When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphanies since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears. What have been your musical epiphany moments? Seeing KT Tunstall using a loop pedal on Jools Holland was the moment that did it for me - the confidence she oozed while doing it. For me it's not so much any particular song that gets me, but the live performance. I love performing live and KT has been absolutely an inspirational force for how I present myself on stage.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?It really depends on where my inspiration has come from. Sometimes I'll have an idea for a theme in my head for a while, then it all spills out at once. Other times I get a melody that goes round my head
and I fit everything else around it. I always used to think that my songs were finished as soon as I had written the first draft, but these days I find that a few live performances hones them - I sing them differently each time until it sticks, then the other instruments bring them to life in different ways. With the recent album, most of those songs are very different to their original demo as the band members put their stamp on them too.
KT Tunstall, without a doubt. I do take influence from a lot of women in music, and also some of the more acoustic guitar-driven bands of the late 90s like Travis and Turin Brakes.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?Life! The most recent song I wrote came from a meme I saw on facebook. It said, 'Due to personal reasons, I will be shining brightly and unapologetically for the foreseeable future'. This inspired me as deep down I was feeling maybe a bit guilty for focusing so hard on my music, but realised that it's okay to shine. So I wrote a song called 'Sorry (not sorry)' which I haven't tried out with the band yet, but it's a potential for the next album!
We all live in Worthing. My partner and I run Blue Sky Music, which is basically open mics and scheduled events to give local musicians the opportunity to perform and build their confidence. We introduce musicians to each other and support them in forming bands to get out there gigging and earning from their music. It's a really exciting time to be in Worthing - a lot is happening here and we absolutely love the community we are a part of. The bass player and drummer came from that community!
Where'd the band name come from?It's kind of obvious - it's my name. Well, my first and middle names anyway. Those are the part of my name that isn't ever going to change 😊
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?It would have to be some sort of romantic story, one where the woman has loads of responsibilities and needs to give herself a chance to be herself again. That's pretty much the storyline of the album Let Her Go - it's my autobiography of the past few years!
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?).You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?Joy¿ by Earthlung. There's actually no singing in this song, which is normally what I listen for (I love a smooth vocal), but what got me in this track is the growing intensity of the chorus. 'Is this joy that I'm feeling?' she says at the start, building up to a full on shout. I love it. And yes, this is joy that I'm feeling!
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?We went to play at a venue in London and there were train strikes on the day, so no-one from Worthing could come and support us (we drove, all four of us plus instruments crammed into a tiny Suzuki Celerio). The promoter wasn't about, and the sound engineer just didn't turn up. We were all waiting - three bands with all gear loaded in, but nothing to plug in to. Someone got hold of the promoter who called a different sound engineer, who arrived as we were supposed to be on stage. One of the bands, who were local, had already stormed off at this point, so it was down to two bands and we ended up on stage doing our set an hour later than planned, to an audience of about seven locals. Apparently the promoter was there by that point but he never bothered to say hello to me. We left with no money and there wasn't even a Burger King open on the way back...
Playing live is where it's at for me. I can never seem to translate the energy from being on stage to a recording; there's just something about having a an audience that brings the energy up and makes it so much more exciting. At our recent album launch we had three backing vocalists ('the Bethettes') and it made it even more electric. So if you've heard a recorded track and enjoy it, please do come and see what the live experience is like!
What makes a great song?The vibe. I love a great vocal and a hooky chorus but really, anything that gets me going is great for me. I have a spotify playlist called 'Feel the flow' where I put all the newly released tunes that have the vibe I go for. Nothing is in a box - it's quite an eclectic mix!
What one single album do you wish that you'd written or performed on, and why?Eye to the telescope by KT Tunstall. There are so many harmonies that I sing when listening to that album!
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?All of it, really. The album 'Let her go' is something that I've worked really hard on for a long time. I'm most proud of the mixing and mastering I did on it. I could only afford to have the three singles done professionally, so when I got those back I used them as reference for the remainder of the tracks and tried to emulate the sound and stereo formation of each instrument, to keep it consistent. I'm really pleased with how it all turned out.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?I work with another band called Phun City and sing vocals (and a bit of synth and flute) on some of their tracks. They have two writers; Rupert Latimer and Paul Sullivan. I find their writing incredibly complex and can never understand how they create the sounds that happen! The lyrics are always based on a theme, so the most recent album is about a fictional village and some of the dodgy characters who reside there. So, so clever lyrically.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?My main way of listening to music is with spotify. But if I really enjoy a certain band, I'll seek out a way to support them financially by buying a CD or a bit of merch.
Whiskey or beer?And defend your choiceNeither - I don't drink!
Worthing has a great little independent record shop called Train of Thought. They don't just have that store though - they are also promoters who put events on locally.
What's next for the band?We have a few things coming up very soon! Hastings Fat Tuesday Festival on 18th Feb, then we're doing a duo set in Horsham on the 23rdthen a full band acoustic set in HMV in Worthing on the 25th at 2pm. Then heading to London for a headline slot at Piano Smithfield on Tuesday 28th Feb. We've applied for a number of festivals and will be keeping the website updated with gigs as and when they come through.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?Social media engagement is the best thing that anyone can do if they like listening to the music. I love having chats in the comments with anyone who wants to join in so please come and find me on your preferred platform and say hello!
