Living Dangerously....
- will7305
- Nov 18
- 9 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Captain Dangerous Interview 2025
What inspired you to get back together to perform this one off comeback gig? What’s the process been like of ‘getting the band’ back together, were there any blues brother esque scenarios?
Ad - It was a few things. A big obvious catalyst was us all being in the same country for the first time in years and with that, naturally "what if" conversations started happening. Personally for me, this is about getting my friends back together. These are people I spent my formative years with, who I really care about and who I haven't been fully connected to over the last decade. It's felt quite emotional for me and I'm so pleased we get to do one more final show. It came together by hanging out as friends really, and conversations just happened slowly. Even if the show wasn't happening, I'd still be delighted to have the friendships back.
Jamie - A similar answer to Ad for me. It’s all been about reconnecting. I moved to the other side of the world in 2014, and the band meant the world to me. It left a huge void in my life.
I never lost contact with the lads as such, I knew they were always there etc, it’s just that people, definitely blokes in general, can go years without speaking and then pick up where they left off. I’ve learned that’s the sign of true friendship. We’ve hung out socially and our kids have played together since I’ve been back in England, and I know that’s going to happen again. Playing some songs that I love with them is a bonus.
Miles - The guys just asked me. They did a thing a few years ago but I wasn’t ready. Captain Dangerous was my life for 10 years - it occupied my every thought. I needed a long break to rest my brain and shift focus. Now I’m ready to enjoy it again without the obsession. Plus, I never properly lost touch and it’s always great to see them.
Mark - We always stayed friends. We played a lot of gigs and spent a lot of time on recording and I think by 2012/2013 we were all in need of a break. Then Rob and I were playing in Manieres des Bohemiens, Adam formed other bands, Miles got involved with the label side of things at INFL and Jamie moved to Japan. It's been great after so many years getting back in a room and playing together again. Just really fun. It doesn't feel forced in any way like it sometimes used to and we've all got better too.
What were some of your best and worst gig experiences as Captain Dangerous?
Miles - Best: Performing at Splendour Festival to an absolutely packed marquee (the rain probably helped), and meeting so many great people along the way - some of whom are now A-list celebs. Worst: Working so fucking hard on something for 10 years and not getting it to where I wanted it to be. The really frustrating part is that right before we disbanded, I think we were working on our best stuff. But the energy had run out - we all had more responsible lives, kids, bills. That timing still bothers me.
Rob - Highlight was definitely the album launch. Conducting a 18 piece string section comprising of my friends and both of my brothers and playing awesome tunes with arrangements that I had written was a massive buzz, probably one of my favourite all time gigs with any band or orchestra.
There weren't many lows for me, maybe having to get up and on a cold-rainy Saturday morning in December to go busking to raise money for our album. My fingers struggled to move at times.
Mark - So many great memories. Playing Splendour with Ash and at the grand re-opening of the Market Square with the Magic Numbers to big crowds, festivals in Prague, as well as some great shows at Rock City and Rescue Rooms.
Jamie - To be honest without getting too deep, my last few months in the UK before I moved weren’t the best, and were largely self inflicted. Maybe subconsciously that has been on my mind for a few years, and possibly clouded some memories of the band and living in Nottingham in general, but preparing for this gig has brought all the great memories back up. Our sold out basement gig in Rock City, and our album launch at Rescue Rooms stand out. Adam and Miles having a freestyle rap battle at a house party at Miles’ house just after we’d finished recording Everything Beautiful is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
Adam - Highlights for me was the Rescue Rooms show we did with a 24 piece orchestra, flying to tour Czech Republic very early on, watching TV and hearing a song we wrote playing on channel 4 without warning. I’ve got a funny memory of beating a few members of Roll Deep at pool backstage at a festival and I once got flown to Bahrain to sing with someone from Terrorvision, I was only there for 48hrs. Weird what that world conjured up looking back. Worst gig experiences? Completely self-imposed, being too hammered at a festival, unable to be professional and the band walking off after 3 songs after I'd jumped into the crowd to-crowd surf and no one caught me. That was a low point and just really embarrassing behaviour, but you learn from these things.
I hear your writing a book Adam, tell us more about this?
Adam- I've written 8 chapters, it's probably very self-indulgent but I think it's important to document moments in time, I've always written and had a blog in the 00s/10s about being in a band. It's called "Tales of a failed Indie rock band". We always found ourselves in mad situations and have a lot of stories. It was a much more hedonistic time back then and with that you find yourselves in situations that are unusual. For a while we were getting wined and dined and were flavour of the month, particularly in London, and all sorts of famous faces were turning up at our gigs. Everything was geared up for Sony to sign us, but they pulled out at the last minute due to Radio 1 switching their focus away from guitar music, so it's about that almost thing too. At one point we were getting taken out by stylists, had the same lawyer as the Manics and the Clash, free flights around Europe and were in the same circles of a lot of people who went on to be very successful, but I’ll save the stories for the book.
How are you all currently involved in music outside of this gig?
