the throbbing sex machine that is Gareth Wilson, known to his chums as Wills! He is best known as the drummer for the classic Liverpool punks The Dry Retch.
Q2: Why did this band come together?
I really wanted to play in Liverpool, and when Lewis suggested forming a new band, he totally took the lead in making it happen.
Q3: Covid disrupted the way many bands write, perform, and operate. How did Those Naughty Lumps manage during that time?
We used an online programme called Jamkazam to rehearse in those long months of lockdown. We were lucky enough to have a local pub in East Finchley that allowed us to play small gigs which during the gaps in the lockdown which gave us focus and prevented us drifting apart. We also busied ourselves writing and recording our album Sex Gods. We did lose our Liverpool member, Dave Toller our sax player during those dreadful 2 years. The distance had become impossible to bridge. His loss was much regretted but onwards and upwards.
Q4: Since Covid, many bands have gone back to their old ways of working. With some geographical distance in your band — especially in your case — how does the creative process work?
With both Those Naughty Lumps and the Lovehearts the process is carried out at a distance. Someone writes a tune, possibly with some lyrics or a good idea for a song, and I then write/finish the lyrics to suit my personality! Perhaps a bad thing! Then at a live rehearsal we will flesh out the whole thing, incorporating other band members musical ideas and refine the lyrics. All compositions are therefore band compositions. For the Lovehearts the first 6-7 band songs are augmented by a few Lumps classics which will gradually be filtered out as new songs arrive.
Q5: Are there major differences between Those Naughty Lumps and The Lovehearts?
Age!
The Lovehearts are 20 years younger. Their sound is punchier, with a harder edge, probably because they are a three-piece. The Lumps now have two lead/rhythm guitarists, both superb, one hard rock/punk edged and the other infused with more of a blues sensibility. The Lumps now are punks only in name.
Q6: You’ve got your first “Northern” gig coming up in December. Have you noticed any difference between Northern and London shows?
No, audiences are just as lovable in both. I do however like the adventure and nostalgia of returning to my Liverpool haunts. It is a far more vibrant city than the soulless mess that is London.
Q7: Outside of music, you’re a published military historian with TV appearances and your own podcast, Pete & Gary’s Military History. Do you separate that from your musical work, or do the two ever overlap?
The two mainly overlap in my personality! I was once shy but playing in the Lumps back in the 1970s gave me confidence, some might say it is misplaced. This carried on into my historian work; indeed, I wear the same clothes at lectures and am fairly abusive to my beloved audiences. The humour I try to project is present in both.
Q8: Who are your major influences?
Lou Reed & the Velvet Underground, Iggy and the Stooges, MC5, New York Dolls, Todd Rundgren, Mott the Hoople and Doctor Feelgood. The list reflects my age and generation – I am old. Of modern bands Okkervil River and Wilco.
Q9: Those Naughty Lumps performed with many artists back in the day, and your first single was released by Bill Drummond and Zoo Records. Are there any standout gigs or memories that come to mind?
It was nearly fifty years ago, and my memories are blurred due to the excessive drinking of that time, but I do vaguely remember a gig with Bill Drummond and Julian Cope. They were serious musicians; I was a drunk wannabe historian. But it was a great period, and I was proud to have been a long-haired, denim-wearing punk. A fashion refusenik then and now! Fuck fashion!
Q10: In your opinion, who are the most underrated and the most overrated bands?
Opinions are like sausages; they quickly shrivel up and turn to ashes when examined in the cold light of day. Of Liverpool bands I think the Accelerators role in generating the punk scene in the 1970s was underestimated, while Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies are equally vital today. The Teardrop Explodes was more than a pop band, and I find their stuff really stimulating, including the subsequent work of Julian Cope and Paul Simpson. I also rate The Nice Men another ‘70s band that has recently come back to life under Rob Tasker. All have been to some extent underrated. I don’t wish to name over-rated bands because I am unpopular enough.
Links:
Peter and the Lovehearts Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Pete-The-Lovehearts-61570017046682/
Those Naughty Lumps Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100063301534692