It must be great going back to Liverpool to play a big gig like this? Yeah, it is. It’s always nice, I love going back to Liverpool, and to play a big gig like this is something special.
How does it feel to be part of the celebrations? It’s great. All of us interested in Liverpool were part of trying to make it the Capital Of Culture, it was like an Olympic bid.
As an Everton fan, what’s it going to be like playing at Liverpool’s ground, Anfield? Ha ha! I haven’t been to Anfield before. It’s that thing isn’t it, you’re supposed to be Manchester United or City, Rangers or Celtic, you know, one or the other, but I just gave up on that idea years ago. I’m officially Everton, my dad was born in Everton, but the Liverpool team came to one of my concerts at Wembley Arena once, led by Kenny Dalglish. He brought the whole team, so that gave me enough of a reason to be able to support them openly. I love both teams, but if it comes to the crunch I’d have to be on Everton’s side.
What do you know about the other bands that are on? Kaiser Chiefs and The Zutons? I know the Kaisers quite well. Over the last couple of years I’ve done a couple of things they’ve been on. They interviewed me once for the NME, too. I don’t know The Zutons personally, but I like their music, they’re one of the good Liverpool bands.
What sort of set are you planning for today’s concert? It’s always a difficult one that, because it’s just my set, it’s just what I’m doing at the moment, but with some new surprises put in especially for Liverpool. We’re working on a few things we don’t normally do, especially for Liverpool. Which are surprises, so don’t ask me about them!
Going back to your childhood in Liverpool, what was that like? What are your memories from before The Beatles formed? Was it a hard place? It was always a little rough. My memories would be getting confronted by a gang bigger than our gang, and thinking “Oh no”, so there was all that, to fight or not to fight. My family were a big part of it too. When I was growing up a lot of things were to do with the family. You didn’t have guests so much as uncles and aunties and cousins coming to stay. Our family was good like that, we were always getting on buses and going places.
When things really took off with The Beatles, did going back to Liverpool feel like a safe haven? We always felt like that, it was home. None of us lived in London till a bit later on. After gigs down in London we’d go back up to Liverpool, often in blizzards, stuck in our little Bedford van, and we were going home. There was always that feeling we could go home, regroup, get our feet back on the ground, and then make another expedition into the big world beyond. It was always nice to go home there, and I’d go and tell my dad and brother what I’d been up to, what I’d been doing. It was lovely, and it’s nice to be going back there now, it’s another homecoming for me.
n Sir Paul headlines the Liverpool Sound concert at Anfield stadium today. Highlights will be broadcast on BBC Radio Two tonight
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