Nathaniel Rateliff on hanging around with Robert Plant and getting high with Willie Nelson

Berlin is widely regarded as the party capital of Europe, but don’t expect to find Nathaniel Rateliff in any of its dens of hedonism partying until the sun rises.

“I don’t party much these days,” says the man who named his soul-powered backing band the Night Sweats, who’s in the city to kick off a six-week European tour. “I’m nearly forty-six, that stuff is too much nowadays.”

The US bandleader might have dialled down the decadence, but musically he and the Night Sweats remain as passionate as ever – their fourth album, South Of Here , crackles with grit and emotion.

What kind of record did you want to make with South Of Here ?

I feel like the last record [2021’s The Future ], I was trying to work out what the Night Sweats were supposed to sound like, what we were doing, whether they were relevant musically or not. And I realised it’s not for me to try and keep up with trends, so the best thing I can do is just write something that felt important to me. As the songs came together, there was definitely a narrative thread appearing.

What was the thread?

I’ve been trying to figure out where I’m at in my life, and in order to do that it’s good to look back at where you come from. Growing up in poverty [in Hermann, Missouri], your view of the world is pretty narrow and there don’t seem to be many possibilities. But when I moved west to Denver with Joseph [Pope, Night Sweats bassist], I started thinking that I wanted things to happen, and things did happen. So some of these songs symbolise that journey. Some of those things that seem impossible aren’t.

There’s darkness on this album – the song David & Goliath addresses your mental health struggles – but there’s joy and hope too.

I want these songs to be hopeful. I mean, I made plenty of dour [solo] records early in my career [laughs]. But you’ve got to have something that feels uplifting and gets people listening. I want to be able to talk about the things I’m struggling with in the hope it gives other people the encouragement to talk about it.

Robert Plant is a fan of yours. Have you met him?

Yeah, several times. He’s a gem of a human being to share space with - really intelligent, really quick and witty. The times we’ve hung out, we just shoot the shit. I never really ask him about Led Zeppelin , but one time we were in New Orleans and, without asking, he’s like: “The parties we used to have in New Orleans were amazing.” I’m like: “I bet they were!’

You know Willie Nelson, too. He’s an Olympic-level weed smoker. Have you got stoned on his tour bus with him?

Oh yeah, the first time I met him. I’m friends with his son Lukas, and when we did Farm Aid for the first time, Lukas takes me on the bus to meet him. Willie asks me how I’m doing, we started talking about the weather, and then he’s like: ‘You want to smoke a joint?” “Well, normally not at ten a.m., but yeah, I do.” I had to do a press conference straight after. I was so high.

As a kid, what would you have thought about hanging out with people like that?

My mind would have been blown. The way I grew up, there was just no possibility of it happening. I feel blessed to be where I’m at.

South Of Here is out now via Stax Records.