APTN: Stereophonics Celebrity Extra

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THE STONG LIFE AND FRIENDSHIP OF STEREOPHONICS

The two main faces behind Stereophonics aren’t actually related, but if you listen to them talk about their childhood you’d swear they could be brothers.

“I was riding a BMX, showing off in front of a bunch of girls,” recalls lead vocalist Kelly Jones on how the two bonded. “And the pedal came round the bear trap and took a chunk out of the back of my leg. I had 12 stitches, so I couldn’t go in the swimming pool all summer.  So Richard would carry me around and dip me in the swimming pool by my legs.”

The two men share more than just a band.  They share the same surname, and, over the years, a few girls as well. “We all had the same girlfriends growing up, because it was a small village,” said bassist Richard Jones.

After growing up in the same town, the two formed Stereophonics, which is now internationally renowned.  They were first signed in 1996, and have released seven hit records.

After all that shared experience, the two are quite protective of one another.

“We’ve been in various situations, like when people tend to pick fights with us, it can get a bit hairy then.  Because we’re all so passionate about where we come from and who we are.  When someone tries to take a swipe at us, we usually jump straight down their throats.  It’s been quite a few nights like that,” says Richard Jones.

Swiping aside, the two are actually quite nice lads.  About six years ago, they were befriended by fan, and English footballer, Wayne Rooney.  After Kelly Jones called the then Everton star on his eighteenth birthday, Rooney became close with the band.  So much so, he got a tattoo with the name of one of their albums titles.

“He liked the title because, similar to why we picked the title, he left school with not many qualifications, but he had a lot of talent, a lot of passion, and a lot of self belief, and I think he saw that phrase as meaning,” explained Kelly Jones.

Stereophonics tours extensively, and before shows the band likes to socialize, drink, and listen to music.  Richard Jones tells us how they pick the tunes: “Whoever gets to the CD player or the iPod dock, that’s who gets to play the music for the day.”

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