Words with Blue Roses

As a big fan of Blue Roses’s wonderful debut album and having been lucky enough to catch her a couple of times live before at The Great Escape and Glastonbury, Muso’s Guide was pleased to have the opportunity to chat to Blue Roses’ Laura Groves before her gig at The Captain’s Rest in Glasgow, earlier this month. Having to jettison an interview indoors thanks to the elderly gentleman, wearing his medals and a large poppy (it was Remembrance Sunday) who insisted on querying the war records of drinker’s grandfathers (no, really!) and not satisfied with was asking who had their medals. Laura chatted to us about her year, approach to song-writing and upcoming plans as well as Wild Beasts, gender roles in music and Twitter out in the wind and cold. Considering Laura had to cancel one gig before this night due to a sore throat, Muso’s Guide was very relieved that the tour was completed without anymore illness.

Muso’s Guide: As we are getting near the end of the year, what have been your personal and artistic highlights?

Laura Groves: I think the last tour; especially the Wild Beasts support was brilliant. I think that we’ve come on as a live band and improved in that area. I’ve also just recorded this EP with some new songs which I’m quite pleased with. It’s kind of a new sound, which has evolved and that’s quite exciting. I’m really pleased with the way we’ve developed.

MG: Being picked up on Kanye West’s blog must have been a bit of a surprise as well?

LG: Yeah, definitely. It was a video from, I think Germany. They’d found one of my songs and liked and then they used it for one of their film-making projects and that was what was on the blog. Then I had people on my MySpace telling me I was on Kanye West’s blog. I was sceptical of course, as it was completely bizarre and unexpected but pretty cool.

MG: With the debut record, what were you trying to get across with it; an introduction to yourself as an artist?

LG: I think so; I just wanted to make a record of the songs I had in the way they were recorded. I didn’t want to attempt anything that the songs didn’t require. Those songs already existed but there’s a couple on there that actually wrote for the album, things like ‘Doubtful Comforts’ and ‘Rebecca’, and they don’t quite fit in with the others. Whereas ‘I Am Leaving’ for example was the first song that I wrote and recorded almost three years ago. It was kind of a record of what material I had.

MG: So you weren’t trying to capture your live sound on it or anything?

LG: Not really because it was kind of the other way round; we didn’t really come together as a live, thing while I was recording. It was more of an afterthought. There’s a lot of arrangements on the album which we don’t do live, we just re-work them a little bit. I didn’t really consider how we were going to play it all; we just did it as we went along.

MG: Was there a moment when you felt like everything was coming together and you were really doing it?

LG: Yes, definitely. I think when I decided to change the name. I was touring as Laura Groves and doing acoustic gigs by myself, then I felt it couldn’t be that anymore and had to move onto the next stage and it seemed appropriate.

MG: So when did you make that decision, then?

LG: Just towards the end of the recording phase actually. It was before we finished the album. Just because… it kind of surpassed our expectations of how we thought it was going to sound. It sort of changed from the original basic idea so at that stage we decided to [change the name].

MG: When you were recording, what were your main influences, music wise? A lot of reviewers have mentioned Joanna Newsom, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush…

LG: Yeah, I mean I’m a big fan of all of those and a lot of different music. I don’t think I ever sat down and thought I want to… I didn’t really have a reference point for the album.

MG: You didn’t go to a producer and say “I want this to sound like ‘Hounds of Love’”?

LG: No, not really. That’s not to say they didn’t probably make their way into the music somehow.

MG: More of a sub-conscious than deliberate influence.

LG: Yeah.

MG: ‘Moments Before Sleep’ [B-side to 'I Am Leaving'] I really feel could fit on the Ninth Wave section of Hounds of Love, especially with the production and the vocal that you did on it.

LG: It’s a lot more electronic as well. There are no guitars on it at all, not one.

MG: A bit of a Kid A moment…

LG: Yeah (laughs). I never really have a template for the songs in terms of other people’s songs. I try to let them happen naturally. I don’t know if that’s going to change for the next thing that I do. I may go into that with a much clearer picture in my mind of the sound. That’s quite likely actually.

MG: So you think there is going to be a change to your approach to song-writing?

LG: I don’t know if my approach will be different; certainly in terms of having a clear idea about how the collection of songs are going to sound prior to starting the recording. Not that I’m making a concept album or anything! The actual song-writing and recording process will pretty much remain the same.

MG: Do you think, in that case, you might succumb to a temptation to write less personally and more allegorically or character based? Or even inspired by where you’re from?

