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Interviews : “We haven’t been to Australia for a while” – An Interview With Phil Collen (Def Leppard)

By on April 26, 2018

Def Leppard – Phil Collen

Talking in commercial terms, only a tiny percentage of bands can claim to have reached the stratospheric heights attained by Def Leppard, the outfit that started in Sheffield, England in 1977. According to businessinsider.com.au, the band are 46th on the ‘The 50 best-selling music artists of all time’ list based on the total certified album units sold in the U.S. (including streaming figures), as provided by the RIAA.

Besting the likes of Bon Jovi, and the scandal prone yet massively popular Britney Spears, is an outstanding achievement. One album in particular that drove that success is the pop-metal behemoth, Hysteria (’87). On the phone just prior to the announcement of an Australian tour, the bands legendary guitarist, Phil Collen, has great news for fans.

“We haven’t been (to Australia) for a while. We’re actually going to come down and do the whole Hysteria album in its entirety. It’s amazing, we’ve never toured the Hysteria album in its entirety. We’ve done it in Las Vegas, we did a festival in France once where we did the whole album, but those are the only times, we’ve never actually toured it.”

When asked for his thoughts on the cut from Hysteria that receives the biggest cheer, it’s also the cut that was the catalyst for Collen’s first visit to Australia since Def Leppard performed a set at a notoriously wet and mud encrusted Narara Music Festival in 1984.

“Pour Some Sugar On Me” has got a life of its own. The album came out, didn’t do great, that was like the fourth single in America, and it changed everything. The album went to number one, sold 12 or 13 million copies in the US, and then at the end me and Steve Clark (guitarist- RIP) said ‘someone’s got to go to Australia and do some promo’, and everyone was like ‘I’m so tired’. So, me and Steve went, and I took my mum. That was one of the conditions, only if I can bring my mum so she can see my cousins, they were just outside Sydney and we had the best time ever. It was really cool. The album went to number one after that, so it worked whatever we did.”

It is interesting then to hear that Collen’s connection to Australia and New Zealand goes well beyond his career in music. We are a significant territory for Collen and his fellow Def Leppard bandmates and his affection for us is clear.

“We obviously have a really soft spot for Oz and New Zealand, actually I’ve got a place in New Zealand that I haven’t seen for three years. There’s a real connection, it’s more than just a colonial thing, there’s a cultural thing that’s very similar to what we do, even though I’ve lived in the States for a good part of 30 years. There’s still that connection when you get out there that’s undeniable. I’ve got a lot of friends out there, and it’s just going to be a blast, I’m actually really looking forward to it. Love the weather and everything, even when it gets really stupidly hot.”

Listen to the full conversation with Phil Collen, including some great banter about the album Slang (’96) and Collen’s other musical projects here.

Catch Def Leppard in Australia with special guests Scorpions this November with exclusive one night only shows in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 1pm (local time) on Friday, May 4.

Go behind the scenes on a backstage tour, get access to some of the best seats in the house or meet Def Leppard with a VIP Experience.

Telstra Thanks is bringing an exciting 48-hour pre-sale just for Telstra customers from 10am Tuesday, May 1 until 10am Thursday, May 3. For more information on how to purchase, visit: telstra.com/music.

For complete tour, ticket and VIP Experience information, visit livenation.com.au.

Head to the official Def Leppard website for more details: www.defleppard.com.

PERTH ARENA
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2

ADELAIDE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 4

BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6

ROD LAVER ARENA, MELBOURNE
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 8

ICC SYDNEY THEATRE, SYDNEY
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 10

SPARK ARENA, AUCKLAND
MONDAY NOVEMBER 12

About

Andrew is a musician who has spent many years performing on the stages of the pubs and clubs of Queensland. A devotee of the broad church that is rock, punk, funk, jazz and of course all genres of metal... he now shares his enthusiasm via a burgeoning pursuit of music journalism. Follow him on twitter @andymckaysmith