JOANNA Davis speaks to Dr Feelgood drummer Kevin Morris, who is looking forward to playing in Bridport for the first time

KEVIN Morris has his feet up and is taking it easy these days.

Or is doing his own version of ‘taking it easy’.

As a member of rhythm and blues act Dr Feelgood, Kevin has cut back from performing 300 gigs a year to 120.

Still quite a lot, I point out to him, especially as the band, which was formed on Canvey Island, Essex, in the early 1970s is also taking in Austria and Switzerland on its current tour.

Kevin, who counts Keith Moon of The Who as the drummer who has inspired him most, said: “We don’t do quite as much live work as we used to.

“People get the chance to go home now and it’s important to spend time with my wife.

“The most important thing is to have 100 per cent commitment to the performances we’re doing and we don’t take any prisoners.

“Each gig is like starting anew.”

Dr Feelgood is a band that is used to new starts. Its line-up has changed significantly since the band’s inception.

The current line-up features Kevin on drums and Phil Mitchell on bass, both 29 years in the band, and Steve Walwyn on guitar, who has been with the band for 23 years. Vocalist Robert Kane (formerly of the Animals) is the most recent addition – joining in 1999 after the tragic death of Lee Brilleaux.

In memory of Lee the group have raised more than £100,000 for the local hospice in Essex by performing memorial concerts in Canvey Island.

Kevin said: “We did it every year for 20 years and managed to raise so much money which was a great thing.

“There’s also a tour of Canvey Island our manager does which takes people along the seafront and to some of the places associated with the band.

“I’m not quite sure what we’ve done for tourism there but we try to do our best!”

The gig on October 15 will be the band’s first visit to Bridport.

During their overnight stay the group is hoping to take in some of the area.

One of the most popular songs on the group’s tour is Milk and Alcohol, which reached number nine in the singles chart in 1979 and the group’s album Stupidity went to the number one position in the UK charts.

More recently as a side-project, Kevin has recorded with Dil Davies of Electric folk band Oysterband.

“It was pretty good. I got Dil to play drums. I said to him ‘pretend you are me pretending to be Keith Moon’,” he said.

Kevin said: “On this tour we’ve got to play all the hits that people expect as well as some of our newer stuff.

“There’s nothing worse than seeing a band you know perform and not hearing their hits.

“One good thing is that younger people are ransacking their parents’ record collections and discovering us now.”

Kevin is speaking to me from home, where he has been absorbed in a copy of Private Eye before my phone call.

It certainly sounds like a relaxing home environment, one from where Kevin can admire views of the Thames Estuary.

And as for family time on breaks from the tour?

Well that’s pretty quiet too.

“My boys are too old now for much family time so it’s just the two of us, it’s really quite nice.”

 Dr Feelgood are live at the Electric Palace in Bridport on Wednesday, October 15 from 7:30pm.