25 Feb 2011

Interview | The Joy Formidable

The Joy Formidable first released their début single 'Austere' in 2008, a year when (alarmingly) Canadian crooners Nickleback climbed to the top of the charts once more. In light of this, The Joy Formidable's expansive and ethereal sounds were a beacon of light in a sea of otherwise mundane indie. Three years on and Chad Kroegar and co. have just announced plans for their seventh, yes seventh, release. Yet, there is something to be said for a gradual career building and, with their début album The Big Roar finally released just last month, The Joy Formidable certainly prove that slow and steady really does win the race. the girls are were lucky enough to catch up with the Welsh trio before their sold out show in Paris last week to talk about influences, a possible Febreeze sponsorship and incorporating cannons into their stage show... (more...)

21 Feb 2011

Interview | Tallulah Rendall

Tallulah Rendall is a half Australian, London based, alternative rock singer-songwriter with a six piece band made up of guitars, electric cello and drums. Rendall’s music is ethereal yet powerful, delicate and yet vociferous in its insistent, intricate and a beautifully orchestrated sound. The Alive Ep is a record possessed of a pervasive strength, songs rise into soaring, expansive climaxes with Rendall’s voice a mesmerising constant. Despite this power there remains a delicate femininity and lightness of song writing demonstrative of a breadth of creative talent and an instinctive mastery of light and shade which brings to mind musical influences from Patti Smith, PJ Harvey to Jeff Buckley.

the girls are caught up with Tallulah Rendall to talk creativity, desert island must-haves, and Christian the Lion. (more...)

18 Feb 2011

Interview | Kyla La Grange

Part Lykke Li, part Karin Dreijer Andersson, the brilliantly monikered Kyla La Grange is in possession of some serious musical chops. The rising star has already been compared to Arcade Fire before her debut album is even in the can, and on listening to single 'Walk Through Walls' it's not difficult to see why. Thick, honey-soaked vocals and a natural gift for soaring melody leave the listener in no doubt that this young lady is but moments away from exploding into the wider consciousness.

the girls are caught up with La Grange to talk depression, inspiration, Watford, and the importance of running shoes.  (more...)

15 Feb 2011

Interview | Sophie McCreddie

It takes a lot of courage to start up any music venture these days. With record sales plummeting, massive high street chains such as HMV closing down and major labels struggling to move with the times, you don’t often hear “good news” about the business side of music. Unsigned musicians play in venues all over the country every night in the hopes it will lead to their dream career but... How often does someone step up to help that dream come true?

So it was a delight when the girls are stumbled across someone brave enough to champion unsigned musicians and provide them with a much needed platform to showcase their talent. She comes in the form of a tall, slim, twenty-something who, three years ago, founded The Music League (more about this in a moment). When the girls are meets up with Sophie McCreddie for the first time, we are instantly impressed by the confidence and sheer passion she has for music and the bands she works with. Dressed in her own quirky style she is charming and intelligent. A musician in her own right, Sophie fronts electro indie band, The Scenes and understands the trials and tribulations all unsigned acts come up against. So with this in mind Sophie thought about setting up a new type of competition with the aim to giving acts the support and guidance they need as well as decent stage to show the world what they can do.  (more...)

8 Feb 2011

Interview | Ms. Jones

In neighbourhood arcadia, it's all about keeping up with Joneses. This Jones, however, isn't one for social hierarchy nor social networking for that matter. Yet, after catching the songstress a few months back at Café de Paris, it is unlikely she will remain an enigma for much longer. Originally from the heart of France, it was around four years ago now that Ms Jones, with a solid (and talented) group of friends, gave birth to the project. In the city she now calls home, the girls are met up with her to find out the influences behind her song writing, what the current Paris music scene is like and her love for Elvis- The King- Presley...

