Hi Holly, Hi David,
How the devil are you today and what is the view from where you are sitting?
We are ill through drink after two days of partying in Berlin. We are still there now, sat in a hostel trembling like new born lambs with the hangover vultures circling to pluck our eyes out. We did some gigs with Wickes, H Hawkline, M J Hibbett and the Validators, Skint and Demoralised and Standard Fare. It was a lethal cocktail of fun. We need to go home now to hang ourselves out on the washing line.
How did you both decide to form the band and what sparked the moment when you said, hey, this is our sound?
We formed the band in Paris. I (Holly) was living there and David came over to visit and we just started writing tunes. We wanted to do a band with no rules and no industry bullshit so we just thought lets do it. We had never played together before although we had always both been in bands. We don't really have a specific sound really. That's part of the fun really. No rules.
Does being married to each other make it easier being in a band and being on the road?
Well the good thing is you don't have to phone home when you are on tour. It depends who yer husband/wife is. We get on really well and always have a laugh when we're away so we love it.
I actually discovered the band via an NPR podcast from SXSW '10. Bob Boilen really loved you. Has that led to some exposure across the pond? (He even mentioned you in a recent podcast!)
We have no idea. We have toured in America two times though. We played in a scrap yard in Los Angeles and a book shop in Oakland.
The band has a very unique sound, whose music do you most closely find an affinity with?
er well we like a lot of bands and a lot of sounds. We find often that we have more of an affinity with a band's ethos and approach rather than their actual music. We come from a real punk rock background, not necessarily musically but in terms of making music with no rules and just doing what you like and not having an agenda to fit in with the music industry so we feel an affinity with other bands who also take that approach. So there's no one specific style of music we have an affinity with.
How do you plan to enjoy the festive season?
In Lancaster with a chocolate orange.
Anything unique to Lancashire or local Lancaster festive celebrations that does not extend elsewhere?
We have never spent Christmas anywhere else so we wouldn't know.
Second album released this year. was there anything different in your approach to the recording or song writing this time around?
Well we recorded it in 2 weeks and we were quite strict about doing that. The first album we recorded in dribs and drabs and a lot of it was written in the studio. With the 2nd album we had most of the songs written beforehand. We also tried not to do as many overdubs as well and keep it a bit rawer and more reflective of our live sound. But we still recorded it at Lancaster Music Co-op ourselves so the process was the same.
Do you write on the go or lock yourselves away in a room to create your music?
It is impossible to write on tour on the go as Strongbow is always rearing its ugly head which makes it impossible. Sometimes we write songs in the car but usually we do it back in Lancaster. We never consciously do it though. We don't like go in a practice room with a view to write songs. They just emerge in everyday life. Like when you are dusting and that.
Anything musical you are hoping to find in Santa's sack this year?
We were already given a vintage 70s Big Muff and some drum stick pencils after coming back from our last tour in Dec so Christmas has well and truly come early! Record-wise we would like the H Hawkline album (which we have been promised) and the new Y Niwl record on vinyl.
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The Lovely Eggs
