Roy Stride on nostalgia for the noughties, Noel Gallagher’s Scouting For Idiots jibe, and writing a Scouting For Girls musical
Roy Stride reflects on why there is so much love for the '90s and noughties right now, Noel Gallagher's past jibe and a new Scouting For Girls album.
Scouting For Girls are playing Blur bassist Alex James' Big Feastival on his Cotswolds farm on August 22.
The noughties pop band that had a slew of hits - She's So Lovely, Elvis Ain't Dead, Heartbeat, and This Ain't a Love Song - are heading to the Oxfordshire countryside this summer to play the idyllic music and food festival ran on Britpop legend Alex and his family's working farm.
We caught up with frontman Roy Stride ahead of the event and asked him the all important question of whether he is team Blur or Oasis - no pressure - his hero, Noel Gallagher, famously branding Scouting For Girls "Scouting For Idiots", plus his wild nights out with Charlie Simpson from Busted, and eyeing a number one album in 2026.
CM: Why does Scouting For Girls' music continue to resonate with all ages?
RS: I think there is quite a bit of nostalgia for the noughties. I think, you know, when we were in it, we didn't realise what a magic time it was. I did read recently like that, sort of 1995 to 2010 is like this golden age now, before social media, before phones. I was watching a video, you know, on YouTube of one of the bands I went to watch at Glastonbury in sort of 2004, and the crowd were going for it, and there wasn't a phone in sight, you know, people just in the moment, you know, with life. And that's kind of what we try and do. That's why I love playing live, because it's one of the few places where you are in the moment, like as a performer, as you know, when you're watching, if you don't have your phone out when you're there. And I think that, you know, and the music was really good, you know that Britpop, '90s, and then the sort of next era Britpop in those noughties, there's some absolute bangers in there, and, anyone who's still playing live from that time is bloody good at playing, because, you know, you can't play for 15 years and not be good like we've tried. We have tried.
CM: In 2008, Noel Gallagher branded your band Scouting For Idiots - did you ever react?
RS: I would never retaliate. He was like a God. Did it hurt? Not really. I never heard it. My wife heard it live on radio because I think he said it on Radio 1, but she was like, Oh, he basically sounded like he'd been out all night and he came in, and was just reviewing every single band, and he was just saying that about every band. I've never met him since.You can see my vinyl here. I've got everything. I've got Oasis and Blur.
CM: Did you bag a ticket to Oasis’ first tour in 16 years?
RS: I have one, but I didn't get it in the original bout. I was like, there for eight hours. I spent my entire day in a bad hotel room trying to get tickets. But I've since managed to get one because I'm currently in LA and so I've got one for the Rose Bowl in California, which is going to be quite a mad thing, because I can't imagine seeing Oasis in California.
CM: Will you be eyeing a number one with your upcoming album?
RS: The album's not going to come out till next Easter, and we're going for Easter number one, because This Ain’t A Long Song was Easter number one. And nobody ever dreamed of having an Easter number one before or since.
CM: You did a song for McBusted called 23:59, and you've been performing Busted's Year 3000 at shows - could we see you do a song for Busted or McFly?
RS: So I think I'm going to try and do like a little McFly and Busted medley next year at some point, because we've been playing Year 3000 for a while, and it's so hard to give up, because it's such a great tune. I love playing it. I know the guys in Busted well. I know Charlie [Simpson] and Matt [Willis] really well. I've never really met James [Bourne] more than once, but God, Charlie man, he knows how to party that guy, and I've had a couple of the most outrageous nights of my life with him. He is a lot of fun. And so, yeah, I think it would be good. There was talk, actually, of me doing a song for their 'Greatest Hits 2.0' album, but I'm not quite sure why It never happened. I love them. They're an amazing band, top guys.
CM: You've got lots of festivals this summer; you've just done Tunes in the Castle at Powderham Castle in Exeter and you have Big Feastival on August 22. You seem to play all the posh festivals?
RS: I don't know why, because none of us are posh in any way. We've got a song called Posh Girls, which is about a kid from a comprehensive school meeting a girl from a private school, and we are definitely the comprehensive school. I do love a posh festival, though. The toilets are nice, the bands are nice, the people, and we go down really well, like those sort of family-friendly things, because it's fun, and there's something for everyone. And even if you only know say, This Ain't A Love Song, She's So Lovely, the set is inclusive, and it's got songs for everyone. So if you don't know us, you're going to enjoy the time. So I'm looking forward to Big Feastival.
CM: What's next for you?
RS: I feel like working on this album is really fun, but also, I'm just trying to find new things to do, you know, within the framework of the band, to keep it creatively interesting. And I wonder where that will lead me after this album. I wonder about albums. Are people listening to albums? Are they just listening to songs? And I'm doing a song for a movie at the moment. That's one of the reasons I'm out here in America. I'm working on a musical which is coming out this year, and I've been approached by people to do a Scouting For Girls musical, which could be really fun, and then there's another musical. I can't imagine a time when I'm not in a field somewhere with Greg and Pete.
Big Feastival takes place on Alex James’ Cotswolds farm between 22 – 24 August. Weekend and day tickets are on sale now via bigfeastival.com.
