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Pete Shoulder performs a rare show in his native North East this month as the versatile singer songwriter heads to Newcastle’s Common Room. Simon Rushworth enjoyed an exclusive chat with the One More Satellite frontman and former Union man.

Rushonrock: Take us back to those debut shows with One More Satellite in California towards the end of last year…

Pete Shoulder: They were great fun. We played different parts of California and just put the new music out there for the first time. The Peppermint Club is pretty much central Los Angeles but then we went out to the desert and played Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown. It’s a famous venue that the likes of Paul McCartney have played in the past. The last of the Cali gigs was the Constellation Room in Santa Ana — all three were fantastic. They were the first live shows we played together and everything just clicked.

Rushonrock: Remind us who was on stage…

PS: Well there’s Dean DeLeo from Stone Temple Pilots. We put the band together in the first place. Joining us for the live shows were Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Foreigner, Dead Daisies, Silverthorne) and Julia Lage (Vixen, Smith/Kotzen). It was great to give some life to the songs from the debut album and as introductions to a new band go it was a huge success. We’re just waiting to finalise plans for this year but there’s much more to come from One More Satellite. We’re almost finished the second album and we’ve started working on the third one as well so in the next few years it’s going to be a lot more about One More Satellite. We’ll be out there touring again this year and I’m hoping to bring the band over to the UK. It’s full steam ahead.

Rushonrock: Were there any expectations that One More Satellite would become any more than a fun side project?

PS: Maybe I hoped it would grow but at the start, when Dean first approached me about it, he was like ‘I don’t know about a tour or anything like that’. We’d worked together before and it was always meant to be a cool little project that kept us both busy. As we got into it, we started to get more and more excited about the music we were making and talked about playing the record live. We weren’t thinking about anything more than working together again when it started but One More Satellite’s taken on a life of its own. The live band’s really gelled — we’re really happy with how Brian and Julia slotted in. Let’s see what happens!

Rushonrock: How did The Common Room gig come about?

PS: It’s been so long since I played in the North East that I wasn’t really sure if anybody would be interested in a Pete Shoulder show! My last few projects have been in Europe and North America and so I was a bit hesitant about playing a gig back home. I was encouraged to take a look at The Common Room and I was bowled over by what a beautiful building it is. All of a sudden the gig was booked and the ticket sales went great from the start. It’ll be nice to play Newcastle again. It’s been too long.

Rushonrock: How do you feel about stepping on stage at 5pm on a Sunday?

PS: Honestly? I can’t wait! I wish all gigs were at 5pm on a Sunday really. I was about to say it must be because I’m getting old but I think even when I was 18 I would prefer an early start to be honest. People coming along can have a few beers around town in the afternoon, see a gig and still get home in time for their supper! It’s a win-win.

Rushonrock:  Can you give ius a flavour of what to expect at The Common Room?

PS: I’m going to be doing a bit of everything from Winterville, The Union, Silverthorne and One More Satellite. I’ve got a really talented band with me and we’re just going to do the greatest hits. Or the songs that should have been hits. I don’t really have any hits — let along greatest hits! But seriously, it’s been great in rehearsals going through all of the songs from different bands and different eras. There’s a real mixture. I’m dipping my toes into the water with this gig but alongside the work I’m doing with One More Satellite I want to establish myself as a solo artist over here. I’ve been working on a new solo album and I’ll be playing a few songs from that too — songs people have never heard before. I’m hoping to release some new solo music later this year.

Rushonrock: Is that a real possibility?

PS: I hope so. I’ve been working on an album and doing everything myself — the engineering and producing as well as playing all the instruments. Whenever there’s a gap in the schedule I go back to that. I want to get that out later this year so that’s why I’m putting a band together. I’m hoping it will give everything a fresh impetus. It’s very 60s sounding at the moment. It’s got a bit of Beatles and a bit of blues but it still sounds like me.

Rushonrock: Is versatility and keeping your options open the secret to success in a fast-changing music business?

PS: Everything feeds into everything else as far as I’m concerned. It’s always been like that. Even if I was in one band and we were touring the world and making loads of money I’d still want an outlet to explore other things. 

Rushonrock: Is production one of those outlets?

PS: I’ve got a little studio set up in Hebburn now and I’ve been working on a few things there. I’d love to work with North East musicians and see what we could do together. I was always half interested in the production side of things but as I’ve got older it’s become more important to me. I didn’t pay that much attention to the studio stuff when I was young because I was always so focused on the songs and the playing. But then as the music industry changed — and you didn’t have to spend so much money on a studio — I realised there were opportunities there for independent artists. I started paying more attention to production and realised the advances in technology meant you didn’t need a degree — or decades of experience — to cut a good record. We made the Silverthorne EP in Brian’s (Tichy) house and it was a great set up. There was a drum kit in the living room and microphones everywhere — even in the bathroom. I’m really into production now. The possibilities are endless.

Rushonrock: Why is production such a positive outlet for you?

PS: It’s like a palate cleanser. It’s good to do something else that’s still music. I’m still involved in music but I’m coming at it from a different angle and with a different headspace. I love it, really love it. I like working with artists and being on the other side of the glass — I know how nerve wracking it can be in front of the mic and it’s good to have somebody who’s been there and done that, offering advice on production.

The last remaining tickets for Pete Shoulder’s Common Room show on Sunday Febraury 22 are available here

Find out where One More Satellite’s debut album landed in Rushonrock’s Best Rock And Metal Albums Of 2025 here