His first proper band 16 Tambourines was a sprawling affair that played gigs as a 3 piece (the ‘angry young men’ set) up to an 8 piece with brass, percussion and on occasions a didgeridoo. The band played pubs and basement bars that usually only allowed cover bands. “We practised in the middle of town at a place called The Ministry, were the Bunnymen and Teardrops used to rehearse when they were dead famous and heard loads of great stories about them that just frustrated us. Round the corner from The Ministry was a bar called Rudi’s and we used to drink in there a lot and shout at the bands doing ‘Alright Now’ and all that. Obnoxious we were, but we felt like we were on a mission. We kept saying ‘let us play’ and they did to shut us up. “One day a lad we had seen around came up and said ‘I can get you a record deal in 6 weeks’ and we were like ‘oh go on then’ and within 6 weeks we had a deal with Arista, home of Barry Manilow. It was like a Tommy Steele film or something.” The band released their album ‘How Green is your Valley?’ and set off on tour. “They sent us off with Hue & Cry & playing stadiums with Wet Wet Wet. It was all very weird. A tour with Squeeze was great though”. The band was dropped when Arista decided to concentrate more on dance acts. A couple of weeks later the drummer joined another signed band and that was the end of it.
Steve licked his wounds and wrote songs and played in bars and one of them asked him to run a jam night. “The thought of that appalled me so I started an open mic singer-songwriter night the Acoustic Engine “. The Coral, The Zutons, Criss TT, John Smith, Tom Hingley, The Stands and Damien Rice all played it along with hundreds of great songwriters who escaped from their bedrooms onto stages.
In 2001 he put out his solo album ‘It Just Is’ on the Viper Label. The album was a mostly biographical collection of songs written during a turbulent couple of years during which Steve’s oldest friend was murdered and a member of his family was imprisoned for a crime they didn’t commit. Steve also got married and became a dad. Martyn Campbell of Lightning Seeds (now Richard Ashcroft) co-produced it. Mike Badger and Paul Hemmings ex the La’s played on it, as did Howie Payne from The Stands. “I then got lucky with some great gigs with the likes of Ron Sexsmith, Ian McNabb, Glen Tilbrook and Martin Stephenson. as well as my own tours. I got a number radio sessions and airplay, so I had fun going around on my own with just my guitar and spare undies.” He also ended up on Ricky Tomlinson’s album.”I played guitar on it and dueted with him on ‘Half The World Away!’” The fruits of this union can be heard, if you dare, on Ricky’s ‘Music My Arse’. “We did Parkinson and Noddy Holder was also in the band. I watched the show in a pub in the Highlands were I played a couple of days later. We stopped the gig halfway through and put the telly on. How odd.”
Steve’s latest album & ‘Shake It, Make It & Don’t Fake It’ is another largely acoustic based offering but rootsier and more melodic, combining samples, banjos, fiddles and 12 string guitars, but still recognisably classic Mersey-pop. Martyn Campbell, who co-produced ‘It Just Is’, is again present offering his melodic bass lines and vocals. Martyn also plays in Steve’s live band The Bank of England. Further assistance is given by Dan Dean guitarist with ex Probe Plus favourites The Onset, Robbie Taylor from bright new Liverpool band The Great North-western Hoboes and Brian Chin who co-wrote a number of songs on It Just Is. The album is initially available as a limited edition black vinyl style CD with picture sleeve and newspaper insert from The Acoustic Engine Record Label.
Hurricane
Steve Roberts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're playing hide and seek,
Disappearing wall when you'll sleep
Is it something we gotta get used to?
Is it something we gotta get used to? whoa.
Hurricane.
All the millions that we marched with
It never made a sound, never made a sound on your lips.
Is it something we gotta get used to?
But we're not giving up the coastline so easily.
Oh hurricane.
Oh hurricane.
I don't wanna run,
I've been here since I was young
Whoa this city day could be gone within the hour.
Oh hurricane, what you gonna do to us this time?
Oh hurricane, what you gonna do to us this time?
Oh hurricane!
Is it something we gotta get used to?
And it's something we gotta get used to..
And we're not giving up the coastline so easily.
And it's something we gotta get used to..
And we're not giving up the coastline so easily.
Oh hurricane!
The lyrics of Steve Roberts's "Hurricane" reflect a sense of nostalgia and fear towards the concept of change. In the first verse, Roberts alludes to childhood memories of playing hide and seek and disappearing walls while asleep. However, with the repetition of the question, "Is it something we gotta get used to?", he probes the idea that change is inevitable and we may have to adjust to new circumstances. The chorus then introduces the severe and destructive natural disaster that is a hurricane, which can uproot entire cities and threaten coastlines. Through the line, "we're not giving up the coastline so easily," Roberts conveys a sense of attachment to the familiar and reluctance to let go.
The second verse takes a political slant as Roberts references marches and protesting, implying a sense of futility in the face of inaction or indifference. With the repetition of the chorus, Roberts muses on the power of nature and how it can wipe away the familiar with its unpredictability. The final lines of "Oh hurricane, what you gonna do to us this time?" emphasize the sense of powerlessness and uncertainty in the face of nature's force.
Overall, the lyrics of "Hurricane" reflect a universal experience of grappling with change and the fear of losing what is dear to us. Through its imagery and repetition, the song conveys a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty in the face of natural disasters and societal upheavals.
Line by Line Meaning
All the places we grew up,
The various locations that we spent our childhood in
We're playing hide and seek,
We are searching for something or trying to hide from it
Disappearing wall when you'll sleep
An elusive obstacle or disturbance that only shows itself when you are vulnerable and unaware
Is it something we gotta get used to?
Is this a recurring phenomenon that we must accept as a part of life?
Is it something we gotta get used to? whoa.
Is this something we must accept on a deeper level, and if so, is it worth the struggle?
Hurricane.
An impending disaster or force that is beyond our control
Oh hurricane.
An expression of helplessness or hopelessness in response to the hurricane
All the millions that we marched with
The multitudes of people who shared our experiences and struggles
It never made a sound, never made a sound on your lips.
Despite the widespread awareness of the issue, few spoke up or took action
Is it something we gotta get used to?
Is this a recurring phenomenon that we must accept as a part of life?
But we're not giving up the coastline so easily.
We are willing to fight for what we believe in and protect what is important to us
I don't wanna run,
I do not want to flee or abandon my home
I've been here since I was young
This place holds sentimental value and is a significant part of my identity
Whoa this city day could be gone within the hour.
This place could be destroyed or transformed in a matter of moments
Oh hurricane, what you gonna do to us this time?
An expression of fear and anticipation regarding the unknown effects of the hurricane
Oh hurricane!
An expression of frustration and powerlessness in response to the hurricane
And it's something we gotta get used to..
Acceptance of the reality of the situation
And we're not giving up the coastline so easily.
We are willing to fight for what we believe in and protect what is important to us
Oh hurricane!
An expression of frustration and powerlessness in response to the hurricane
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: FLORENCE LEONTINE MARY WELCH, FRANCIS EG WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind