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| Bugeye "We are always writing songs" |
London trio Bugeye continues to establish itself as an enticing force of refined alt rock energy. Following a number of acclaimed appearances across a range of UK venues It’s All Indie spoke to the band's front woman Angela Martin.
Well done on your Camden
Rocks set, what was the experience like for Bugeye?
“It was absolutely incredible. It was our
first time playing the festival and we were completely blown away to be
headlining at the legendary Good Mixer. It was a very special
moment indeed when the venue filled to capacity and people couldn’t get
in. We have been selling out tour dates this year but to have had such a
response at Camden Rocks Festival too, was a bit of a dream come true. Rewind
18 months ago and we were in a very different place as a band, so it is super
exciting that 2018 seems to be our year."
Camden has an authentic
community, vibe and a tradition for presenting live music;
please tell us about your connection
to the area - as a music and arts destination?
"Camden has always been a special place to me.
As a kid I used to sneak up to Camden from the East End at the weekends to hang
out. There was always such a creative and magical vibe that I just couldn’t get
enough of. It felt like the centre of the musical universe and I just knew that
I would have to be part of that one day. Camden was where we first
started out as musicians, ran club nights and discovered so many inspirational
bands along the way. Paula and I even lived there for a while. It is a place
that made music possible for us and still does for so many bands to this day."
Do you tend to change your
set lists from one gig to the next?
"Not always, it depends really. We want to
keep things fresh for people, but when we are touring and playing different
cities we tend to have an order to things, although there is always a bit of
playing it by ear and adding in songs we think the audience might dig."
What has been your
favourite gig or festival appearance to date?
"Too many favourites to pick just one, so I am
going to give you my top three 1) Camden Rocks Festival – a real bucket list
item 2) Our last single launch at The New Cross Inn this
year – It was our night and magic was made 3) Any gig we have ever
played at The Lady Luck Bar in Canterbury – we headlined the Loud Women
Festival there a couple of weeks back and the crowd’s response just blew us
away."
You have a connection to
This Feeling, have you enjoyed your experiences with them so far?
"We had been admirers of This Feeling for a while
before they approached us to play one of their nights at The Monarch in Camden.
They are pretty much one of the best live promoters in the UK at the moment,
they pull out all the stops to promote their shows but also create opportunities
to move bands forward. I love their entrepreneurial attitude. It wasn’t
enough to just put on the odd night, they put on tours, they created rehearsal
spaces for bands, recording spaces with Pirate Studios and a TV Show too. What
is there not to like about these guys? Their support of Bugeye has certainly
opened doors for us. So I guess you could say we love them very much."
What would be your dream
gig and/or location?
Cliché time! Glastonbury!
How many songs do you have in your ‘catalogue’ and what song(s) are you most proud of?
"We are always writing songs, but not all of them
make the cut of course. We have always been pretty good at being honest with
each other, there is no sparing of feelings. If a song does not really work, it
is called out and we move on. The tally of songs we like is
currently at 41. Most proud of our recent singles, Wake Up and I'm Not The
One. Both are very different from each other, and about subjects we are really
passionate about."
Have you been working on
new material/videos?
"We have indeed. We love playing with
different genres with videos and secretly wish to be film makers, so expect
some entertaining music videos with a twist. We have been writing an
album so it has been pretty non-stop on the creating front."
Where do you tend to record
and what producer(s) do you work with?
"We have our own basic set-up for recording
that we take with us to band practice and record there. It is how the song I'm
Not The One was recorded and it was produced by us. Our next single(s),
however, were recorded with legendary indie producer, Paul Tipler, last month
and we plan to finish the album with him later this year. He totally gets our
sound and is very inspirational to work with."
Are you drawing on
different influences?
"All the time, it changes from song to song.
You will hear a bit of Donna Summer influence with Is The Love, some Dub Be
Good To Me with our song Never Let You Go, some Pixies, Elastica, Altered
Images, the list goes on."
What contemporary bands do
you admire?
"There's so many at the moment but I would
have to say the ones that stick out for me are Sisteray, LIINES, The Blinders,
Scarlett, Yur Mum, The Velvet Hands, Weekend Recovery, St Vincent, and Dream
Wife, they are all very different, but all making their own rules."
As a band fronted by women,
what has your journey been like so far?
"It has been a real mix bag. For the most part,
it has been respectful and I have not noticed a difference between how men and
women in music are treated. But then there is the downside of sexist comments
and women in music still very much being seen as a gimmick. I have even
found myself referring to my band as “female fronted”. If I were a guy, would I
say “male fronted”? Probably not, so I guess, as women, we all need to stop
reinforcing the gimmick."
"I guess my worst experience was with a certain head of A&R. They actually said they already had a girl band on their roster so couldn’t possibly sign another. The battle continues. On a positive note though, there are so many bands (male and female) fighting for change, as well as promoters, such as Loud Women, Get In Her Ears, and Who Run The World. We headlined a festival at the weekend, so not all bills are male led. I guess you could say times are a changing, but we still have a long hike ahead."
"I guess my worst experience was with a certain head of A&R. They actually said they already had a girl band on their roster so couldn’t possibly sign another. The battle continues. On a positive note though, there are so many bands (male and female) fighting for change, as well as promoters, such as Loud Women, Get In Her Ears, and Who Run The World. We headlined a festival at the weekend, so not all bills are male led. I guess you could say times are a changing, but we still have a long hike ahead."
How would you like to see
your songwriting progress and develop?
"At some point I would like to try my hand at
some experimental stuff as a side project. Yes this could very much be
something that never sees the light of day because it is awful. So don’t hold
your breath on hearing anything any time soon."
"As for Bugeye, I feel like we are naturally
progressing as it is. We don’t ever force a direction on ourselves as such, so
it is a case of seeing where the musical pathways lead us."
What are your ambitions
and/or plans?
"First woman on Mars of course, but back to
Earth for a second, I would say our musical plans are more sell-out shows, more
festivals, more singles, more dancing, perhaps less drinking, launching our own
radio show this autumn and potentially our own two day festival. We like to
keep busy."
Live – gig
Croydon Pride Fest on the 14 July
Croydon Pride Fest on the 14 July