LG: I think, I think it will still be a personal thing because I’m not in the habit of writing stories about other people. Maybe my lyrics are getting a bit more interesting in that they aren’t clearly about one particular thing or as obviously personally. I’m trying to write a lot more as well trying to be a bit more prolific with the lyrics. Initially I am all about the composing, the recording and the music side of things. Lyrics aren’t an afterthought but they did come later on. I am trying to put a lot more focus on that.

MG: When you are writing, are you constantly ‘on’ or do you need to find the time to write?

LG: I do sort of tend to mess around on the piano, experiment, see what I can come up with. I don’t have a regimented way of doing it. I’m not really the sort that is able to sit down, for a set time, and write a song from scratch. I wish I was sometimes but I can’t do it. It’s more of an organic process for me.

MG: The name is a literary reference, Tennessee Williams; [from The Glass Menagerie] is there anything you are reading at the moment that might seep into your work? Or do you separate that from your own song writing?

LG: No, definitely things that I read are an influence. As it’s getting wintery I’m reading gothic novels which might make a way in. I do love reading and literature but again I wouldn’t deliberately write in a certain style. It’s a lot more about ideas than… I use books to spark off ideas rather than inform my writing style, to get me in the right frame of mind.

MG: There are also a few references to things that can’t be held or seen or don’t really exist like Blue Roses for a start and seeing electricity, emotions and so on that seem to crop up.

LG:  Yeah I guess, again that kind of imagery is not something I set out to include. It’s more of a subconscious thing, definitely.

MG: Like with most female, young singers articles and reviews seem to have to mention the exact age of the singer? How does that make you feel? Because it doesn’t seem to be brought up nearly as much for male solo artists or bands.

LG: Yeah, it’s weird, especially recently with a lot of us coming through. It’s not really important, is it?

MG: How old are you actually, 21, 22?

LG: Almost 22, in a couple of weeks.

MG: It’s funny because Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney were both 23 in 1966 when they recorded Pet Sounds and Revolver yet we are amazed that Adele, Laura Marling, Lily Allen or yourself can make a good album because you are young. When, not so much recently like you say, if you look back through older magazines at what are considered classic albums of yesteryear and it’s not youth that’s the ‘amazing’ thing it’s that you are a female solo artist. Because they were full of bands with guys the same age, if not younger, which makes me think it’s a little hypocritical.

LG: Yeah, it’s focused on a lot and it is a strange thing especially the young aspect and how it’s an amazing thing and a lot of attention is drawn to it when if it’s a good album, it’s a good album.

MG: Especially when people like Kate Bush, Paul Weller, Dizzee Rascal were all very young, 18-19 when they made their first records.

LG: And Kate Bush was at #1 in the charts with ‘Wuthering Heights’ when she was that age.

MG: I’m forever reading reviews that say “such and such belies their age on this record, isn’t it amazing someone so young can write something like this?” but no-one would write anything as ridiculous as “This is a good song, for a woman” which is almost the same thing.

LG: Yeah (laughs), I definitely agree with you.

MG: Talking about Revolver on ‘Eleanor Rigby’ there’s no instrument on that from the 20th century, it could have been performed in 1866 and, apart from the keyboard parts which could move to piano I guess, I get that sense with your music as well. That it’s not tied to the present day and could have been written fifty or a hundred years ago.

LG: My brother is a baroque violinist and specialises in old violins so we used them and they made a totally different sound. So it doesn’t really fit in with the fashion for young, female with a synth more electronic sound or whatever, that’s fine if that’s what you want to do but I think to try and mould something into a genre that it doesn’t really belong is not the right way to go about things. Like I was saying a little earlier; this is the way that the songs needed to be done, so that’s how we did it. We didn’t record them and then think “Oh, we need to make it sound a bit more like this”.

MG: So you don’t want to put a dubstep remix album?

LG: Ha, well you never know! Would that be such a bad thing?

MG: Maybe not, maybe you need to get in touch with someone?

LG: The guy that co-produced the album with me, one of my good friends, is really into all that. I’m sure he’d love to do some remixes.

MG: You’ve been on tour Noah & The Whale and as you mentioned Wild Beasts recently but how has it been on this, your first headlining tour?

LG: It’s been brilliant, completely different to what we are used to. We’ve been so used to doing support slots that it’s a nice departure. It’s good to know that people are coming out to see us. I really like touring. I don’t have to do any of the driving which helps! I really find performing in general quite nerve-wracking. I feel a lot more at home in the studio recording and things like that but I really enjoy it. We’ve changed the set around a little bit this time to make it a bit fresher as well. But really enjoying it, stage fright aside!

MG: You are quite friendly with Wild Beasts as well aren’t you?

