The Chills

It's been a tough decade or so for Martin Phillips, the man who effectively is the Chills, but on the eve of his first Australian tour in 18 years he opens up to Andrew P Street about…

…Coming back
Well, I've never quite been away, but thank you! [laughs]. Things are looking much more on the up than they have been for some time. It has been difficult for a while. There've been so many different aspects to [the Chills' absence from Australia], from financial reasons to health to depression, drug stuff, band stuff, bloody record label stuff – you name it.

...Getting clean
 Actually, today I'm just about finishing a week-long alcohol-detox which has gone surprisingly smoothly. I was expecting to be scratching spiders off my skin, but basically nothing happened. It appears that although I would drink most days, it wasn't even that I'd get slurry drunk - it was just that, having Hepatitis C, I just couldn't afford to keep doing that to my liver. But I'm feeling better for it.

...The Chills' chequered many-membered past
Well, this line-up's pretty much been together for about ten years now and gigging not often, but regularly - just not overseas because we just haven't had the finances. And I didn't want to go until we had a new album to promote - not do a "greatest hits" kind of package. I couldn't think of anything worse, really. But it's long overdue for us to come to Australia and show off! [laughs]. I know you'd expect me to say this, but this line up is as strong a band you could expect the Chills to be. Even the old fans agree.