SPINDLE MAGAZINE: FEMALE VOCALS AT THE GREAT ESCAPE - THE BIG MOON INTERVIEW
So, who have you seen so far at TGE, and who do you want to see?
We saw Chastity Belt last night. And played an all-dayer at Bleach yesterday, run by our friends echochamp â a Brighton label/collective. So we just stayed at Bleach all day. Abattoir Blues were amazing â also Pixx and The Magic Gang too. Tonight weâll watch Mystery Jets, who are on after us.
Who are your favourite female vocalists? Current, or old-school..
Annie Clark (St. Vincent) is a big one. Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs is amazing. Marika Hackman â huge fans. We loved all the Riot grrrl stuff when we were younger â The Raincoats, Bikini Kill, Joan Jett etc. Also, Electrelane, Portishead, Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads) and Frances McKee (The Vaselines).
In terms of writing The Big Moon stuff â how does it all come together?
Jules writes the songs, and then we make them louder altogether. Normally she writes our parts for us, but now that we know how we all play together, she knows the kind of thing that we would put in, and we know the kind of thing she might want. Like, sheâll say âdo a little Soph noodleâ. So thatâs how we knock âem out.
So what about the name? Where did that come from?
So, we were The Moon, but then some fights were brewing with other bands..
Oh, what other âmoonâ bands are there?
So many! Moon Duo, Moon Gangs, The Moons, M.O.O.N., Moon. So we just tried variations on âthe moonâ and decided that The Big Moon was the one! So here we are â the biggest moon. We went through so many ridiculous names though â we were just naming things we could see, like âThe Table Gangâ, âMint Sauceâ âMustardâ, âWindowsillâ.
Any of them wouldâve worked though..
Yeah, thatâs the thing â once you have a band name, you just get used to it. Youâve just got to go with it. In the end, Fern, our drummer, was like âI just donât care â letâs just choose one and itâll be oursâ.
So is there an album plan?
Yes, weâre recording it this summer. Itâs all written and ready to go â we just have to choose which songs to not have on it really. We canât wait to start â weâre really looking forward to spending the summer in an airless room, making noises! Genuinely. You feel like youâre doing a real job when youâre recording.
What about other plans this summer â any festivals?
End Of The Road â weâre so excited about that one. Itâs the best â a good mixture of family and party. And a great line-up this year too. Also, Latitude, Truck Festival, Kendall Calling, LeeFest, Blissfields and Springtide â quite a few!
Anything else to share?
We have the Mystery Jets tour!
Ooh, yes â exciting! Well, thank you so much for chatting to me!
No worries â thanks for all the support!
See all The Big Moonâs upcoming gig dates here!
* Originally published in Spindle Magazine, 15th June 2016.