LG: Yeah I’d met them a couple of times, I was aware of them obviously because they’re sort of Leeds based and I’m from around there. I’d seen them a few times around, local. With the tour for their new album they thought of asking us to go on tour with them, which was really good. Especially as I really like their new record.

MG: The reason I ask is I wanted to know if you were one of the girls from Shipley in ‘All The King’s Men’?

LG: No, I don’t think so! I think it’s more to do with the sound of the word Shipley rather than an actual, realistic description of anyone.

MG: I guess with the shout-outs to those kinds of far-flung places you’d not expect to be sung about, it’s an ode to The Smiths’ ‘Panic’.

LG: I think it’s more of a nod to that then. Yeah, or the reputation of the ladies in those parts!

MG: It’s been a few years since the first talk of a Yorkshire scene with Dance To The Radio artists breaking out, how do you see it now?

LG: Aside from Wild Beasts again, who are from Kendal but have relocated there’s Grammatics, who I really like, I’ve recorded a live track from the album [Blue Roses's album] and we re-arranged it, it was from a gig we played together where we played each other’s songs and is on the new EP. Where I’m from which is more Bradford than Leeds there’s not really too much going on. There was kind of a surge of activity a year or two ago but it’s sort of died out. That or it tends to gravitate towards Leeds. I mean the town where I’m from there’s even less happening than Bradford, it’s our little strange world.

MG: So aside from Grammatics, do you have any other collaborations on the horizon, or any that you’d like to do?

LG: I dunno, I’m going to start some more recording soon and thinking about the next album so I’d like to get some friends and the musicians I’ve met involved with that. With the touring it’s a good way to meet people and forge relationships with them. Definitely going to do more if I can.

MG: It does seem, maybe it’s something I just didn’t notice when I was younger, that a lot of acts on the same record label and support each other touring and things like that do seem to genuinely be tight and good friends with each other. I’m not so sure that this ‘trend’ is particularly linked to any kind of scene be it musically or geographically either, just that they are fans of each other’s work.

LG: Yeah definitely, and I think that’s really important. I mean sometimes it doesn’t work like that but when it does and you are really into another band, a special relationship can develop and it’s really good collaborating with people that you admire as well.

MG: How are XL as a record label? No pressure from them to tour more or follow up quickly?

LG: Good, I mean obviously they’ve got a lot of good stuff going on at the minute; they’ve had a good year. They are very good at just letting me do what I do. As I record myself and produce my own music they are behind me with that and let me get on with it and it’s more that I wanted to get on with it myself than they put pressure on me, it’s all quite relaxed.

MG: You are off to the US soon aren’t you? Looking forward to that? What else is coming up for you?

LG: Very much, yeah. We’re going for almost a month on a proper coast to coast tour. We’re touring with Marcus Foster, who’s just one guy and his acoustic guitar and we are all going in one car together. I’m kind of scared of flying so that’ll be a big obstacle to get over the Atlantic, but once we’re there, it should be really good.  There’s the new EP as well which as a couple of new songs an there’s the live song with Grammatics as well and a track off the album, ‘Does Anyone Love Me, Now’ [the EP's title track] It’s really good to have new material to take on the road.

MG: It’s coming to that time of the year again so, what are your favourite albums of the year?

LG: The two that stick out are Grizzly Bear, I love that and Wild Beasts. I’m listening to those two a lot at the minute.

MG: And the decade?

LG: Oh God!

MG: Sorry to spring this on you; first thing that pops into you head?

LG: I can’t think, most of the things I have been listening to are…

MG: Ten years old or more? Maybe I’ll ask you again in five years time.

LG: OK (laughs, sighs), oh dear.

MG: And finally how are you finding Twitter?

LG: Kind of annoying but addictive. I just end up telling people what I eat, so mundane but people like to know about things like that!

MG: It does humanise people a fair amount.

LG: Yeah but, that goes against it all. I like there being a bit of mystic when it comes to my favourite music.

MG: So you don’t want to read about Wild Beasts, popping down the shop.

LG: They’ve got one too! I don’t know, it’s a bit of a revelation, until now there was always a gap there. Especially with big artists where it seemed they were in a totally different world and unreachable

MG: Now we know they sit in their pyjamas watching the X-Factor eating tiramisu like the rest of us.

LG: Yeah, I kind of love it and hate it at the same time. It’s funny when you meet people and they say “We’ve tweeted each other” and you’d not known who they were at the time.

MG: Yeah, we’ve tweeted each other.

LG: Really? Oh cool.

Laura and the rest of Blue Roses are touring the USA and Canada from early December. The EP, ‘Does Anyone Love Me, Now’ is out 7th December and you can follow what Laura is eating on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/blueroseslaura