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Interview with Neighbours' Alan
Fletcher
DonnyOnline, January 4th 2008
http://www.donny.co.uk/Doncaster/news/index.php3?ID=1293
By Phil Medlicott
Australian soap star Alan Fletcher visited Doncaster for the
first time in December during his UK tour, and may soon return
– to look for somewhere to live!
The man better known as Neighbours doctor Karl Kennedy has
held a fondness for South Yorkshire since he performed pantomime
in Sheffield seven years ago. And as he contemplates a move to
the UK some time in the future, he has become increasingly familiar
with Doncaster thanks to his British PA, a local die-hard fan
of Doncaster Rovers FC. It was only a matter of time before he
would play in the town.
"I’just been looking at the shops here, it looks
really nice" Alan said, just prior to the gig at Walkabout
on December 13th. "My PA’from here. She fills me in
on how the Rovers are getting on and all that!"
The performance was part of Alan’fifth UK tour as lead
vocalist for Australian band Waiting Room, and having always
made a point of stopping in the South Yorkshire, he hinted he
could settle here permanently.
"I’consider moving somewhere in this region"
he said. "Leeds is really nice, Sheffield is great, Donny
could be a good place to be! The Peak District right next door
is so scenic - you’got the best of both." The band
deliberately drove in over Woodhead Pass to eat at the Dog and
Partridge pub, where they had stopped on day one of their first
UK tour in 2005.
His PA Lucy Burke was delighted to finally see Alan’band
arrive in Doncaster. "I always wanted the boys to play in
my hometown" said Lucy, 27, who was born in Barnby Dun.
She moderates Alan’websites and has worked with Waiting
Room on their last two UK tours. It has not got in the way of
her commitment to the local football team though. "When
a gig clashes with a game, I’had to miss a few dates!"
she said.
Waiting Room opened their set with a version of the Kaiser
Chief’"Ruby", with the chorus changed to "Donny",
before covering a range of rock acts from Queen to the Fratellis.
They played three of their own songs, as well as some novelty
tracks, referencing Alan’on-screen marriage to Susan Kennedy
with "I’Got A Crush on Susie K" and Smokey’"Living
Next Door to Alice", reworked as "Sleeping Alongside
Susan". Alan then met a queue of eager fans, signing autographs
and posing for pictures.
Masters student Kathryn Dray was in the crowd for her second
Waiting Room gig. "I’watched Neighbours since I was
a kid and it’hard to find a person from my generation who
doesn’ think Dr Kennedy is a legend" said 26-year-old
Kathryn, who is originally from Thorne. "The band are very
talented and they all clearly love being on stage together."
Waiting Room formed in Melbourne in 2004 and were soon invited
to play in the UK, where Alan’popularity has grown steadily
over the thirteen years he has appeared in Neighbours.
"I don’try to shy away from the fact that I’from
Neighbours, or pretend that I’a serious rock musician"
he said. "I say I’an entertainer, and I recognise that
a lot of people come to us through Neighbours, so I pay homage
to that."
Although it has earned him many female admirers, married father
of two Alan is keen to differentiate himself from his on-screen
persona. "We’got the same hair, but that’about
it!" he said. "We don’have any real similarity
– he’very conservative, and I’not, he’had
affairs and I haven’t!"
Alan said he would "love to come back to Donny again",
with Lucy suggesting that a performance at Doncaster College
may be a possibility for the future.
But with plenty of stories to come for Dr Kennedy back in
Australia, a permanent migration – to Doncaster or anywhere
else - may be some way off yet.
The new Waiting Room single is out now on iTunes, called So
Wrong. Find out more at http://www.alanfletcher.net or http://www.myspace.com/alanfletcher.
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