the girls are: For the people who don't know of you, how would you describe your music style? Ms Jones: Well, I am almost totally self taught on the guitar. I am trying to learn more seriously now though and have been working on improving over the last year and a half. My songs obviously bear a lot of influences but I'm not necessarily always aware of them. Mostly when I write, bits of songs I vaguely remember that have influenced me in the past or that I listened to as a teenager will just pop up in the chords or harmonies. There are lots of styles of music that I like; could be classic country music, people like Johnny Cash, old Blues, early rockabilly, 60’s soul music, Brill Building songs, old jazz, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra and more operatic stuff like West Side Story… Anything soulful, basically. I listened to a lot of the Velvet Underground, Nico, Bob Dylan and Caetano Veloso. But, also stuff like early Bruce Springsteen records which is actually why I think, perhaps, you heard the Patti Smith sort of sound. I think she and I probably had the same sort of influences but I don't think I would list her as a direct influence.

Another inspiration, probably the biggest one for me, is that these last few years I was lucky enough to meet up with some of the greatest musicians from the French scene and that was a real inspiration to watch them work. Rare musicians and precious people like Bertrand Belin and Arlt and also, someone like Gilles Tordjman, a fantastic writer/musician friend of mine who certainly inspired me to be more demanding about my music. It's just being around this kind of people and watching them work that helps to inspire and encourage me. I mean ultimately, they gave me the confidence to step forward and that was priceless. Finally I'd say, Elvis Presley. Actually, Bertrand and I performed the whole first album of Elvis Presley live on stage once with his guitar and a double bass. (more...)

28 Jan 2011

Interview | Hannah Vasanth

You can usually spot pianist, Hannah Vasanth behind a set of keyboards on a huge arena stage playing for the likes of Rihanna or Anastacia. If she’s not there, you can bet she’s working on new projects or appearing in viral videos playing on iPads with Tinchy Stryder. South Indian, raised in Berlin and now living in London between her international tours, Hannah is a busy lady but still finds time to chat to the girls are…

tga: How do you feel about being a woman working in the music industry? HV: It’s interesting the whole chick in the music industry thing. There is sexism and racism everywhere. There have been times when I’ve been picked specifically because I’m a chick and that’s not been cool. It used to be something I was very conscious of when I was starting off, but now that my confidence has grown as a person and a player, and I have a degree of recognition, I dont really think about it. (more...)

11 Jan 2011

Interview | Melissa Auf Der Maur

Graduating college as a photographer, Melissa Auf der Maur had never really considered a career in music. That is, until she asked then-hero, now former band mate Billy Corgan, if her band Tinker could support The Smashing Pumpkins at their Montreal gig. The same tenacious and charismatic spirit would later lead her to be part of both The Smashing Pumpkins and Hole, playing her first show for Courtney and Co. at Reading 1994, in the aftermath of Kurt Cobain's tragic death. Ten years on, 2004 saw her release debut solo effort Auf der Maur to critical acclaim. Six years later, and follow up record Out Of Our Minds showcases an altogether different side of this Canadian queen. the girls are caught up with Auf der Maur in Paris at her Le Trabendo show to discuss being your own manager, disliking bass players and mosaics of Japanese food. (more...)

6 Jan 2011

Interview | Kirsty Almeida

As the snow fell early in December, and ground our dear little incompetent country to a halt, the girls are settled down to chat with Manchester based singer songwriter Kirsty Almeida. Neatly side-stepping any rigid classification, Almeida's music is a mesmerising blend of jazz, folk, blues and pop. Having recently played the Jazz Cafè in London, we caught up with diminutive chanteuse to discuss musical dresses, the dismal state of the music industry and giant birdcages...

Rosie Hanley: How was the Jazz Café gig? We're gutted we couldn't come. Kirsty Almeida: Ah it was brilliant, yeah really, really great. We nearly sold out which was nice.

RH: We heard you were joined onstage by a giant bird cage? KA: Yeah, well I had a bird cage made but I’ve never used it on stage. It is really beautiful. I had it made by an artist in Manchester.

RH: How big is it? KA: It’s seven foot tall with a swing in it! The artist who made it for me does a lot of iron work and has worked lots of flowers and butterflies into it. It’s just really pretty. What my band wear is really important too, we decorate the costumes. It’s good fun.

