All Saints: We now get on better than ever

They were washed up and strung out. Ivor Novello-winners All Saints called it a day after infighting that makes the Labour Party look like a bastion of harmony caused them to implode. They’d released two albums, the quintuple platinum All Saints and the double platinum, number one hit Saints & Sinners. In truth, they were exhausted. They’d spent so long flying high that they were like Icarus – and, just like the mythological Greek craftsman, they too came crash to Earth.

They’d decided to take a break so that they could clear the air between themselves – but there were too many financial and business aspects causing friction for them to smooth things out. Founder member Shaznay Lewis later explained that the catalyst for the break-up was a disagreement over who would wear a certain jacket for a photo shoot: “I would never in a million years have put money on the group ending over a jacket incident. But when that incident happened, it fired up so strong, it had to be over. And the way I was then, the state we’d got into then, there was no way anyone was getting that stupid jacket.”

Time is a healer, however – as is money for new tours and the prospect of recording albums – and the band’s first reunion came in 2006. And for a while, things were hunky- dory. A new album, Hunky Dory, earned a gold disc and the girls seemed to be back. Until they weren’t . . .

Fast forward to 2013 and a second union was in the offing. Backstreet Boys had offered them a tour support and the girls got back together to feature on that tour as well as G-A-Y and V festivals. Within a couple of years, they were on the road with Take That, had released a new album, Red Flag, and the world was once more their oyster. The success of Red Flag, a number three hit, persuaded them to get back to the studio and in July 2017 All Saints released a fifth studio album, Testament, which dented the top 20.

Today, they’re putting on a united front. Melanie Blatt, Shaznay Lewis, and sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton are holed up in a hotel room on the phone to Weekend. They’re shooting the breeze, reflecting on their 12 million album sales and plans for a UK tour this autumn. The 11 date tour begins at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on Thursday, November 29, before visiting Oxford, Norwich, Birmingham’s O2 Institute on December 3, Nottingham, London, Bournemouth, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds and Newcastle.

They’ll be playing songs from a rich back catalogue that includes five number one singles, four hit albums and two Brit awards. The record saw them team up with producer William Orbit, the force behind Pure Shores and Black Coffee and long-time collaborator Karl ‘KGee’ Gordon. The album has so far received rapturous acclaim from the likes from The Sunday Times (Album of the Week) to The Independent, who wrote: ‘This feels like a band coming full circle with frequent nods to the past, yet with a steadfast determination to evolve’. Meanwhile, the Metro said ‘Testament is fluid, heady, thoughtful, deep in atmosphere and light in execution. An album you can sink into and swim through’.

Natalie says: “We’re delighted to be back on the road. We are just in that zone of being creative. We started talking about what we were going to do next.

“It stemmed back to Red Flag. When we finished that we were kind of on a roll and wanted to continue.”

Red Flag was a remarkable record. Their first album in 10 years, it surprised them as much as the general public – particularly given that Melanie had previously said they would be ‘never ever getting back together again’.

They’d rediscovered their muse by hitting the road. Their tour with Backstreet Boys produced no money – they funded themselves, remarkably – but found the experience thoroughly refreshing. Natalie says they did the shows for fun, but then didn’t want them to end. Even though they’d fallen out in the past, they liked being together.

Natalie adds: “We didn’t force ourselves into that situation and it couldn’t have happened at a better time in all of our lives. I just missed being with the girls.”

Red Flag was a return to form. It was recorded casually while the band were on good terms. The band was focused on having fun – and managed to keep the record industry, money and promotional commitments at bay. In fact, the record would have been released earlier had they spent less time joking around while making it. The record was arranged by the group with no record label input.

Shaznay was the principle songwriter while the record also reflected on the public car crash that was Nicole Appleton’s highly-publicised marriage to Liam Gallagher.

Melanie says: “Red Flag was amazing. It exceeded what we expected. When we wrote Red Flag and went on tour we didn’t know what to expect because we’d been away for so long. Everything that came along was a major blessing. We didn’t know who we were writing the album for. We were really surprised with it.”

Shaznay says the girls are happier now than they’ve ever been. They’ve grown up and matured. They’re no longer fighting over jackets or striving for a perfect world. Egos are in check, expectations are realistic and they’re content to enjoy things for what they are, for as long as it lasts.

Nicole says: “I think it’s much more enjoyable now. Absolutely. We’ve grown and matured and we know what makes us happy. We’re not naive. We’ve kind of been through it all. Having the opportunity again is great.”

Natalie continues: “There’s less pressure this time that makes it more enjoyable as well. The first few albums were under the pressure of a record company. Now, writing under our own terms is great. We aren’t being checked on and we’re not being steered in a direction that isn’t us. We are having a lot more fun.”

The record industry has changed enormously since the girls first arrived. They launched their careers as Britpop was becoming the biggest pop movement since the Swinging 60s. The Spice Girls were ruling the waves, Blur were fighting it out with Oasis for supremacy and New Laddism and New Laddettism were a thing. Records were bought on vinyl or CD – downloads hadn’t even been invented – and All Saints were able to enjoy conventional careers as Never Ever, Under The Bridge, Bootie Call, Pure Shores, Black Coffee and more became huge hits.

Nicole says: “It’s all different. If we hadn’t have done it this way round we may not have known how much fun it would be. In this day and age, anybody can release records. You don’t need to go through those massive record company avenues. I think for us, in the beginning, we didn’t get to tour much and most of our career was based on promotion. Coming back around this time, one of the main things was to be able to tour and do more shows. We’re not under that radar where the expectations are great. We are lucky enough where we can make the music we want to make for the people who want to listen to us.”

It’s a formula that works. With no record company bosses breathing down their necks, with no-one asking them to write another hit and with no press and promotions director demanding that they work 18-hour days, they’re having a blast.

Melanie says: “We always have the best time on tour. That’s our choice to get away from our real lives and we enjoy being together. It’s like being in another world. And we’ve got our band with us and we’ve been working with them for a while now.” Having been through the mill once before, they know the pitfalls and what buttons not to press. Nicole says: “We’re together 24/7 when we’re on the road. We like to sleep in the bus, mainly, and we like to eat together and we like to drink together and listen to music and have fights.”

Birmingham is always a popular destination for All Saints to visit. They have a loyal bunch of fans in the second city – and they’re people who know how to have a good time.

Natalie says: “Birmingham will be great. We love Birmingham. We were there for Red Flag and we’ve done quite a few shows in Birmingham. The people there are always up for it. They know how to have a good time.”

The live arena is where the band are happiest. Though the studio provides them with the chance to be creative, concert venues afford an opportunity to let down their hair and just have fun.

Melanie says: “The live work has been great. The Take That tour was brilliant and we had such a good time. They are lovely guys and made us feel very welcome. It was an amazing experience to be in those arenas. I think sometimes we adapt our show. You might not realise, but it can be a bit more daunting to do the smaller venues because you can see and hear everyone in the crowd.”

Those smaller venues include the intimate O2 Institute, in Birmingham, where they’ll be able to see the whites of their fans’ eyes. The audience can look forward to a smattering of greatest hits, though there’ll also be songs from Testament. The band is keen to remain creative as they avoid falling into the trap of becoming a heritage act.

Shaznay says: “Do you know what, I‘m really proud it’s been received the way that it has. When we wrote Red Flag, we didn’t know who we were writing it for. We hadn’t done anything for a long time. Now we know people are coming to see our shows. So when we did this, there was a part of us that was more mindful about who we were writing it for. We knew what the fans had and hadn’t responded to. On this record, we had new influences and things we’d been listening to. It was a bit more daring really.”

Natalie continues: “It’s important to stay fresh and keep moving forward. We don’t want to be a heritage band. For us, to be honest, when we first got back together we didn’t think very far ahead and to the future. We just went and did the greatest hits with Backstreet Boys. Then we realised what fun we were having and there were still fans out there. So new music came out when we realised people were interested. Shaz went off and worked with loads of different people and wrote some brilliant stuff. But back then it was never in concrete that we’d do new music.”

All Saints have learned important lessons in the 25 years since their formation. They’ve experienced the ups and the downs, the make-ups and the break-ups. They’ve flown higher than most bands ever do, sold an inordinate number of records, lived in the spotlight and enjoyed the pluses and minuses that come with that.

They’re looking ahead to their winter tour and after that they’ll just see what happens. There are no plans for a new record, nor plans to split up. They’re just taking things one day at a time, enjoying the ride as they go.

Nicole says: “We’re just having fun and we’ll see where the road leads. We’re taking each day as it comes. We’re just focusing on the tour and we’ll see what happens once that’s done.”