Time To Listen: Miles Kane reveals how The Beatles, Oasis and The Coral shaped his life
He appears on Absolute Radio's series
Last updated 6th Feb 2020
Acclaimed solo artist and 50% of The Last Shadow Puppets alongside Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner, indie icon Miles Kane recently appeared on Absolute Radio’s series Time To Listen.
With Time To Listen, Absolute Radio hopes to open up the conversation about mental health by hearing from some of our best-loved personalities talking about the songs that have sound tracked their lives.
During Danielle Perry’s evening show from 7pm on Monday to Thursday, a guest celebrity picks a song each day that has made a profound impact on them.
A special omnibus half-hour show with all of their choices from throughout the week, plus an extra fifth choice, airs each week in The Sunday Night Music Club from 8pm.
Following candid interviews with U2’s Adam Clayton, Tom Walker, Sam Fender, Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, Skunk Anansie’s Skin, Ultravox’s Midge Ure and comedy icon Jo Brand, Wirral’s prodigal son Miles Kane dropped by Absolute Radio HQ to discuss the 5 songs that mean the most to him.
Listen to Miles Kane on Time To Listen here:
Mile Kane’s five songs are as follows:
The Beatles – ‘Things We Said Today’ (1964)
“When I started playing guitar, I got this Beatles chord book which anyone who plays guitar has probably got it. It’s like this gold book (The Beatles Complete Songbook). And this song from ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ the album called ‘Things We Said Today’, this (Paul) McCartney tune. It was the first kind of tune that I guess had that “dring ding ding ding” strumming. It’s almost like a chilled out version of The Jam or something in terms of the aggression of the strumming. There’s something about that whole album ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, but definitely ‘Things We Said Today’ that I have a connection with.”
Blur - ‘The Universal’ (1995)
“There’s tunes that if you’re feeling a bit down or sad – whether that be regarding a relationship or something you’re feeling filled by, whether it be work or you’ve had an argument with your mates. There are tunes where I’ve definitely sat in the bath and had a moment to myself… I guess a tune like Blur’s ‘The Universal’ would be in that list of sort of ‘candlelit tears playlist’. I could thoroughly recommend Blur ‘The Universal’ if you’re in the bath and you fancy a cry laughs.”
The Coral – ‘Pass It On’ (2003)
“When I got asked to do this, talking about songs of how they make you feel, whether you’ve suffered from anxiety or stuff like that or mental health as we’re touching on. So many songs give you a certain feeling of being a kid or when you’re sort of figuring out who you want to be when you’re young and stuff. I guess the first thing that came into my mind would be a song by The Coral because my cousin’s the singer and my cousin’s the drummer – James and Ian (Skelly). I remember when they were starting out, I went to their gigs. The first gig I went to see them when I was probably about 14, I couldn’t believe seeing James how he has – he was like this mad man spitting on stage, everyone was rocking out. I’d never witnessed anything like that. Those next few years I started to play guitar and I’d go round to (James’) house and he’d teach me chords and we’d listen to Super Furry Animals and tunes. I remember him specifically showing me the chords to ‘Pass It On’ and we’d sit there and play it and I’d walk home back to my mum’s or whatever. It just gives me a certain kind of like emotion and memory, I guess, this song.”
Oasis – ‘Rock N’ Roll Star’ (1994)
“Probably a song that will always put me in a good is… I mean, I’m a big Oasis fan and something like ‘Rock N’ Roll Star’ would always (do that). If I’m feeling a bit tired or something before a gig and you want to get up for it, I’ll have a vodka and tonic and blast some disco or ‘Rock N’ Roll Star’. Something to give me a spring in my step and to look in the mirror and give yourself confidence, I’ll go for Oasis and ‘Rock N’ Roll Star’. It’s the ultimate song about being in a band and living it – the drink, the drugs, the sex, whatever it may be. It’s the ultimate sort of rock n’ roll song really and I think any lad in a band – or girl – who wants to live it for a minute can do it via that or put it on while they are doing it.”
Miles Kane - ‘The Wrong Side of Life’ (2018)
“Most of my songs are about me. That may sound selfish, it’s just I find it comfortable writing about feelings of where you’re at at the time, whether that’s yourself or in a relationship or something. Each song that you sing you can take yourself to a certain place mentally. Even if it’s something about when you harp back to that time and it made you feel uncomfortable, but you wrote about it and it eases it slightly. To this day even if you feel a completely different emotion or feeling, I quite like tapping back into (that headspace) in a strange way. I guess I would have to go with a song on the last album called ‘The Wrong Side of Life’, which is a song where you’re crying out and yearning for someone. It’s an emotion I quite enjoy tapping into. It’s a very honest song in the way it’s delivered and sung; you’ve really got to sort of belt it out.”