Supporting role for Leppard star Phil

Guitarist Phil Collen is used to enjoying the big time as a member of Def Leppard - headlining arenas, stadiums and festivals around the world.

But it will be back to basics at Wolverhampton Civic Hall next week when he fronts his other band, Man Raze, as openers for Alice Cooper on Tuesday.

Man Raze, a real labour of love for the guitarist, also features Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and bassist Simon Laffy, from Collen's pre-Leppard group, Girl.

For Collen it gives him the chance to get up close and personal with audiences and also to express different sides of his musical personality.

"With Def Leppard I'm a backing singer really most of the time and just the guitar player, so you get a different dynamic right there, you can actually converse, have a dialogue with the people there and that's nice," he says.

Although there are occasional hints of the Def Leppard sound in a couple of the songs on Man Raze's debut album Surreal, there's a real raw edge to it along with musical forays into areas where all-out rock, reggae and even dub collide.

"It took us two weeks to do that record. We did it at Joe's place," says Collen, referring to the Dublin home studio of Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott where many of that band's albums were recorded.

"The quickest Leppard one we've done would have been eight months. So this had a totally different feel about it, a different dynamic.

"It's going to places that I couldn't go in a Def Leppard song. If you go a bit too diverse or a bit further the fans get actually quite upset. It's a weird balance between selling out and keeping your

integrity as an artist.

"You say 'This is who we are' - you go along those lines and you can't go too far left field. With Man Raze it's the complete opposite, we can do pretty much anything we want. That in itself is an amazing feeling."

He also gets to see both sides of the rock star coin, from the headlining mega stars where everything is provided and managed to the do-it-yourself, almost punk ethos of getting out there and building a new audience.

That was put into sharp relief when he played at this year's Download Festival with both bands.

"It's kind of weird because it so different and not just because I'm a singer in one band and a guitar player in another," says Collen. "With Man Raze we were in a tiny dressing room that's 10 by 8 and then with Def Leppard it's the trailer and things like that.

"It was really interesting even from a rehearsal point of view. Leppard were rehearsing in Dublin at Joe's house with all the crew there and everything's taken care of and you've got people helping out and it's so easy.

"And then all of a a sudden we're down Temple Bar rehearsing with Man Raze, and it's, like, do-it-yourself.

"It's that side of it that becomes more obvious to me - the fact that Def Leppard's this huge band - I'm not saying we're pampered but it's just different. You really notice it. I'm the same person but it's almost like a parallel universe. and that's weird."

Def Leppard disappointed American fans when they cancelled a leg of their US tour recently, with the band's website simply citing "unforseen personal matters".

Collen won't be drawn on what those are but says there's no need for concern.

"Everyone's fine," he says. "We were going to take a year off and we decided to take it early. I think we needed a break to be quite honest. We are going to record, Def Leppard's going to record at some point.

"We only finished the Def Leppard tour about a month ago. We were going to do another leg but we're not now so that's enabled Man Raze to do the Alice Cooper British tour at least. Alice Cooper's people have been brilliant, you know, 'Whatever you want to do'."

Before the tour arrives at Wolverhampton, there's one other Alice Cooper link that Collen himself had fogotten about.

He and Joe Elliott once recorded one of the shock rock star's songs for an Alice Cooper tribute album.

"Me and Joe, we did Under My Wheels. I'd forgotten about that," laughs Collen. "That was great, really cool."

By Ian Harvey

* Alice Cooper and Man Raze play Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Tuesday, December 1. Tickets are £32.50 plus booking fees