Lone Maniac have long been fans of homegrown Australian brand, KAHLO. Their beautiful leather goods and simplistic tailoring are, simply put, to-die-for, and a necessary addition to any modern girl's wardrobe. Though still relatively new, the label have been making serious waves both at home and abroad with their unique style of edgy chic. While in New York to shoot their new collection, 'A Crowded House', we caught up with the delightful duo behind the brand, Rachelle Sinclair and Fay Ogunbadejo.
Rosie Dalton: Can you tell me a little bit about the brand's beginnings?
Rachelle Sinclair: Fay and I met three years ago next year at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and then KAHLO was born in January 2011. It’s still a relatively new brand; we’re in our fourth collection now.
How would you sum up the KAHLO aesthetic?
Fay Ogunbadejo: Very simple and clean-cut minimal, with an element of trans-seasonal timelessness.
And what has the KAHLO journey been like so far?
Rachelle: It has been ridiculously fun, tough, overwhelming at times, and always very fast! We’ve grown considerably in the past years, so it has all been a whirlwind.
Who do you envision the KAHLO customer to be?
Fay: She is a girl who dresses for herself, is confident and on top of fashion trends, but also understands quality and the importance of classic features.
What have you guys been up to in New York?
Rachelle: Well we shot our Fall/Winter campaign with Darren McDonald a couple of weeks ago in a studio in Williamsburg. We also just finished a new collaboration with one of our creative directors, who took some beautiful still images of the clothes. We plan to launch these in the next few months. On top of that, we have been involved with Capsule, which is a New York based trade show that sees international buyers come to view the collections.
What are the particular influences behind your new collection?
Fay: The collection is very inspired by an Australian artist called Del Kathryn Barton. She is actually OCD, so she produces these really intricate drawings with a great deal of detail in them. We have used similar intricacies in the collection, for example through techniques like perforation. Our colour palette for the season is also inspired by her work. I have actually been lucky enough to meet the artist myself; she is amazing.
Do you have a favourite piece from the collection?
Fay: My favourite piece would have to be the Barton Battle Vest and Rachelle’s is the Bellmer Bralet.
Can you tell me a little bit about the event you will be holding in LA?
Rachelle: Yeah! We are working on a blogger event at Satine Boutique, which is one of our stockists in Los Angeles. There will be a select guest list of editors, bloggers and celebrity stylists and we will showcase the Spring Summer range. We have also partnered up with hair care brand Paul Mitchell, so will be collaborating with them too.
Who is the one person you’d love to dress?
Fay: Maybe Poppy Delevigne. We love her style and the fact that she’s a little bit androgynous and doesn’t overdress. We think she is really stylish.
What’s on the horizon for KAHLO?
Fay: Hopefully to develop the brand both in Australia and the States and have a really great show at Australian Fashion Week next year.
Check out the KAHLO's Spring Summer 2012 - 2013 collection, 'A Crowded House', exclusive to Lone Maniac.
TOME is one of those beautiful labels you don’t ever want to take off. Its appeal is in its beautiful simplicity, attention to detail and ease of wear. Following their presentation with accessories label Anndra Neen as part of New York Fashion Week, Oyster caught up with the charming gentlemen behind the brand, Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin. They showed us their new collection, ran us through their design process and discussed plans for TOME’s future in the Big Apple.
Rosie Dalton: Can you tell me a bit about TOME’s new collection?
Team TOME: We like TOME to be an everywoman-spirited collection, so we make sure to accommodate all different shapes and sizes. That’s always important to us. But the real inspiration behind the collection came from a handful of female artists who have always really inspired us. There’s Pina Bausch, Louise Bourgeois, some Vanessa Beecroft in there and some others as well. We were very inspired by the movement and shapes within Pina Bausch's dance and costumes, for example.
And how does this concept of movement work itself into the fabrications?
Well there are a lot of beautiful satins that are really fluid, with plenty of drape in them. We definitely wanted to make clothing that moves with the body. Even when we do body-conscious pieces, they are quite sensitive to a woman's natural shape; there's nothing constrictive about our clothing.
There are also a lot of neutral colours in the collection.