Rob - My main music activity has been playing lead violin with Symphonica these last few years. We do Ibiza, Drum and Bass and Trance sets in front of thousands, each week in a different UK city although we have also toured Ibiza, Dubai, Dublin and Amsterdam several times. I was also invited to Bali to play with Stuart Zender of Jamiroquai fame. Pete Ray Biggin (Level 42, Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson) and Duayne Sanford (Kelis, Dua Lipa) were the 2 drummers playing either side of Stuart Zender in his band. To be playing alongside such talent was humbling and inspiring. Spent 3 weeks there rehearsing, writing, recording and performing and it was quite the experience. Next year I'm hopefully off on a tour of the US for 3 months with a certain famous cartoon pig (visa pending).
Mark - Chloe Rogers is excellent. I used to teach her about 17 or 18 years ago and Miles was her first guitar teacher so it's great to see her doing well. I also like Lawrence County from the Bagthorpe Delta in Ashfield. I'm not as up to date with local Nottingham bands as I used to be when we were right at the heart of the scene and knew everybody. My favourite Nottingham band of all time is We Show Up On Radar. Genius.
Adam - I was guitarist in a post punk band for a bit, before that I was playing piano in a band called “Hollywood”, wrote songs for a kids mini play for the Theatre Royal a few years ago with Rob, and did a bit of horror soundtrack composing – it was very cool to see my music on the big screen. I’ve got an ongoing operatic musical I’ve been writing for years too which I’ll get round to finishing at some point about the Finnish winter war. Currently I’m in a band called Merrows with Mark and an excellent drummer called Lobbo, who I’ve played with over the last couple of years. We've just recorded our first music and played our first show.
Miles - I’m trying to get back into songwriting slowly. After leaving Captain Dangerous, I ran I’m Not From London Records for 5 years with my partners, then bizarrely ended up making sleep sounds and ambient noise under the name Noise Foundation - which has blown up on Apple Music with half a million streams a week.
It’s honestly a bit bonkers. I never planned it, but it turns out there’s a massive audience for sounds that help people sleep and focus. It’s functional rather than groundbreaking artistic expression, but it pays the bills while I work my way back to ‘real’ songwriting as life allows.
Jamie - I’m not really. I was in a band in Japan that recorded two albums, that was pretty full on. I have an electric kit at home and am really just enjoying playing along to albums I love, and I’m setting myself targets of playing different styles. I’ve got my eye on Motown and soul after Christmas. I’ve also promised my 5 year old I’ll teach her how to play drums, that’s going to be more tiring and scarier than being in any band.
How did you pick your support bands and why?
Adam- I've always loved Will from Dusty 4 Track's voice and Ben is a brilliant guitarist so it's because I'm a fan. Same with Lara, awesome singer.
What can people expect from the gig on the 22nd?
Adam - It's a big production so if all goes well, it'll be really memorable.
Your combining your 15 year comeback gig with 20 years of INFL, what were some of your more memorable experiences with the I’m Not From London label?
Which bands Nottingham and further afield are you all listening or would like to shout out to?
Jamie - I love Dim Bulbs, their Gift Over album is absolutely top notch.
I live in the East Yorkshire countryside now, so I’m a little out of the scene so to speak, but I do try and keep up, and it’s great that Nottingham seems to still have such a thriving music scene.
I’ve been listening to Lara Elise Grant and Dusty4Track on Spotify and I’m looking forward to watching them at the gig, of course I’m looking forward to eventually seeing Ad and Mark play with Merrows. Other than that, please recommend some!
Adam- Teenage Tom Petties, Lone Striker, Insecure Men, Real Farmer, Auto Camper from further afield. The last Darren Heyman album was a real return to form and I’m listening to Country Teasers a fair bit at the moment too. Locally I like Jonk and will always have a soft spot for Alex and the Christopher Hale band.
Miles - Honestly, I’m really out of the Nottingham scene now - ironic considering how in it I was when playing in Captain Dangerous and running the label.
After I left, I took a proper step back. We home educate our kids, which has taken over most of my brain these past few years. I miss the community and the scene - it was a massive part of my life.
Hopefully this reunion gig will be a catalyst to get more involved again.
Tips for kids nowadays getting into music ?
Rob - Be open minded and listen to lots of genres; go watch and listen to lots of music and speak to people and make connections. Practice is important and can seem like hard work but you'll get out what you put in. Learn to take criticism and use it to improve yourself.
Miles - Do more stuff.
Adam- Play lots of gigs, it builds a thicker skin and that's absolutely needed.
Jamie - Practice lots. Drink decaf tea and water instead of beer at rehearsals and never forget your drum key. Also, never buy Evans Pods instead of Moongel. They’re rubbish.
Mark - Work hard. Don't expect too much too soon. Be humble, and most importantly, be really nice to everyone. No matter how great or talented you are, be kind to everyone you meet along the way.
Captain Dangerous are playing at The Old Cold Store this Saturday 22nd November 2025
Tickets at Gigantic.com Doors at 8pm