COLOURSØUND
LUST FORLIFE
A collaboration between Cult guitarist Billy Duffy and The Alarm frontman Mike Peters when their main bands are inactive, Coloursøund is a labour of love rather than a ‘supergroup’.
Words: Grant Moon
Coloursøund in 1998: Mike Peters (left) and Billy Duffy.
Billy Duffy might have lived the longhaul rock’n’roll dream as the guitarist in The Cult, and he might be calling Classic Rock from his pad in LA, but he grew up on a council estate in Manchester, and his accent is untainted by any mid-Atlantic drawl. His inner punk wouldn’t let that happen.
We’re talking about his second swing at Coloursøund, his freshly revived collaboration with The Alarm’s Mike Peters, and Duffy is keen to pre-empt any ‘supergroup’ alarm bells.
“You read about these so-called ‘rock stars’ who get together and you think:, ‘Oh god!’” says Duffy, who recently turned 60 and still looks great. “But Mike and I have a bond. The band stems from genuine friendship and shared interest. Mike has a joy for life, and I’ve known him long enough to know it’s not a passing phase. I find that joy infectious to be around. We’re very different, and there are times when I’m like: ‘Mike – chill your beans!’ But he’s an inspiring individual. I’ve seen him play clubs and within a couple of songs you think you’re in an arena.”
He’s dead right about Peters, who’s two years older. There’s a steely mind behind the Welshman’s chatty charm, but his lust for life is palpable. Health-wise, suffice to say the mid-90s cancer beater is doing very well, and since March 2020 he’s been hosting his Big Night In, his DIY TV show shot at his home and viewable on Facebook/YouTube. In it he performs live, plays footage from his archive, and talks about his enduring career. The most-watched episode was last June, when Duffy dropped in via Zoom to play an old Coloursøund tune and reminisce about that band’s own glancing shot at the big time.