Yes, we were very influenced by the tones and colours of Louise Bourgeois’ sculptures and handmade dolls. That’s why there are a lot of nudes, flesh tones and pale colours in the collection that appear almost sun-bleached. A lot of the pieces are designed to be like second skins. They really come to life on the body.
There's an item of jewellery in your collection this time around as well. What was the inspiration behind that?
Well we certainly didn't try to have an agenda of growth or anything like that, we just felt that we needed that little bit of hardware to punch away at the collection. Our work process is very organic. We'd never force ourselves to do anything, it's just about instinct and what feels right. Clothing is a priority for us right now, but we are in our third season, so branching out is certainly an option.
Can you tell me a bit about the inception of TOME?
We have known each other for years and years, we studied together and have been very close friends for a good fifteen years now. We always said that if we were going to do something, we would do it together. Respectively, we have each done very different things in the industry, so between us, we have quite a good experience base within the industry. Then, towards the end of 2010, it all just came together. It felt like the right time and we said, "Let's do it".
What do you think sets the brand apart?
We have always had a really clear idea of what we wanted to do and that is to make really unfettered, straight-forward clothes that have a sense of humility to them because they service the woman who wears them. We didn't want to make anything that required instructions to put on. I think our customer has a very good sense of her own style and she also has a busy lifestyle, so she doesn't want a headache in anything she does, but she does want to be inspired.
And how would you describe the overall TOME aesthetic?
What we do is really a stripped-back beauty. Aesthetically, we don't try to create a total look or do anything that dictates how a woman should dress. There are a lot labels out there that we love in womenswear and that we hope to sit aside, whether it be in a department store, in a boutique, or in a woman's wardrobe. We'd love to think that she'd throw on a piece of TOME with her Acne jeans and a Stella McCartney blazer.
And how are you guys finding New York so far?
We're loving New York! We have both settled here now, which is exciting. It's a great city, especially when you're starting a label, because it's very nurturing. There is such a strong industry here and people are more than willing to help. We've had a lot of support from people within the industry and there's just a really good sense of, I suppose you'd call it, family.
You showed with Anndra Neen as part of New York Fashion Week, how was that experience?
So good! When the girls approached us, we were so excited and flattered, because we’re big fans of their work. It was really such a natural process; there is a great rapport between our two aesthetics. Design-wise it fused really well and we were very happy with the presentation.
What are your plans for the future of TOME?
The plan for the immediate future is a holiday [laughs]. I think the ultimate goal though is to keep doing what we're doing. We get so excited about each new collection and we never want to get to the point where we don't love what we do. We're very invested, we're very excited and we don't want to lose that thrill.
Ellery’s presentation with Christopher Esber for New York Fashion Week was an intimate affair — at least it felt that way, even though The Box at Lincoln Centre was in fact packed like a rush hour subway car. With champagne flowing, moody lighting and an ethereal soundtrack as its backdrop, the show was certainly one to remember. A career milestone for both designers, the occasion saw these dear friends present ten different looks each. Following the presentation, we caught up with the beautiful Kym Ellery to talk shop.
Rosie Dalton: Hi Kym! How does it feel to be presenting at New York Fashion Week?
Kym Ellery: Amazing. I’m so happy, because there are so many people here and I was a bit worried about that side of it.
Can you tell me a bit about the inspiration behind the AW13 collection, Swish?
Well it’s kind of a Venice Beach basketball moment. My friend and I went down to LA and out to Venice, where we watched the guys playing and thought, ‘That would be cool; to do a collection that’s basketball-inspired, but not too literal’.
And what about putting the collection together with Christopher? How was that?
Well Chris and I came here for Woolmark in January and had a showroom of five designers. Chris and I fell in love in a way — not in a non-sexual way! [Laughs] But we thought this would be a good chance to dip our toes into the American market, in terms of presenting — because we both have stockists here, but have never actually committed to doing something. I wanted to give back to those people who have supported me in the American market. We just kind of want to grow that love.
So what’s the background behind the music you used for the show?
Oh, the boys are very talented! They basically created this piece to perform live and have included sound loops that come out of all different speakers in the room.
Including the recorded voices?
[Laughs] Yeah, well there’s a bit of a story behind that…which I’m a bit nervous to share. I have been recording conversations with dear friends for about three years now. So when I was talking about this concept with the boys, I was like “Well I have this really great archive of conversations”, and they just came and took pieces from it here and there.
And why a presentation, rather than a runway show?
Well we were originally going to do a soiree, but IMG were kind enough to put us on the schedule. So we were like “OK, we better take this opportunity”. You could use this space as something moving — obviously it’s quite small — but yeah, it was a very organic process. I think that’s the best thing, because the brand has always had such an organic growth. It was something I started just because I wanted to make clothes and now it’s becoming this entity.
Can you see an Ellery store in New York in the future?
Oh definitely! I’ve already started looking. I’ve been sent some great packages already and I’d like to come back in October to explore that further. So, yeah, we’re thinking about it, but there’s no hurry. That’s what I always say.
Karen Walker’s collection for SS13 attracted all the cool girls in town. Rumi Neely and friends turned up to lay eyes on Walker’s newest offering, 'Fantastique Magnifique', which proved to be a buoyant take on Space Age suburbia.
Celestial references abounded by way of galactic prints and foil jackets, while throwbacks to fifties optimism were ever-present in Walker’s colour palette and fabrications. Nostalgic hues of rose pink or periwinkle blue met vibrant maize and watermelon, in a nod to the decade’s naïveté.
Tall hats and tall fringes were the order of the day, though. Cadet caps with extra height were crafted from straw, while one had to wonder how models navigated the runway with fringes that dusted cheekbones. Combined with neon pink lips, the look was a veritable cocktail of beauty-meets-the-geek.
Karen Walker sunglasses were also on show, alongside shoes by Beau Coops for Karen Walker in all shapes and shades from pink loafers to mint booties.
For the finale, Walker made her bow sporting a super cute pixie crop. It was the perfect wrap to the show’s lunar femininity.
Rosie Dalton acted as Social Media Manager for up-and-coming Australian beauty company, De-Coy from March – July 2012. During this time, Rosie managed the Facebook and Twitter pages for De-Coy's debut product, Panda Pen — a makeup removal pen for messy moments on-the-go.
I interviewed Verity Susman of British all-girl band Electrelane about the art of touring, groupies and their four-year hiatus.
Rosie Dalton: Hi Verity, how are you?
Verity Susman: I’m good, it’s nice to meet you.
I’m going to dive straight in.
OK.
Electrelane have been on indefinite hiatus for some years now, what adventures did you get up to during that time?
Well adventures probably makes it sound a bit more crazy than it was; we went back to studying, got jobs, our guitarist and drummer moved to the States; nothing particularly exciting. It was all the kind of mundane stuff that we hadn’t done in a long time.
Your guitarist, Mia Clarke co-curated a book called The Art of Touring during your hiatus, what’s your own personal take on touring?
I love it. I think it’s one of my favourite parts of being in a band. I like the travel and constantly moving around.
So obviously aside from the fact that we don’t live in the seventies, is there any truth to the way touring is portrayed in films like Almost Famous?
Um, well I guess if you’re a really big band it’s like that but, at our level, it can be a bit of a slog. I mean, like I say, I really enjoy it but we have to move all our gear ourselves, which is a lot of heavy lifting every night — unless you’re really strong. That’s the only downside of it, and travelling in little vans and getting up early, going to bed late. But there’s always a lot of adrenaline because of that; you’re always a bit stupefied and, you know, you get to go to a new place and meet new people and people are happy that you come to play there and it’s nice, I mean it’s one of the nicest things you can do. There’s loads of time just waiting around, which is really nice too because you can do stuff. People come on tour with us — partners and stuff — and they say, “This is not very crazy, this is not very rock and roll.” I think they’re expecting it to be one long party but, with us, it’s not quite like that.
Do you have a favourite country to tour?
I really like touring in France because they give you really nice food [laughs].
[Laughs] In your experience, have Electrelane ever had any male groupies?
Ah…no, not male ones.
What about female groupies?
[Laughs] maybe.
Maybe?
[Laughs] I think we’ve probably had one male and one female groupie.
Do you have any horror stories from the road?
Oh gosh, we’re probably not rock and roll enough.
Any horrible experiences, or funny experiences?
Not off the top of my head, but it’s kind of a long time ago now.
What would you say is the biggest stereotype surrounding girl bands?
That they can’t play — that’s one of the ones that gets thrown around a lot, and also that you’re going to make really twee pop music. We’ve had people coming up to us after we play and saying “Wow, you can really play!” or after sound check, going “That was really heavy, we thought you were going to be playing some jangly pop style” and they say it straight to your face.
Have you ever struggled with that?
Well it’s just kind of laughable now and it wouldn’t get to us anymore, we’d just think the person that was saying it was a bit clueless. But I think in the beginning, when we were less confident and still working out what we were doing, it was less easy to come up against those stereotypes and feel like you have to push through them all the time. People would assume that we were into repetitive stuff and that there was a simplicity to our music, with minimal chord changes and yeah, so that was kind of frustrating.
Are you inspired by many other girl bands past or present?
I wouldn’t say that we were musically inspired by the Riot Grrrl movement because we have taken a different approach and we’re making very different music. But in terms of the politics and the fact that they were women who got up and played music, who were very forthright in terms of being feminists and who didn’t give a damn about what anyone said about them and did it all on their own terms, I think that was really inspiring. And I think the Riot Grrrl movement and the bands that were around then have inspired a lot of women, not so much musically, because women were always making pop music, but to push themselves forward and not to let things like those stereotypes get to them. I think that Riot Grrrl really helped women to feel more confident and to do whatever they wanted with music. So, yeah, that’s been a big influence. I think we would all feel indebted to that.
If you had to listen to one girl band for the rest of your life, which would it be out of Destiny’s Child and the Spice Girls?
Oh Destiny’s Child definitely! I mean, I listen to them anyway, but God, compared to the Spice Girls, there is no competition.
So what inspires you outside of music?
I like reading, going to other concerts and going to the opera; the opera is a big influence on me, but I guess that’s kind of music. I would say also books and films, all the normal stuff. But I think music itself is probably the biggest influence on what I do musically.
How did growing up in Brighton shape your approach to music and to life do you think?
Well, Emma [Gaze] and I became friends and decided to start a band there and I think that being in Brighton was a very lucky thing for us because there were a lot of opportunities to go out and see loads of bands. And then when we actually started Electrelane, it was so easy to get gigs because there were so many places that were willing to put new bands on, so we were kind of lucky in that respect. We really became friends through going out and watching bands and Brighton is a really good place for that because there are lots of people — there are two universities there — and it’s got a really good music culture.
Did you find it to be a very competitive music scene?
I think initially it was very supportive and then eventually, when we started to get some success — I mean, I’m talking success on a really broad scale, but when we started to get a little bit more known outside Brighton, then it felt like it changed a bit with some people. I don’t really know how it is now because I haven’t lived there for a long time, but the indie scene in the late nineties, when we were there and starting the band, was really small. So you would see the same people all the time and it was really supportive if you stayed within that, but once you started to get outside of that, it wasn’t so supportive anymore. I guess that’s the same everywhere though.
The music scene in Berlin is very unique as well and has been the source of inspiration for a lot of artists, what was Electrelane’s experience of Berlin like?
Well I was there for two years and then the rest of the band came over, so for me it was like home. But I think the others found it a real break from everything else that they were doing; when they talked about it, it was as if they were on holiday. We were there in the summer and it was really hot and we were rehearsing in this beautiful old studio, so I think the atmosphere of the place was very light and happy, very different to historical ideas about Berlin.
You were there during the World Cup and sampled part of a football game in your song ‘Five’. Was that the most unusual thing you have ever sampled, or are there other hidden references we don’t know about?
Yeah, we did use part of a football match, it was just between local teams. On our first album, though, we recorded Emma’s dog in the studio. Sometimes she’d bring her dog to rehearsals and everybody would laugh at me because the dog would start singing when I started singing, which is usually a bad sign as a vocalist, if dogs start howling along. But then we got the dog to come into the studio and we recorded them singing along and ended up using that on the record.
What would you say is your ultimate fantasy and what are you most afraid of?
[Laughs] Well I’m most afraid of heights, but that’s pretty boring. And my fantasy…[laughs]…I can’t say that.
Since the band has reunited, does it feel like starting over or is it like riding a bike, as natural as ever?
This is going to sound cheesy, but it’s kind of both. I mean, it’s like riding a bike because it comes back to you, but it’s like starting over because of all that excitement of being together again and playing songs that you haven’t played in a while. But, you know, we’re old dogs, we don’t forget old tricks.
Are you excited about coming to Australia?
Yeah, really excited. I can’t wait. All of us are really excited.
What’s your opinion of Australia?
I suppose over here we have the impression that it’s a bit like England, but hotter. We visited once before, but I don’t really know anything about the country because we were there for such a short time. I think we’re going to go surfing this time.
Mexican-born, Texas-raised Alan Palomo of chillwave, synthpop four-piece, Neon Indian is not only a big fan of Mexican food (der!), he also admits to geeking out at the prospect of working with The Flaming Lips and names one of his most formative musical experiences as that time he was listening to New Order as an adult and realised: “I’d heard it my whole life and never realised it was my favourite band.” All in all, he’s a really cool guy — and he appreciates the fact that Australia isn’t all about kangaroos.
Rosie Dalton: Hey Alan, how’s your evening going?
Alan Palomo: Hi! Yeah, pretty good. I’m in my new apartment right now, I only just moved in so it’s been a bit crazy. That’s cool, was it a big move. Well it’s only three doors down from my old apartment [laughs]. It’s good though because I needed some more space so I can start recording at home more. So yeah, it’s a fun little set up.
Do you prefer recording at home than in a studio?
I think so. It’s kind of this alien feeling, being in a studio, where you’re constantly aware that you’re burning daylight with dollars. I like working in my own space and being a bit less concerned about the output of a day’s work.
Are you excited about visiting Australia?
Oh, super stoked! You know, it’s become a thing for us where we get to come down once a year and it always makes for a really amazing time. I’ve been to Australia a couple of times now. The first time I went was to record with Miami Horror and I was actually there all of June, for the wintertime. I’ll never forget going to Ben [Plant]’s place outside Melbourne — way out in the bush — and waking up, opening the curtains and seeing like ten kangaroos sitting outside. I was like, “Wow, I really am in Australia!”
You know we try so hard to dispel the myth that kangaroos roam the streets, so you're kind of ruining it.
[Laughs] yeah, I mean that’s the thing, because it’s not like I’ve seen one since. It was just that this introductory experience strangely involved me opening the curtains and seeing a whole bunch of them.
So what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Australia, aside from kangaroos?
[Laughs] kangaroos are definitely not the first. I would probably say disco music. I mean, pretty much everything I’ve listened to since I was 17 or 18 has come out of there and it’s nice to know that while I’m sitting inside and it’s freezing here — it was snowing yesterday — there’s probably some amazing disco party happening out there in the Southern Hemisphere somewhere.
Yeah, although we’ve had a bit of a bummer summer to be honest.
Really?!
Yeah. Don’t worry though, the disco always lives on.
Oh for sure.
So can you tell me a bit about the process behind Era Extraña?
Well I wrote a lot of the material in Helsinki and then I came back home to record. It was the first time I had worked in a studio actually, so it was a very different process to the first album, which was done entirely in my apartment. I mean, I think if anything, it ended up being more about experimenting to see if I could even make it work, or just have a total melt down [laughs]. I feel like, in that sense, it was definitely a bit of a personal accomplishment.
What’s the meaning behind the album title for you?
Well, I personally like that, in Spanish, the word extraña is not just the word for strange, but also means ‘to miss’ and, for me, those two sensations have always felt inextricably intertwined. I just like the idea that it means ‘the stranger’, which is obviously very contextual, but it also translates into the pure strange, that longing feeling. It’s just a weird little play words that’s open to interpretation.
Do you speak Spanish fluently?
I do, yeah, that was my first language.
And was it a huge culture shock for you, moving from Mexico to Texas at such a young age?
Yeah, it definitely was, but I think that it was OK because I had already grown up around a lot of pop music culture so, in that sense, I guess it didn’t change too much. I would say, though, that it was a very different lifestyle. I look back on that time of my life and remember it being this really alien thing, to have to sit in a classroom and either pick up the language or — for lack of a better word here — flunk.
