UK-based webszine KomodoRock.com recently caught up with THE ALMIGHTY frontman Ricky Warwick to discuss his new solo album, Belfast Confetti, and the future of The Almighty. An excerpt is available below.

Q: Your new album is good; it’s also completely different to the kind of material The Almighty produced. Do you find that writing solo allows you greater freedom? What do you get out of it?

Warwick: "I think it’s completely different in the fact that it’s acoustic based and I can go into territories I wouldn’t go with The Almighty. But you know, it’s still very much Ricky Warwick, it’s still got the edge and the attitude, and everything like that. I just enjoy the freedom. I enjoy the freedom to do whatever the fuck I want and not having to ask three other people if it’s OK, if they like this."

Q: Some would think that’s a selfish approach to take.

Warwick: "Yes, maybe it’s selfish but I don’t care. It’s one of those things, when I hear songs I hear them completed, it’s my song. If I give them to other people, they’ll give their input, sometimes it brilliant and sometimes the song gets better; but sometimes you can have a really good idea you really believe in and other people might not wanna hear it or they don’t like it, and it destroys you. I simply don’t have that problem anymore. I just go and fuckin’ do it, you know… and if it doesn’t… if it falls flat on its face then it’s my fault! I take the full blame, no problem. The fact that a song has to stand up on its own, I stand up and play it with just an acoustic guitar, there’s nowhere to hide, so bad songs don’t get through. You’ve gotta have a song that keeps people’s attention, keeps them interested in what you’re doing. You have to play your guitar better; you have to sing better, you have to come across on stage better. I think you should push yourself way more, rather than if you were standing up there with a wall of noise, you know?"

Q: So you really enjoy that kind of challenge?

Warwick: "Yeah, I still get nervous before I go onstage for a solo show, in the way I used to get nervous in the early days, before the Almighty shows. But now it’s my show, I’m excited to play it and I’m anxious, but I sit there before I go on and I’ve got that nervous adrenaline going. That’s great, it always used to drive me when I was a lot younger, it gives me that buzz."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

BW&BK; scribe Carl Begai recently caught up with Warwick to discuss Belfast Confetti and the current status of The Almighty. Go to this location to check it out. Click here for more discussion about Belfast Confetti.