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Neon Choir Interview
Indie | Thursday 15th December 2011 | Annalisa
London-based Indie Band – Neon Choir – launched their new EP: “Animal” on the 5ft of August…at the gig place - a boat - the adrenaline is in the air. The bands are tuning up guitars to free their wings. The proximity to the river makes every little music note, ring out every little wave that hits the hull of Battersea Barge, anchored in SW8 5BP, London.
What are your expectations for tonight?
Amy and Catherine:
To bring fans together. When you put three great bands together like we did for the launch, it doesn’t matter so much that we aren’t all the same genre but that we get along massively and so do our fans.
This is the start of something that’s about musical community. Where we support each other, we collaborate musically, take inspiration from each other. And form a musical vibe and party atmosphere that people really want to be around and feel included in.
And of course, it is a launch party for our latest CD, ‘Animal’. It’s no mean feat to put together something as collaborative as an album of music, with all the heart-on-sleeve, teamwork, technicalisms and artistry it takes.
So the night is about awareness of that, bringing as many people down as possible to celebrate with us. I think it will be very successful, and the finishing touches like the ‘Neon Choir wine’ will be very well received.
I can’t wait to start getting feedback from the folks who will take “Animal” home with them, what their favourite songs are and all that.
Where did you met Evy For the Kill and The Mariana Hollow bands, that will be playing as well?
Adam Stanley joined Neon Choir on drums a few years ago and was integral to the shaping of our sound as a band in those early stages. As things happen, he now plays for The Mariana Hollow who are an awesome band and there's a natural friendship between us. They had input in the process of 'Animal' as well - Danny Russel - the guitarist from TMH, for instance, mastered the 'Animal' album. The launch party is a great excuse to play together and share the experience.
Matthew and Catherine met Gitta from Evy For The Kill, in a private musicians garden party festival last year and have always spoken highly about the band. When it came to putting the line-up together for the launch party we wanted surefire supports. Evy's indie rock gelled with ours, and the fact that she's another smoking hot front woman meant that with TMH and Neon Choir we would have a fully female fronted band night.
When did Neon Choir appear?
Amy:
Matthew and I have been playing together for eight years now, first as an acoustic duo, and with different back-lines as different bands, but the outset has always been the same of me and him as a guitarist and vocalist and as songwriters. Neon Choir was formed officially when our last drummer Adam Stanley (now in The Mariana Hollow) joined us in 2007, and we are now blessed to work with Harsha and our newest member Catherine.
How long have you been playing together, as a band?
Amy:
Catherine joined us in January this year, at the beginning of the pre-production process for ‘Animal’, so this CD is a representation of our time together. I think it’s a great achievement and I’m really pleased with the band structure that’s developed in such a relatively short space of time to produce something of ‘Animal’s quality.
How many projects (albums, EPs, etc.) have you built as a group?
Matthew:
Neon Choir has three CDs, a single for ‘Young Blood’ with two accompanying acoustic tracks recorded in 2008. Our first EP ‘ To Build and Fall Apart’ featuring ‘Hallelujah was released in 2009 with a party at Scala, which was an incredibly propulsive launch pad from which we rolled off the momentum until recording and releasing ‘Animal’ this year.
We are aiming for a full album as our next project.
PS: Listen out for tracks from ‘To build and Fall Apart’ played around the country in retail stores!
Why is your band led by a woman?
Amy:
Because I happen to have two X chromosomes? I’m not entirely sure how to answer this one; I happen to be a girl, I can sing and write lyrics and the initial collaboration of that with Matthew’s guitar work is what makes Neon Choir distinctive.
Matthew:
Because she is a brilliant songwriter, singer and front woman.
Catherine:
Because Amy is an exceptionally talented singer and songwriter and a superb front lady on stage
Amy:
Aw shucks, thanks guys!
Who is in charge of what in the band?
Matthew:
Every facet of the band is a sometimes delicate, sometimes brutal diplomacy.
Amy:
The roles we take have shifted and continue to shift organically. I used to run the administrative aspects until I re-entered university last year, and those tasks have been absorbed by Harsha and now Catherine to a higher standard than I could have achieved for instance. We have also started working with more outside consultancy. We make a good team, picking up each others tasks as needed. It helps that we’ve become close mates and listen to each other well.
In terms of band dynamics, we have a very organised Catherine, Harsha has jokingly been donned ‘tour manager’ on our last few out of town escapades. Matthew has a great production talent and looks after a lot of the technical side of things, including the demoing process and the artwork. Catherine and Harsha are academically trained musicians where Matt and I aren’t and so they can provide a lot of insight into arrangements in that regard. I often just turn up where I’m told and sing. Lol, my god that makes me sound like an arsehole! haha - Obviously that’s not the case, I think I provide a lot of vision for the music through lyrical content and song writing direction, and being the front person on stage makes me the person people connect to most - if I’m off then the crowd experience will drop which is a big responsibility.
That said, if you’re talking about who holds the band together, then you need to talk to Matt, Cath and Harsha for their undying patience with my day-to-day nonsense. I think I can be a pain in the arse sometimes - as Catherine once so lovingly noted, “Amy, I love you.. but only in doses of 5 minutes!” haha. I pay her in beer to be my PA by text.
What seems to inspire your creativity, as a whole?
Amy:
I love the collaboration it takes to be in Neon Choir. People have from time to time throughout my musical experience asked if I would ever go solo at some point, and while of course it’s possible for any one of us to work alone as we’re all individually talented people, my answer has always been no. Where would the fun be if I weren’t sharing the journey with someone else? In many ways bands are (or maybe just this band is) like a relationship; sure you could be single, but life is enriched by other’s input, and can be taken to great places that you possibly would never have ventured or just never thought to try on your own with your sole influences and inspirations to hand. There’s a lot of history there, so our musicality from inception to Neon Choir today is a shared memory we can refer to, grow from and reshape as desired. I’m very proud and quite precious of that.
I like team song writing - it usually takes one person to drive the ship in the case of each song, but creative input is democratic, meaning we test a lot of avenues before we reach a conclusion. That drives my creativity - I’m inspired by the reciprocation of ideas that pumps more ideas...
Catherine:
I think we’re all inspired by quite different musical reference points, though we do like a lot of the same bands, and each of us brings something different that matters to us personally. But we are certainly inspired by each other, and by other bands we’re friends with. The band has a drive to it unlike any other band I’ve been in - a curiosity to find the (often unexpected) common ground in our differences, and a conviction that whatever we produce should be of the highest quality.
Amy:
In the abstract sense, I’m personally inspired by ‘songs’ - being super technically proficient without context bores the shit out of me. Context drives me. This applies to all areas of artistry, but in terms of Neon Choir and our music it means each song has a message, which is most obviously lyric driven. Though could be otherwise, and that core message needs to come through in everything from choice of instrumentation and arrangement, to position in the set or track list, and stage presence.
For instance, if there are heartbroken lyrics over a happy melody, it’s for a reason - if there’s no intention to a part of a song yet, then the song isn’t ready. I don’t care how ‘beautiful’ something sounds, if it wonders on for 10 minutes showing off.. I’ll switch it off... Unless, say, the message is about someone so wrapped up in themselves that they wonder about self-indulgently showing off and the song reflects that- that would be a great song! Ha! Very clever, I may suggest this concept to the gang!
We strive for conceptual focus. I love music more as I continue to discover the new mediums, such as different instruments right the way through to the accompanying visual arts that will best express that.
This is an open one... if you feel that there is something you would like to answer that wasn’t questioned... feel free to put your guts out here!
Thank you for interviewing us. It’s very motivating to know that somebody is taking an interest in what we are doing.