Which culture would you say that you feel more of an affinity with these days?
Well I think I definitely draw from both. I have been living in the United States a lot longer now but it’s just one of those things. I still communicate with my family entirely in Spanish and there’s this unspoken bond that if you meet someone in a bar who’s also from Monterrey [Palomo's hometown], it’s kind of implied that you’re going to be buddies. I actually like that I’ve always been part of this weird in-between thing because there’s a lot to draw from there.
Mexican is one of my favourite types of food. Do you have a favourite cuisine?
Oh, Mexican as well for sure. In fact, one of my main criteria for picking a place to live is whether or not it has good Mexican food. If there’s an absence of good Mexican, I don’t think I could live there.
Very fair, I think. So tell me who you're inspired by.
Well it tends to switch around a fair bit, but one of my most formative musical experiences was listening to New Order as an adult and realising that I’d heard it my whole life and never realised it was my favourite band. I like a whole mash of things though; I really admire people who can take bizarre ideas and inject them into pop music.
New Order are so prolific! What sort of music are you listening to at the moment?
I’ve actually been listening to a lot of Wall of Voodoo stuff that I was into in High School and a lot of other weird, angular synthpop. In terms of new material, though, I’m really enjoying the new Chairlift record.
Cool. And how did you find working with The Flaming Lips?
It was actually so surreal. Not just to meet my heroes, but to actually collaborate with them on something artistically was almost difficult to take at first. My comfort level sort of rose over time, but I was really just so stoked to be hanging out in the same room as them. It was great for me because they are a band that are both incredibly psychedelic, but also such lucid people, who are really focussed on what they want to get out of the music. It came at a great moment for me, when I was trying to figure out how Era Extraña was going to come along; I think it really helped that process.
Are you still very influenced by film?
Yeah, for sure, I mean that's what I studied in college. Although, in fact, I would probably say that the music I’m making at any one time probably has more of an impact on the kind of films I’m be watching, rather than the other way around, you know?
For sure! Thank you Alan.
No, thank you! I'll see you soon.
Mexican-born, Texas-raised Alan Palomo of chillwave, synthpop four-piece, Neon Indian is not only a big fan of Mexican food (der!), he also admits to geeking out at the prospect of working with The Flaming Lips and names one of his most formative musical experiences as that time he was listening to New Order as an adult and realised: “I’d heard it my whole life and never realised it was my favourite band.” All in all, he’s a really cool guy — and he appreciates the fact that Australia isn’t all about kangaroos.
Rosie Dalton: Hey Alan, how’s your evening going?
Alan Palomo: Hi! Yeah, pretty good. I’m in my new apartment right now, I only just moved in so it’s been a bit crazy. That’s cool, was it a big move. Well it’s only three doors down from my old apartment [laughs]. It’s good though because I needed some more space so I can start recording at home more. So yeah, it’s a fun little set up.
Do you prefer recording at home than in a studio?
I think so. It’s kind of this alien feeling, being in a studio, where you’re constantly aware that you’re burning daylight with dollars. I like working in my own space and being a bit less concerned about the output of a day’s work.
Are you excited about visiting Australia?
Oh, super stoked! You know, it’s become a thing for us where we get to come down once a year and it always makes for a really amazing time. I’ve been to Australia a couple of times now. The first time I went was to record with Miami Horror and I was actually there all of June, for the wintertime. I’ll never forget going to Ben [Plant]’s place outside Melbourne — way out in the bush — and waking up, opening the curtains and seeing like ten kangaroos sitting outside. I was like, “Wow, I really am in Australia!”
You know we try so hard to dispel the myth that kangaroos roam the streets, so you're kind of ruining it.
[Laughs] yeah, I mean that’s the thing, because it’s not like I’ve seen one since. It was just that this introductory experience strangely involved me opening the curtains and seeing a whole bunch of them.
So what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Australia, aside from kangaroos?
[Laughs] kangaroos are definitely not the first. I would probably say disco music. I mean, pretty much everything I’ve listened to since I was 17 or 18 has come out of there and it’s nice to know that while I’m sitting inside and it’s freezing here — it was snowing yesterday — there’s probably some amazing disco party happening out there in the Southern Hemisphere somewhere.
