Black Grape BIG INTERVIEW: '˜Now all of the bull is out of the window we all enjoy itÂ more'

When Black Grape were reactivated in 2015 for a tour to mark the 20thÂ anniversary of their chart-topping debut, It's Great When You're Straight'¦Â Yeah, it was a treat to have them back.

But after that there was little expectation of the genre-splicing act fronted by the Happy Mondays vocalist and lyricist Shaun Ryder alongsideÂ rapper Kermit.

So when the Mancunian bad boysÂ turned up again last year with a new album Pop Voodoo that harked back to their glory days it was a very welcome surprise.

For the past few years, Shaun has been busy on the road with the Mondays '“Â they played at this summer's Victorious Festival in Southsea in Saturday's special guest slot. And as a result he wasn't even thinking about reviving his other great act '“Â the one he formed with Kermit after the Mondays first imploded in 1993 in a welter of drugs and acrimony.

Happy Mondays singer Rowetta on the band's renewed hunger

Signed to Radioactive records and shepherded by legendary American music producer and manager Gary Kurfirst, Black Grape's initial run only lasted two albums.

'˜We got an email from The States from the people who look after our publishing out there,' says Shaun of the band's return to action,Â '˜saying its 20 years since the release of the first Black GrapeÂ album,Â what are you going to do for it? Are you going to commemorate it or something? And I hadn't even thought about it.

'˜Me and the wife sat there and talked about it, and we said: 'Yeah, let's do something.' So she set up a website for Black Grape, I made some inquiries, and then it got rolling.'