“Real volume is emotional volume. It comes from your lungs and your heart.”
That was one of the lines Tom Hingley dropped into our conversation the other week — and it neatly sums up why we’re delighted to have him as our On The Turntable , Musician of the Month for March.
Tom needs very little introduction.
From the late 80s Haçienda days through to becoming the unmistakable frontman of Inspiral Carpets, he’s been part of the fabric of what became known as Madchester — that moment when music, culture and attitude collided in Manchester and spilled out into the world.
But what struck me most during our chat wasn’t nostalgia.
It was evolution.
Tom is still touring. Still writing. Still recording. Still pushing himself. The same guitar has clocked up more than 1,600 gigs. There’s a new album beginning soon. There’s even an incognito side project that may or may not be him (it is), maybe, who knows….
And yet the tone isn’t retrospective. It’s forward-looking.
We talked about:
Writing through lockdown and identity wobbles
“Self-care from the self-care”
Not seeking permission anymore
Why he doesn’t do many interviews
And why performance, like life, is about emotional volume — not noise
This isn’t an “interview” in the traditional sense (I’m not very good at those). It’s more of a proper natter — the kind that starts with jokes about turning 60 and ends somewhere around gratitude, independence and creative honesty.
The full On The Turntable conversation will go live at the end of the week.
Tom’s music will feature throughout March across The Third Half — breaking up episodes, underscoring conversations, and generally reminding us what real volume sounds like.
Properly delighted he came for a chat.
More soon.