Yeah, although we’ve had a bit of a bummer summer to be honest.
Really?!
Yeah. Don’t worry though, the disco always lives on.
Oh for sure.
So can you tell me a bit about the process behind Era Extraña?
Well I wrote a lot of the material in Helsinki and then I came back home to record. It was the first time I had worked in a studio actually, so it was a very different process to the first album, which was done entirely in my apartment. I mean, I think if anything, it ended up being more about experimenting to see if I could even make it work, or just have a total melt down [laughs]. I feel like, in that sense, it was definitely a bit of a personal accomplishment.
What’s the meaning behind the album title for you?
Well, I personally like that, in Spanish, the word extraña is not just the word for strange, but also means ‘to miss’ and, for me, those two sensations have always felt inextricably intertwined. I just like the idea that it means ‘the stranger’, which is obviously very contextual, but it also translates into the pure strange, that longing feeling. It’s just a weird little play words that’s open to interpretation.
Do you speak Spanish fluently?
I do, yeah, that was my first language.
And was it a huge culture shock for you, moving from Mexico to Texas at such a young age?
Yeah, it definitely was, but I think that it was OK because I had already grown up around a lot of pop music culture so, in that sense, I guess it didn’t change too much. I would say, though, that it was a very different lifestyle. I look back on that time of my life and remember it being this really alien thing, to have to sit in a classroom and either pick up the language or — for lack of a better word here — flunk.
Which culture would you say that you feel more of an affinity with these days?
Well I think I definitely draw from both. I have been living in the United States a lot longer now but it’s just one of those things. I still communicate with my family entirely in Spanish and there’s this unspoken bond that if you meet someone in a bar who’s also from Monterrey [Palomo's hometown], it’s kind of implied that you’re going to be buddies. I actually like that I’ve always been part of this weird in-between thing because there’s a lot to draw from there.
Mexican is one of my favourite types of food. Do you have a favourite cuisine?
Oh, Mexican as well for sure. In fact, one of my main criteria for picking a place to live is whether or not it has good Mexican food. If there’s an absence of good Mexican, I don’t think I could live there.
Very fair, I think. So tell me who you're inspired by.
Well it tends to switch around a fair bit, but one of my most formative musical experiences was listening to New Order as an adult and realising that I’d heard it my whole life and never realised it was my favourite band. I like a whole mash of things though; I really admire people who can take bizarre ideas and inject them into pop music.
New Order are so prolific! What sort of music are you listening to at the moment?
I’ve actually been listening to a lot of Wall of Voodoo stuff that I was into in High School and a lot of other weird, angular synthpop. In terms of new material, though, I’m really enjoying the new Chairlift record.
Cool. And how did you find working with The Flaming Lips?
It was actually so surreal. Not just to meet my heroes, but to actually collaborate with them on something artistically was almost difficult to take at first. My comfort level sort of rose over time, but I was really just so stoked to be hanging out in the same room as them. It was great for me because they are a band that are both incredibly psychedelic, but also such lucid people, who are really focussed on what they want to get out of the music. It came at a great moment for me, when I was trying to figure out how Era Extraña was going to come along; I think it really helped that process.
Are you still very influenced by film?
Yeah, for sure, I mean that's what I studied in college. Although, in fact, I would probably say that the music I’m making at any one time probably has more of an impact on the kind of films I’m be watching, rather than the other way around, you know?
For sure! Thank you Alan.
No, thank you! I'll see you soon.
Oystermag.com and The Festivalist
February 25 2012
Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor are Slow Club, one of those boy/girl duos that churn out saccharine folk-pop which makes you want to sway side-to-side and be fancy free. Maybe it’s got something to do with their roots growing up in Sheffield, England — known for its distinctively DIY music scene — but these guys aren’t shy of an unconventional approach. Slow Club have been known to use glass bottles, chairs and other non-instruments in their songs but, above all, they’re just a down-to-earth bunch who stumbled into making a band together. We caught up with one of the band’s founders, Charles Watson ahead of their Australian tour.
Rosie Dalton: Hey Charles, how are you going?
Charles Watson: I’m great, how are you?
I’m good, thank you. Can you hear me ok?
