Following their recent headline appearance at HRH AOR and a run of dates in South America, melodic rock legends FM are back with a brand-new album namely Old Habits Die Hard.
The group are presently celebrating their milestone 40th anniversary. Few bands these days reach ten years let alone forty. “It’s fantastic. I mean, we did have a bit of time off. We took a break for a fair time back in the mid-90s and got back together again. We’ve done about, I think, eight albums since then. But it’s a fantastic achievement,” explains Steve. “Although we have the legacy of the 40 years, people know our stuff. And we’ve had a great following all those years.”
In recent times, the band have set their sights on faraway territories such as South America and Australia are also on their agenda. “This is our first time in South America, but apparently, we sell records out there and do well, but we just never knew. The same with Australia. We’re talking about going over there. We do seem to do well out there. But we find out after all these years. I mean, it took us a while to find out that we had Top 20 albums in Spain, and then we went over there, and all the gigs were sold out. So, we do a run in Spain every year now. We’ve got six shows there this year. And it’s just great,” explains Steve.
The band can’t wait to get their new album out to their fans. “We are very excited. We took a bit longer over it because we had a few setbacks last year. But now that it’s done, I’m really happy with it and the response to it,” he says. “When you are working on an album, you are so close to it, you write it, you record it, you do everything, but it’s not until you put it out there to people like yourself and the media people and stuff like that, to get the feedback. And it’s been amazing. So, I’m really excited about getting out there and playing some of the songs from it. And starting the long process of taking it out on the road and promoting it.”
With the band celebrating their milestone anniversary, the title of their latest offering seems pertinent. “Well, we had done 40 years. We were trying to come up with a saying or something that was very apt. And there was a line in one of the songs on the new album that says Old Habits Die Hard. And because we’re still here after all this time I think the title is very much keyed into the fact that it’s the 40th anniversary of FM, and we don’t intend for this habit to die in the near future. We still love doing it as much as we always did. So, the title is linked with the fact we’ve been together for 40 years,” confirms Steve.
With their latest offering, perhaps you could say that FM have gone back to their roots. “It was an album where we kind of thought, right, we need to not go back, because we never do, but just maybe look at what FM have created, I guess over the years. Each album we do can be slightly different. We’ve done bluesy rock albums, we’ve done albums that are more commercial, but this particular album deliberately has elements of everything that FM have been over the 40 years, which is why we’re really pleased with it. I think it’s going to appeal across the board with the fans because they’ll be able to reach back and find something that maybe got them into the band to begin with. So, it’s kind of reflective, it’s not going back, but it definitely now has all the elements of what FM are really,” explains Steve.
The band’s recent single Out of the Blue showcases the quality of the material on the group’s forthcoming album. “During lockdown, Jem our keyboard player bought this house in the country with a fantastic studio and the grounds. So, he started writing, and he has never written a song in all the years we’ve been together, and he wrote some fantastic songs,” explains Steve. “And so, for this album, we sort of said, look Jem, just keep throwing the songs into the mix. And he came up with the idea for Out of the Blue on holiday in Lanzarote. It’s a really cool song with a great feel and a kind of Toto-esque groove to it, but he’s really coming into his own with his writing.”
FM will shortly be taking to the road across the UK in support of their new album. “We’re going to do something special with this tour. Because, it’s the 40th anniversary, we’re going to completely rehash the whole set, and play some of the real old classic songs,” explains Steve. “I’m not going to completely rejig it, we will bring the new stuff in. Those old songs are always there. People give us a load of stick and hammer us about not playing certain songs and we can bring any of them back at any time. So, we’re just going to try and jiggle everything around a bit and make it a totally new set. There will be some surprises for people with songs we’ve never played live. And some we haven’t played for a lot of years and also a fair whack of the new album.”
2024 will be a year of touring for FM. “It’s a fairly packed year of touring. We are going to shoot the videos for the singles next week. It tends to take all the time, but we never know. I do lots of other projects as well producing and stuff like that. But when you’ve got a year like this, it’s really tough to put your other things in, because you really don’t have any blocks of time where you can go off and work on other things,” said Steve. “So, it’s going to be an FM year this year. I think I’m going to have to try and fit everything else in around the touring schedule. And as you say, it’s fairly intense. But it’s going to be a great year for us, as I say, after last year, which was a bit of a downer year for the band as far as bad luck really, with circumstances. Now I’m in a position where we’re raring to go in 2024.”
FM celebrate their 40th Anniversary (1984 – 2024) with their 14th album “Old Habits Die Hard” released by Frontiers Records on Friday, May 3, 2024. The album is available to pre-order from www.fmofficial.com. FM tour the UK from March 30 until Jun 1. Tickets available from www.thegigcartel.com
Words by Adam Kennedy
Photo Credit: Paul Stuart Hollingsworth
