Clash Issue 134 - Paul McCartney

On a bright May afternoon, CLASH crosses Soho Square to arrive at MPL, the large Georgian townhouse that Paul McCartney has kept as his London office since the breakup of The Beatles. Nothing quite prepares you for when the elevator doors open and Paul McCartney is standing there, amiably chatting to a secretary. 

We’re here to talk about ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’, McCartney’s 18th solo album and first of new material since the lockdown-era ‘McCartney III’. Perhaps a reason why ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ became a meditative exercise is that it was recorded as McCartney was fronting a series of retrospective projects: a touring exhibition of photographs he took in 1964, the Man On The Run documentary about his ‘Wings’ era, and Peter Jackson’s epic Get Back reappraisal of The Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ sessions. 

In a revelatory conversation, the icon muses on his fond reminiscences and working-class Mersey roots, working with Ringo, songwriting secrets, and the quiet, wistful triumph of his new work. 

“I didn’t mean to write a reflective album,” McCartney tells CLASH. “I didn’t realise it until quite a way in.” 

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Words: Fergal Kinney
Photography: Mary McCartney