Fact #159521

Johnny Black interviews Big Country for Smash Hits magazine, as their single Fields Of Fire enters the UK chart.

Just back from a photo session at the Museum Of Mankind, Big Country burst through the swing doors into Phonogram's cramped press office and mayhem ensues.

Bass player Tony attempts to swipe every music paper in the office, while vocalist Stuart places a long distance call to Scotland and drummer Mark engages in earnest conversation with a four-legged cross between a Kajagoogoo-lookalike wig and a pound of beef sausages.

"This is Wattie," he informs me helpfully. I suspect it of being a dog.

Finally, I manage to squeeze them into a nearby broom cupboard where, in semi-darkness, I proceed to probe for the facts behind their sudden appearance in the charts with their second single, Fields Of Fire. But the group's main spokesman, Stuart Adamson, is of the breed that believes, "Most pop music talks for itself. It's just a bunch of songs. You might be serious about what you write in a song, but it isn't really important in the general scheme of things."

So what do they like to talk about? "I'm into aeroplanes," offers Mark Brzezicki. "At school I could tell which planes were flying overhead just by the engine sounds. I was pretty accurate, I could just about work out the pilot's shoe size too, and I used to build mock-up cockpits in my bedroom out of cardboard boxes and old Squezy washing up liquid bottles."

Undernourished guitarist Bruce Watson has an equally interesting occupation, according to Stuart, "He likes shooting small furry creatures."

Could it be true? A trifle defensively, Bruce owns up. "I just like enjoying myself, that's all. I like air rifles, and going out with my friends, but I also had a good time yesterday making a video, dressing up and pretending to stab people with a bayonet."

I cross Bruce off the invite list to my next party and wonder loudly whether Tony Butler has any less violent pastimes.

"I've been getting into interior decorating..." Tony isn't allowed to finish because the rest of the band are suffering hysterics. When they calm down, he continues, "I really have. I've got to help do up my mum's place so I stick the radio on, make myself a cup of tea, pick up a paint brush and I'm away. I like bright colours best. You should see our extension when the sun sets and lights up the place."

Another mirthquake shakes the room before Stuart admits that his passion, other than his wife and his music, is, "Moody black and white photography. I just photograph any nice image that comes into my head. It's like songwriting really, just another way to push yourself for more ideas."

So what's the idea behind Fields Of Fire? "It's a selection of images — thoughts on a train journey. We're not a message band though. We're happy if people want to use it as dance music, or background music or just something they can identify with."

Bit by bit, the story of Big Country begins to be revealed. Stuart was once a member of The Skids and, when they reached the end of the road, he started looking for something new to do. "Mark and I played in a group called On The Air," explains Tony, "which supported The Skids on their final tour. It was funny, but at the beginning of that tour I had a feeling we would end up playing with Stuart and, after it, both bands split up."

Mark and Tony continued working as a rhythm section, playing dozens of sessions on albums by Pete Townshend, Virginia Astley and others, but Stuart called them up one day and asked if they'd like to make a demo tape. He had returned to his home town, Dunfermline in Fife, where he made contact with old friend Bruce Watson.

"Stuart and I had been practising, writing songs on a four-track tape recorder in community centre rooms under our local snooker hall. When we did the demo with Tony and Mark, we knew that was it. We clicked immediately."

Groups often talk, in almost mystical terms, of the moment when they knew they belonged together. It can be hard to analyse this feeling but I ask Big Country to try. Mark suggests: "Something just happens. I've done loads of sessions but when you realise this is your own group, it becomes an emotional thing. You draw strength from each other, you get inspired and excited by each other's playing."

"But don't concentrate too heavily on the musical side of it," adds Tony, "because it has to come from the heart as well as from your technical expertise. See, I missed the punk thing totally, because I studied music theory at school. I didn't get into punk because I preferred bands like Genesis. But later, I realised that punk had allowed all kinds of ordinary people to get up and have a bash, just because they loved it, and that was great."

For a band that didn't want to talk about their music, they seem to be doing quite well. I mention that ‘Fields Of Fire’ has a very guitar-dominated sound and suggest that, with a different production, it could almost be heavy metal.

Gasps of horror. Eyes pop wide. Eventually Stuart says, "I certainly felt that pop music hasn't used guitars in adventurous enough ways, so we've tried to make different sounds, rather than just strumming chords with a screaming lead break in the middle."

Maybe Big Country isn't the acceptable face of heavy metal but, as we emerge from the broom closet, guitarist Bruce begins to tell me of his love for Iggy Pop and Twisted Sister. "It's because they're just so loud." I begin to wish we could start the interview all over again.