Eddi Reader is our next podcast guest on I Never Thought it Would Happen

For the ninth episode of the fourth series of I Never Thought It Would Happen, Chris Difford spends time in the company of singer-songwriter Eddi Reader. Eddi is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist of Fairground Attraction, a folk band who secured a number one single back in 1988 for ​‘Perfect’ as well as a couple of Brit Awards the following year.

Eddi and Chris begin the episode by discussing her upbringing in Glasgow with her six siblings and nurturing parents. She didn’t have an ambition to be a musician but stayed in the present and her parents helped her along, buying her a guitar at the age of 10. 

Amazingly, Bob Dylan was the first concert Eddi saw live and she remembers the experience fondly. Some of her friends were driving down from Glasgow to Earl’s Court for the show, so she hitched a ride and managed to get a free ticket. She loved the concert and remembers her hands hurt from clapping by the end of the performance. 

Eddi’s career in music has been quite journey and she believes this is best summarised by her experience throughout the 1980s. During this decade, she went from busking to recording in a studio to going on tour. Eventually she performed on Top of the Pops, and this moment was evidence to her family that there was a point to the career she was pursuing. 

Nowadays Eddi really looks after herself on the road. She goes to bed fairly early and wakes up feeling good. She is a firm believer that singers need sleep and to stay hydrated if they are to protect their voices, a lesson she has learned over a long period of time.

Fairground Attraction are reuniting for a tour in 2024 and Eddi is curious what it will be like to perform again with the band. She began the process of reforming Fairground Attraction because she wanted to heal the relationships in the band. The fact they broke up in the first place was a consequence of being 28 rather than older and more mature.

This episode also features a contribution from Preetha Narayanan, a violinist we supported in 2022 to undertake an amazing study opportunity in India. We were able to help Preetha develop her professional practice with Indian classical music mentor Prattyush Banerjee, as she undertook a month of intensive study in Kolkata.

Upon returning home, Preetha felt transformed by her experience, where for a month she had been challenged and able to hone her craft every day. ​“I really can’t describe how much my time in India was above and beyond what I expected. Post-pandemic that kind of immersive practice was disappearing but to go back to my craft in a focused way was so exciting.”

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Series 4 and rest assured there are plenty more exciting episodes to come over the next few weeks. Make sure you listen and subscribe by following the links provided below.