Dr. Lucien Sanchez. Dixon Bainbridge. Douglas Reynholm. Stephen Toast. Laszlo Cravensworth / Jackie Daytona. There are few comedy actors who could boast a list of iconic TV characters and performances to match that of the great Matt Berry. However, while a lot of people are familiar with his work on the screen, his many other artistic talents are lesser known. To spread the word, Matt stopped by Rough Trade to launch his 11th studio album, Heard Noises. Sitting down for a Q&A on his musical ventures and illustrious career in television, we had to go along…
Entering Rough Trade, it’s a different layout from normal tonight. With a table, two chairs and a microphone centred on the partition wall separating the bar and venue space, there is then half a dozen rows of seats filled with punters, with more folks standing around the edges. It’s a packed house and before long Eddie Piller, founder of record label Acid Jazz, takes the microphone to introduce himself and Matt Berry.
There’s no live performance tonight, with the evening strictly centred around Matt diving into his incredible career through a conversation with Eddie. It gets off to an illuminating start, with Matt revealing he studied at Nottingham Trent’s art college between 1994 and 1997. “I got a 2-2 by the skin of my nuts!” he says as bluntly and hilariously as only he can, showing that there’s definitely parts of his own personality in the TV characters he is famed for portraying.
After graduating, he explains he knew he wasn’t going to have a normal job, which was confirmed in the fact his first occupation after university was to play Jack The Ripper and a Judge at the London Dungeon. After giving the audience an impression from those days (pronouncing “GUILTY” in true Matt Berry style), he talks about Noel Fielding taking a chance on him before Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness also found him working in a comedy club. They asked him to play a Spanish doctor on a show they were working on and, within months, it was airing on Channel 4 – that show was Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. Still working at the London Dungeon at that time, Matt tells of how he had to give them the gentle let down. “You don’t understand - I’m not coming back” he said to his unassuming bosses at the Dungeon. He also explains how he didn’t give them “the complete f**k off” just in case his TV career went pear-shaped. “Thankfully, I’ve not had to go back” he jokes.
Moving on from his breakthrough in TV, Matt then moves on to his latest album and his relationship with label boss Eddie. The pair clearly have an interesting relationship, with Eddie revealing the multiple different formats which Matt requested for this release: Blue Vinyl, Pink Splatter Vinyl, CD, Cassette and, most interestingly, an 8-Track cartridge. “I knew it would be impossible, I did it just to f**k with him” jokes Matt, thinking he was sending Eddie on a fool’s errand. It turns out though that Eddie was able to find the only 8-Track factory in Tallahassee, with the pair then waiting six months for the 50 copies to be ready. “The factory told us we would struggle to sell them, but they sold out instantly!” reveals Matt, with his wild goose chase ending up being a fruitful one.
The pair then discuss their first meeting, with Matt describing how he always wanted to be on Eddie’s Acid Jazz label, having been such a fan. “The first sight I saw was some cowboy boots coming down the stairs” shares Eddie, explaining how Matt’s fashion choices almost immediately poured water on the partnership before it had even begun. “GQ used to write about what not to wear and top every time was cowboy boots” explains Matt, who continued to wear them anyway in pure defiance. Thankfully the pair overcame the footwear blip, with all 13 of Matt’s records (including live albums) released on Acid Jazz since 2011.
The pair then turn to the album artwork for his latest effort Heard Noises, with Eddie explaining how Matt’s longtime photographer, Ben Meadows, wasn’t too pleased that he had decided to use a spur-of-the-moment selfie instead. “I was on facetime with someone at the time – so I quickly got rid of them!” shares Matt, explaining how he spotted the light hitting the back of his head quite perfectly in that moment. He then elaborates on some of the easter eggs on the album sleeve, including his fangs from What We Do In The Shadows, his Star Wars character and an effects pedal from Jean-Michel Jarre.
Matt then moves on to some of the guest vocalists on the new album, mentioning how he saw Camden-based singer-songwriter Kitty Liv perform at Rough Trade East in London, and how she was able to come in and “transcend” a song he was ready to ditch. Actress Nataha Lyonne also features, with Matt admiring her raspy voice, saying: “it sounds like it comes from the back of her head – I knew I needed that on the album.” The most interesting guests though are the brilliantly named choir group S Club 70, which features Matt’s mum and her friends. He describes trying to get them all to sing a Middle C, but not all of them hearing it right helped to create these unique vocal harmonies. “Some were up, and others were below it!” he says laughing.
It's then time to talk about one of Matt’s greatest creations – Stephen Toast from the hit series Toast of London and Toast of Tinseltown. Matt describes how he got the inspiration for Toast from “people he has worked with who have spectacularly lost their s**t in front of him.” He also talks about how the character of Clem Fandango comes from “an amalgamation of studio engineers and creatives” he has interacted with when doing his voiceover work. He then tells a mad anecdote of a job he had where he was paid to just say the words “The Times” in various ways for an hour’s studio time. “They made sure they got their money’s worth!” Matt jokes.
After a few other tidbits from Toast of London, explaining how Toast of Tinseltown was actually filmed in London, not Hollywood, during COVID, and the likeness of Bruce Forsyth was the most expensive thing in the show (“Channel 4 were worried he might die before it airs!”), it was then time for the audience Q&A with Matt. As these were quite rapid fire and short answers, here’s some of the highlights we were able to note down:
Your favourite music – all time and current?
Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, Bitches Brew by Miles Davis, the song Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter and the latest Kevin Parker-produced Dua Lipa album, Radical Optimism.
What's your favourite Dinosaur?
Diplodocus.
What is your writing process?
The music is written first, with Matt then “hearing the thread through the music” to pull it together and add lyrics. Also inspired the album title Heard Noises, which also humorously appears as “Matt Berry Heard Noises” on the album cover.
Favourite lines he’s ever delivered?
He spoke about sneaking British comedy references into What We Do In The Shadows that the American audience wouldn’t pick up. This included “What about Del Boy?” said to a guy in a donkey jacket and “Bad Luck Blackadder” said to Nandor (Kayvan Novak’s character).
Favourite character to have played on screen?
Stephen Toast (“my own creation”) and Laszlo (“had great fun on What We Do In The Shadows”).
Inspiration behind the iconic vocal inflections on his line delivery?
“If I have to say a line more than four times, I’m bored. No premeditation about it - after I’ve said it four times, I have to put some stank on it.”
What Shampoo do you use?
Bed Head.
Favourite album to have made?
Witchhazel (“first one to know what I was doing with all the equipment we had”).
Favourite song to have made?
Where’s My Love? From his album Phantom Birds.
Who would you hire for a supergroup for your next album?
“They’re all dead! Alan Spenner on Bass, John Bonham on Drums, then I’ll do the rest.”
What’s the worst note a director has ever given you?
“”I couldn’t hear you” – ‘cause I knew that was bulls**t.”
Would you ever revisit any of your older characters again?
Stephen Toast, but only if it was in an instalment of the Rise of the Footsoldier franchise.
What do people quote at you the most?
“BAT!” and “FATHERRRR!”
Would you ever play Doctor Who?
“They wouldn’t give it to me – I’ve done too much night-time, visual stuff.”
The Q&A with Matt Berry took place at Rough Trade on Tuesday 28th January 2025.
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