I Was There – Ross Davies (Hot Sauce Pony/Rat The Magnificent) on working with Steve Albini

“Steve didn’t have to do that…”

Guitarist Ross Davies got to work with Steve Albini not once but twice – once with South London grungepop heroes Hot Sauce Pony and then with his other band Rat The Maginificent . When we asked him for a quote on Albini’s untimely passing yesterday, he found it hard to contain his thoughts to a few sentences – so here, he recalls the extraordinary lengths that the legendary producer and engineer went to to be a decent human being.

“When I was 15 and stoned I realised a common link between all the records I’d grown obsessed with. Steve. To this day I can recognise his sonic imprint within 5 seconds of a record playing. No matter who.

Cut to my late 30s. I get hardcore lucky. I fall into an excellent band (Hot Sauce Pony) and find myself and my muso partner Anna on a plane bound for Chicago one dark New Years eve. I get to meet him. I get to work with him for a solid week. Teenage me is losing his mind.

This moment isn’t over.

By request, Steve offers a further lifeline. “ I need a band for this thing I do in the South of France. It’s in a couple weeks. Stephen (a different Steve, my bandmate and trusted pal. Some people call him Stuffy) tells me you two have another band? Rat The Magnificent?”

He’s correct. We correctly go weak at the knees.

A couple weeks later we’re on a plane again.

Steve is fucking gracious. To a ridiculous degree. As is Greg (Norman). I love Greg.

“I’d happily call you guys my house band.” A treasured quote.

We land and return home. My phone buzzes. Steve has tracked down my phone number.

“The studio didn’t give you the tapes. I’m going to make sure you get them. Give me your address.”

Steve didn’t have to do that. I loved him before Chicago. I loved him more after. This was just getting ridiculous. I’m a fucking nobody.

Steve always stayed in touch after. He didn’t have to. I have a smashed phone that I can’t bin because it has text messages from him on it. My now final exchange was him congratulating me on the birth of my daughter, Lily.

He didn’t have to do that.

I sent him a pic. “She’s a cutie!”

He didn’t have to say that.

I consider myself a musician. Albeit a nobody musician. But this guy, who was just built different, made me feel like somebody.

I love Steve and the gang. My heart hurts.

xxx