Getting Notions

The Spotlight

Reporter:
In the 5 years following the release of their debut album, Weavers of Fate were followed by countless rumours, concerning scandalous relationships, copious amounts of drug abuse, and an infamous feud with Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols. During this time, Weavers managed to release 2 studio albums and many recordings of live shows.

Their second album, Golden Dawn, was another soul-inspired rock n' roll album, and a solid follow up to their debut. The album payed homage to the likes of the Temptations, James Brown, and Diana Ross, whilst also maintaining a close connection to Eimear's Celtic origins, with a lot of the songs being rooted deep in Irish mythology. The lead-off track, Were I to Return, tells the tale of Óisín in Tír na N'Óg, and became one of the bands most renowned songs. It was covered by the Cranberries in 1991, and was equally successful for them.

The following double album, Flash in the Pan, was a commercial success, but did not receive the same recognition as its predecessors. A whopping 32-track album, the cover sparked massive debate, as to the identity of the man in the background, staring directly down the lens. The cover, depicting the four band members standing behind an overturned dinner table
-a reference to the incident that occurred at a restaurant in London, more about that later- with the face of the mysterious man appearing directly over the left shoulder of Eimear, wearing her signature oversized Afghan Coat. Some have identified the man as Satan himself, others have guessed that he was a harbinger of doom for the late singer, circling him back to being responsible for her death.

The band also headlined a number of festivals, as well as two world tours. Gone were the days of opening concerts, any self respecting act longed to open for the Weavers.

Sandie Stevens:
We released Golden Dawn in '72. There was a live album in between that and Notions, I think. We wrote most of that album in a tour bus, going between shows. It was our first world tour and our first international headliner. All things considered, I think it was mostly a success. Ray and Eimear were manageable. They weren't clean by any means, but most nights, Silver managed to get through a set without collapsing or fucking up a solo. Eimear wasn't as heavy handed with her smack on the road, because she knew that she would have to wait longer than usual if she ran out. She had almost a routine. Two lines before a show, one during my drum solo, and a pill to even her out afterwards.

Jay Selby:
Sandie's drum solo was her pride and joy. The setlist might change, but always after the fourth song, she had her 8 and a half minutes where she got to showcase all her skill. The three of us usually went backstage, got a drink, or something to take the edge off. If you were quick, you could make a phone call.

Raymond Silver:
The drum solo was planned to be a perfect length between songs. We had worked it out that 10 minutes was too long, the audience got bored and fought. If it wasn't long enough, people weren't hyped up enough for when we came back onstage.

Sandie Stevens:
More often than not, if the solo was too short, fam would start screaming for more. I'm not sure why they loved it so much, but it became a staple of every show.

Jay Selby:
People adored watching her whip her hair around. It was down to her hip in those days, and dead straight. She'd move about the drumset so quickly, that her hair would be flying in all directions trying to catch up. It looked badass against all the pyrotechnics.

Raymond Silver:
We brought back Another on that tour, but changed it up a bit, so that Sandie could have a break later on in the show.

Sandie Stevens:
I never did have much drumming on the early stuff, Tim never wanted me on it, so it didn't take much to write me out altogether on that song. We gave Jay a bit more of an interesting bassline, and swapped the guitar out for an acoustic. They always played it towards the end of the show, Eimear and the guys would sit down near the front of the stage, and it became this really intimate moment with the crowd, where they'd sing along. We left that as sort of a treat for the live shows, we never recorded it in the studio. It sounded better with the fans anyway.