Yeah, loud and clear.
Ok cool. So you guys are on tour at the moment, is that right?
Yeah, kind of, we’ve been playing some shows in America and England. We’ve actually got two new people in the band now, a guy who plays bass and a drummer so now we’ve got two drum kits, bass and guitar.
And how’s that going?
Yeah, it’s been amazing. It’s like this kind of different experience to what we’re used to.
Are you looking forward to your Australian tour?
Yeah, I can’t wait. I love Australia.
What’s your favourite place to visit?
I actually liked Perth. I know Melbourne’s supposed to be the really fun place but I thought Perth was beautiful and I really liked it there. The beaches are amazing, the waves are massive and I thought we had a really good gig there as well.
I hear that from a lot of musicians. I’ve never been to Perth but lots of foreigners who visit there — musicians in particular — seem to love it.
It’s just so beautiful. But, you know, something that really struck me about Australia was the breakfasts. I thought that Australian breakfasts were much better than anywhere else. I tried to recreate it at home one time actually, but it didn’t really work. So I’m looking forward to the breakfasts.
Yeah, that’s something I really missed when I was overseas as well. So, can you tell me a bit about what the music scene is like back at home in Sheffield?
Well we live in London now and I haven’t been to a gig back home for a while now but it seems like there’s a great DIY scene going on there at the moment. It’s like that in a lot of places in Northern England, actually; a lot of DIY labels and nights and a real community sense about music, which is really cool. Every time I go back to Sheffield, it seems to get more exciting and there’s a lot of really cool art stuff going on there at the moment as well.
Speaking of D.I.Y., you guys have been known to make music using chairs and other non-traditional instruments. What would you say is the most unusual non-instrument you’ve ever included in one of your songs?
Well we don’t tend to do that so much anymore, but I guess the chair was one of the more unusual ones. We really started using those sort of objects in our music because we couldn’t afford to buy a whole lot of other instruments [laughs].
If you were road-tripping to a festival, what’s one song you’d love to have in the car for the trip?
Hmmm, I’d probably have ‘I’ll keep it with Mine’, the Bob Dylan song but the Nico cover.
Do you have a best or a worst festival moment?
Well we were once playing a festival in the East of England and were headlining one of the stages there. I went to the toilet before we went on, when I heard the guy announcing us on stage — while I was having a wee — so it was a bit of a mess getting on stage [laughs]. But that was a one off.
Do you prefer playing gigs or festivals?
Gigs.
Why’s that?
They just sound better I think. Festivals are really awesome, but sometimes they’re a bit of a gamble. You can have an amazing one or you can have a really shit one. And there’s not really much you can do about it, it kind of depends on a lot of things that are out of your control. But when it’s right, they’re great.
So, this is going to sound really weird, but at the moment I’m trying to learn the art of reading tarot cards. Do you mind if I experiment with you?
Sure.
All you have to do is ask me a question that you want to know the answer to and I will draw a card and try and give you some insight into the answer.
So I have to ask you a question?
Yeah, whatever you want.
Um, does it have to be a yes or no question?
Not necessarily.
OK, will our album go triple platinum in Australia this year?
Ok, let me shuffle the cards a bit…Your card is called ‘The Sun’, which stands for shining light and happiness. In the intellectual world, it means truth and in the physical world, it means happiness. So I suppose that could be interpreted as a big fat yes.
Great!
Or at least that you will realise a state of happiness with the album’s Australian reception and learn truths about it’s musical elements which could help you in the future…I’m babbling.
[Laughs]
So how did you and Rebecca meet?
We’ve been friends for a long time, from when we were kind of school age. We went to different schools but we had a lot of mutual friends so we just started making music together one day.
Did you ever think you’d end up in a band together?
Not really, but we’ve been playing together for about six years now.
And who or what are some of your main inspirations?
I guess a lot of sixties and seventies pop has quite a lot of influence on us, like Beach Boys and Neil Young and stuff like that. But we both have separate influences as well. Rebecca’s really into R&B and pop, and I like a lot of sixties bands, so it’s a mixture of a lot of things.
Cool, thanks Charles. I look forward to seeing you when you head out to Australia.
Yeah definitely, thank you. It was nice to speak to you.
