Having been at the centre of speculation earlier this week as whether he's going to be appearing on the 'The X Factor' final or not, former Beatle Paul McCartney has hinted that he might be tempted to take his Fireman side-project on the road.

Speaking to the Quietus at the launch of his new live DVD, 'Good Evening New York City,' Sir Paul said: "We might well have to do a special venue and say, 'We're only doing Fireman stuff tonight and nothing else!' and if people went for that then we'd have something."

McCartney went on to reveal that working with ex-Killing Joke bassist and producer Youth under the Fireman banner afforded him an artistic freedom that he might not necessarily get recording under his own name.


"Yeah, it does free you up," McCartney said. "And I like working with Youth on the Fireman stuff which is nice 'cos you get away from [fans'] expectations and it's very nice to do. Consequently it makes for a very free album and we can go anywhere and the idea of taking it on the road is cool."

McCartney also joked that stage fright in the 1960s almost made him quit the Beatles.

He said: "They used to have a thing called the NME Poll Winners Party, where the owner of the NME would get us, the Stones, all the top acts, to come and perform for nothing! This was a couple of years into the Beatles' career," he said.

"So I remember being on the steps of Wembley Town Hall, literally getting ill with nerves, and thinking, 'I've got to give this business up, this is no good.' It was quite nerve-wracking."