'At school in rural England during the mid-late‘90s, best mates Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies hoped they’d one day escape their home town and dive headlong into the landscape and myth of America, the promised land of their dreams. Little did they know that by 2010, they’d have lived in New Orleans and Vancouver, recorded with 21st century icon Jack White and toured across continents. And now they’re releasing a debut album that fulfils the promise of their earlier singles. '
That album, Through Low Light and Trees is out and you can read our review here.
Through Low Light and Trees is a stunning album, What was it like putting your first record together?
Thanks! We recorded the album in 10 days which meant we had to know what we wanted before we went in the studio. Prior to going into the studio we had been demoing the songs on the laptop and trying things out but our ideas were quite fluid and some songs did eventually turn out very different to anything we could have envisaged. The studio was situated in Cornwall and was only accessible by boat. It felt like we were able to let the environment seep into the record. It was a beautiful and restful place that seemed conducive to allowing a freedom of ideas.
What are your earliest musical memories?
Jessica: I enjoyed the kids TV shows with songs on them. Both Kaf and I have since discovered we grew up listening to the same collection of kids tapes. Perhaps listening to them a thousand times in the car is what gives us such a deep musical connection.
When did you begin writing songs and why?
I think we both began making up songs when we were really young. It was something enjoyable to do on long car journeys. I think a lot of young kids find it a fun thing to do but it got more and more serious.
How did the recording for Third Man Records come about and what was it like working with Jack White?
We met him in a bar in London after a gig we were playing down the road. We just wanted him to hear some of our music and we had a few of our records with us. There was a DJ there, so we asked him to play our first 7" Living with Ghosts on the turntable. The DJ obliged.
He is very passionate about vintage recording equipment and it was really exciting to get the chance to record with tape instead of computers. Hearing the tape rewind when you had to start a take, gave you a feeling of an immediacy to get it right. Knowing how to get the best out of that kind of equipment seems to be just as much an art as the actual music.
How has that experience, and working with Richard Hawley influenced you?
You can learn something new from working with different people. I think working with Jack White taught us to be freer and focus on capturing the moment rather than a perfect recording. When we recorded with Richard Hawley there were 5 of us sat around the mic singing a capella in harmony. It really emphasized how powerful voices on their own can be.
Who are your favorite current bands?
This year we have really enjoyed John Grant’s ‘Queen of Denmark’. Last week we had the honour of playing some guitar for him in his show in London. We have also discovered Cate Le Bon.
Your songwriting is highly original, who or what are you influenced by when writing songs?
The influence for subject matters comes from a lot of things. A lot of it is landscape- the British countryside is a great place to find ideas as is the madness of London. Personal events can also play a big role, as can feelings of loneliness, the need to belong and nostalgia for what has past.
They look like vintage Hofner guitars you play, can you tell us a bit about them?
I play a Hofner president and Katherine plays a Harmony Stratotone. Both are from the 1960’s. We both prefer vintage guitars. They have a mystery about them- we will never know who has owned them and what kind of music they have created over the years before they came to us.
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