Bush's Gavin Rossdale on longevity, honesty, and the fight to stay real

As Bush return to Luxembourg tonight to support Volbeat at the Rockhal, frontman Gavin Rossdale reflects on a career defined by reinvention and resilience. Speaking with Today Radio’s Stephen Steps Lowe, the British rocker opened up about I Beat Loneliness, Bush’s latest album which is a record he describes as his most personal and focused yet.

"I thought the most interesting thing I can be is myself", Rossdale says. "If I can be of any interest whatsoever, let it be of myself,  that’s the most truthful thing I have. This record was about staying focused on that, not looking away."

The new album marks Bush’s tenth studio release, and Rossdale admits that with longevity comes both pressure and perspective. "I live and die by my songs", he says. "The problem we’ve got is that the records keep getting better. I can’t imagine having the success I had in the 90s, but what I can do is make something sonically nutritious, something you can listen to all the way through and really enjoy. That’s success to me."

Throughout the conversation, Rossdale balances humour and introspection, from joking about his devotion to chocolate Hobnobs ("It holds together, it holds!") to deep reflections on creativity and connection in the digital age.

"It’s a jungle of mismatched algorithms", he explains. "You can sit next to someone and they’re living a completely different virtual reality. It’s the Wild West again. The challenge is to get across what you’re doing, because people have so many distractions."

On I Beat Loneliness, Bush embrace more electronic textures and cinematic production while staying true to their raw, guitar-driven core. Rossdale describes this shift as both instinctive and necessary. "It’s just more fun. I want to make music that inspires me... not sit with an acoustic guitar and a metronome. Kill me", he laughs. "I don’t want to make folk music. I want to make people lose their minds. I want to be the soundtrack to their lives."

At the heart of it, Rossdale still believes in the unifying power of rock music even in an era of fragmented attention and fleeting trends. "Music should bring people together", he says. "I hope this record speaks to people who feel life’s challenges, which is everyone. If these songs can be a comfort on a tricky night, then I’ve done my job."

As Bush take the stage tonight, fans can expect a set that blends anthems like Glycerine and Machinehead with the defiant new material of I Beat Loneliness proof that nearly three decades in, Gavin Rossdale still has plenty to say and even more to fight for.

Bush perform tonight at Rockhal in support of Volbeat. I Beat Loneliness is out now.

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