RH: Do you aim for a specific image? KA: No, not at all. I have a problem with image actually. I have no idea about fashion, or fads, or the latest things that people are into. I just really like colours and textures. I like to keep things fresh or else I get bored and if I get bored then I’m sure my audience will get bored.

RH: Have you ever worn your musical dress? (Ed. Almeida has been working on fashioning a 'musical dress' adorned with knives, spoons and a hidden harp). KA: No, I haven’t been able to, just because of the way it’s made. It’s made out of wood. I think it’ll be great for the festivals in the summer. (more...)

15 Dec 2010

Interview | Yelle

If first impressions are anything to go by then French electro popsters Yelle certainly catch the eye. From their frontwoman's colourful command over a style that rivals even fancy-dress-savvy-starlet Lady Gaga, to their tour-de-force pounding drums and jump-start synths, this group are truly making waves. So, with a top five chart hit in France and huge success following a recent tour in North America under their shiny pop belts, surely it's only a matter of time before London's Calling?

Chéri Amour: OK so for those at the girls are who are new fans of the band, how did Yelle come about? How would you describe your sound? Grand Marnier (La batterie. Production. Kinky): Ah, 'the sound'. I guess the sound would probably be labelled 'electro pop music'. We like modern music, we like dance beats and we like melodies so it's a bunch of that. Catchy too because we are from the FM generation!

CA: Your debut album, Pop Up, (released in 2006), was a huge success over here in France, particularly with the track Je Te Voir which reached the top five. Would you say there are many good electro bands currently in France? Tepr: (Synths. Programmes. Fun) Yes, definitely. There is a scene. There is a scene following Phoenix a little bit. There are a lot of rock/pop bands singing in English here in France too that are doing really well for themselves; bands like Jamaica, Fortune, Pony Pony Run Run. Grand M: But with regards to electronic music, there are all those people like Ed Banga's 'Crusade' and Kitsune. (more...)

2 Dec 2010

Interview | John and Jehn

With their new recording, Down Our Streets out this month, John and Jehn are back on familiar soil after making quite a name for themselves in Old Blighty over the last four years. Finding the time to chat before their soirée tonight at Fleche d'Or in Paris, we muse over their new [and clearly popular!] line of home-made merchandise, Jehn's lesser known movie fame and pitch all things Brit against its French counter parts. So, have they ditched their café crème's for cream teas and their oysters for eels, or are they still flying the flag for their Republic? the girls are are eager to find out :

Chéri Amour: How does the music scene in London and England compare to what you left here in France? John : The music scene is great in both cities, I think. It's just the way they manage to play in each city that seems very different. In London, you have this club culture and so you can play all the week if you want to where as in Paris, it is a bit different. They don't really have that club culture (but they do have good clubs,  la Maroquinerie, Fleche d'Or) but it's quite difficult to get into those clubs when you are just an unknown indie band.

CA: Are there things you miss about France now you are living in London? Do you like to stock up on things when you are back over here? Jehn: I used to when we first arrived in London, I was missing my family a lot as it was the first time I had moved. It was really good for me though especially as we were coming from quite small cities in France and then suddenly we were in this immense city. London is very big. I think we had some strange dreams about it all! John: It was a good move. Jehn: It really took us back to our French roots in a strong way, being in London. When we recorded the second album [here in France] it kind of had the opposite effect and London was coming back to us. So I think it was good to move, it gives you distance. John: Funnily enough, we have more of an audience here in Paris than in London.

CA: This current set of dates for the Down Our Streets release ends in your hometown of Angouleme in France; is that going to be a homecoming of sorts ? John: Yes, it's my home town. I was born there. It's going to be like, whoo! Jehn: It's a massive venue too but yes, the local press have always really supported us here so that's great. John: I did my rock culture in Angouleme, in that special venue, La Nef. I saw my first rock gigs there so playing on that stage is going to be really surreal. (more...)