Liza-Lou Campy caught up with Alabama 3 frontman Larry Love ahead of the band’s upcoming festival appearances, including a headline slot at Willowman Festival in North Yorkshire. In a candid and wide-ranging conversation, he reflected on the band’s genre-defying sound, the legacy of ‘Woke Up This Morning’, the chaos behind their creativity, and what audiences can expect from their live shows.
I was trying to think how you’d explain Alabama 3 to someone who’s never heard you, and I realised genres don’t really help. How do you usually describe it?
We’ve always been a bit non-specific. It’s country, blues, electronica – a bit of techno, a bit of anarchy, narcotic Marxism if you like. When we started, people thought we were odd. Now loads of people mix those sounds, but back then it felt like we were either brave or just stupid.
I remember seeing you years ago expecting a country trio, and it definitely wasn’t that. Has your sound changed much?
Not massively. The idea’s always been the same. What’s changed is we’ve become better musicians – we can properly play the blues and country now. We’ve experimented a bit, like bringing in more southern funk on the last album, but we’re still in our lane.
Is there a track that sums up that ‘this shouldn’t work, but it does’ approach?
Yeah, ‘You Don’t Dance to Techno Anymore’. That’s got a Barbra Streisand-inspired melody, a 12-bar country structure, and then electro on top. It sounds mad, but it works. People might be confused, but they’re dancing, and that’s what matters.
And ‘Woke Up This Morning’ – did you expect that to take on the life it did?
Not at all. It wasn’t written for The Sopranos – it was about a woman dealing with domestic violence. Then David Chase heard it on the radio, and it took off. It’s brought in whole new audiences, especially younger people discovering the show. And I still love playing it; it evolves every time.
Your sound often feels like it’s on the edge of chaos. Is that deliberate?
Yeah, I believe in that. Sometimes the best ideas come from things crashing into each other. We’ve recorded everywhere – sheds, vans, motorway services. Not everything works, but that unpredictability is part of the magic.
That unpredictability carries into your live shows too – you’ve got different versions of the band…
Exactly. There’s the full band, the acoustic version, and even DJ sets. Same songs, totally different vibes. Acoustic is stripped-back and bluesy, the full band is heavier, and then you’ve got the full acid-techno end of things. It keeps it fresh.
You’re playing Willowman Festival. What kind of set can people expect there?
That’ll be a big, banging headline festival set with proper high energy. We want everyone involved – grannies, grandkids, the lot. It’s going to be loud, a bit chaotic, and a lot of fun. Maybe we’ll tone down the bad language slightly, but not too much.
Does that differ from something like a smaller show?
Yeah, completely. I recently played a seated acoustic show at The Firehouse, which was more intimate; you notice different nuances. But at something like Willowman, you go full throttle. It’s about getting everyone moving and creating that big communal energy.
Can you feel when a festival crowd starts to ‘get it’?
Usually a few songs in. We like to confuse people at first, then bring them with us. By the third or fourth track, you can feel it click. I actually watch the security sometimes – if they’re nodding along, you know you’re onto something.
There’s a lot of mythology around Alabama 3. What’s something you wish were true?
That we were actually from Alabama, and that we were all millionaires with swimming pools. Sadly, neither’s true. But we did meet in rehab, which people think is made up – that bit’s real.
And how has it been carrying on after the loss of D. Wayne Love?
It’s tough. Every time I step on stage, I miss him. I feel a bit like a fraud sometimes because his presence was so big. But he’s still with us in spirit; we even brought his voice back into shows recently. And we know he’d have wanted us to carry on.
So, to sum it up, why should people come and see you at Willowman?
Because it’s going to be a full-on, evangelist, psychotic acid house blues experience. Fun, chaotic, a bit weird, but ultimately about bringing people together. Elvis will be there in spirit…and so will D. Wayne.
For further information about Willowman, head to willowmanfestival.co.uk.
