I caught up with Ricky Warwick backstage at the Colston Hall in Bristol before Thin Lizzy took to the stage for their headline show to talk about being asked to join Thin Lizzy, how the tour has been plans for the future and much more.

In May 2010 it was announced that you were the new singer for Thin Lizzy how did this come about and how does it feel to be stepping into a legendary pair of shoes and fronting such a great band?
First of all it came about from getting a phone call from Adam (Thin Lizzy’s manager) asking me if I was interested, I have also known Scott Gorham for a long time as he played on my first solo record so he knew what I sang like and knew me as a person so they both thought I would be the right guy to sing which I was very honoured about. After I was approached we arranged our rehearsals a few months later in London and everybody just gelled and it went really well and the band was obviously reborn.

As for filling Phil’s shoes nobody is trying to replace Phil as he was a genius and is irreplaceable and one of the greatest front men in rock and roll history, all you can really do is take the brilliance of those songs and the attitude and energy and passion Phil had for Thin Lizzy and carry on that on and try and recreate that, so yes I’m playing the songs we all know and love, yes I am singing the phrases how Phil would of sang them but it is Ricky Warwick singing the songs with complete respect to Phil.

Also back in May 2010 it was announced that Thin Lizzy were going to tour the UK with a 13 dates tour, how did you find preparing for the tour?
We all prepared a lot at home, we all learnt our parts, I learnt all the lyrics and practiced at home like karaoke like sing along with Phil with the albums on, after that we got together for two weeks in Los Angeles to rehearsal and because everyone is such a good musician and the chemistry was so good that after the first rehearsal we didn’t really need any more time because there were no flaws everybody knew their parts and the songs and then by the time the rehearsals were done we were ready to go and that we towards the end of December so we had a few weeks off over the new year and then started in Aberdeen on January 6th.

So you are over half way through your tour now how have the shows been and how have the fans taken to the new Thin Lizzy line-up?
It’s been absolutely unbelievable, we have just been blown away and it is better than anybody could have imagined we thought it was going to be good but we are just gobsmacked by how good it is.

What would you say the mix of crowd as been?
It’s amazing you have people bringing their kids, people who are 60 and pretty much everything in-between which is wonderful

Have any of the shows been sold out?
Yeah the first three sold out and the last couple we played were about 100 away from selling out and in the current climate that’s pretty cool.

I am guessing that the set list for the tour is like a massive greatest hits mix, how many songs have you been playing and has the set list been the same throughout the whole tour?
We are playing 21 songs live and yeah there are obviously certain Thin Lizzy songs that you have to put in the set list because the fans expect them and you have to do them, but there are a few obscure ones that they band haven’t played in a long time like ‘Wild One’ and ‘Angels Of Death’, we have been sticking to the same set list but when we get to London for the second night we are going to mix it up a little bit and put in a mixture.

What has been your favourite Thin Lizzy song song to perform live on the tour so far?
This is a hard one but I love playing ‘Massacre’ live, I also love singing ‘Don’t Believe A Word’, it is hard to pick one as they are all great songs, obviously ‘Jailbreaks’ great as well.

The tour finishes with a double whammy of shows in London next weekend are there any special plans for these shows?
Well the British tour finishes in London but we actually head out to Europe for two weeks after and then the tour finishes in Dublin on February 17th so we still have a long way to go, London is London and we will just go up there and do the songs like we have been doing and on the second night at the O2 we will play a slightly different set list.

As we just mentioned the tour wraps up in a few weeks, what’s next for Thin Lizzy, any future tours or festival appearances in the works?
We plan to keep going throughout 2011, we already have some shows booked in for the States and we are about to announce some festivals pretty soon as well.
Are they going to be European Festivals?
Yep it will be.

You have spent a bit of time on the road touring with Eddie Spaghetti before, how does it feel to have the Supersuckers on the road with you this time?
Eddie is such a nice guy and the Supersuckers are just a great kick arse rock and roll band so it’s always great when you get your friends out on the road with you.

You released your last solo album ‘Belfast Confetti’ back in 2009, do you have any plans for a follow up solo album in the near future?
I do but I don’t know when as Thin Lizzy is taking priority at the minute, I do pretty much have a new album ready to go and when I get the chance I will get it released.

Being on the road with Thin Lizzy must have opened your eyes to being in a touring band again; can you see this help inspire The Almighty to head out on the road again?
Not for the foreseeable future no as there is nothing planned and we are all happy with what we are doing at the moment, but who knows as we have a 25th anniversary coming up in a few years so we might go out and do a couple of shows but we will just have to see what happens.

What would you say your biggest high and low has been since being in the music industry?
The biggest high for me is this without a doubt, the biggest low was about ten years ago when I was in a situation where I didn’t have a record deal, didn’t have a publishing deal I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue making music and that was a real low point of my life but it was good to be able to turn it around, it didn’t last for too long but it was a point where I was at crossroads thinking shit is this it for me and the thought of not being able to make music for a living any more was pretty scary.

What bands and albums have you been listening to recently?
Thin Lizzy, I can honestly say for the last six months Thin Lizzy is all I have been listening to, I haven’t even heard any new music, my wife is really into her music and she would be like have you heard this band and I would be like nope because I have just been focused on getting this right. Before that the Gaslight Anthem I really liked and I that was the last album that I bought, I like a band called drive By Truckers a lot as well and I love my punk rock and have the new GBH album, but in the last six months I haven’t really had chance to check anything out, I am starting to now that Lizzy is up and running, I am really looking forward to getting the new Social Distortion album.
You should it’s a really good album.
Have you got it?
Yeah.
Well I bought the single when it came out so I can’t wait to get it.
It’s defiantly worth getting.

Where do you see yourself this time next year?
Hopefully alive, continuing to make music and I hope to think still with Thin Lizzy with the band still on the road, but to be honest if I can just continue doing what I’m doing making music and having the life I have then I am happy

Thanks for your time is there a message for your fans reading this?
Thanks to everybody for all the support and the good little messages, it has been completely over whelming, and please come and check out Thin Lizzy for a great night’s entertainment.

Interview by Trigger