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Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Arts Correspondent
@jeremydwilliams
5:59 PM 19th January 2016
arts

Interview: Kitty, Daisy & Lewis

 
For just under a decade sibling trio Kitty, Daisy & Lewis have been building their name as one of the most authentic vintage acts. With their own recording studio, a collection of old school recording equipment and an ability to write a song with an infectious feel, the trio have not just won over hearts in the UK, but have become something of a live phenomenon around the world. Having released their latest album The Third last year, the band hit the road again at the end of this month. We caught up with Daisy as the band make the most of their last few days of downtime.

Hi Daisy, how's your day going?

I'm just in the pub. Me, Kitty and Mum had a horseriding lesson, so we are just having a quick pint after.

How are you feeling about hitting the road again?

Pretty excited. We've been touring for most of the year and we've had a good bit of time off now. I'm ready to get back on the road. It's been too long, you get bored and don't know what to do with yourself.

What is life like out on the road? Do you get any chill time?

Not really. It's mayhem really. It's hard work and there's a lot of partying involved. After performing you have that buzz, no matter how tired you are, you are ready to go. You just find the nearest bar. It's a vicious circle really!

We love The Third. How do you approach recording a new record?

You just do it as it goes along really. We had a 16 track tape machine, which we didn't have before. It gave us more room to play with things. We could layer stuff up more and have more instruments. We just started with the basics - drums, bass, guide vocal and a bit of guitar. That would give us the vibes, as we all play in the room together. You take some instruments away and do them over the top to get a good take. We you have a solid take, you just add in more elements till it sounds good. It's a case of throwing a little bit of tambourine here and some strings and harmonies there. You build it up gradually.

It sounds like you keep it as organic as possible...

Pretty much. You need to have the guide vocal there and a solid rhythm. If you have bits that are free flowing, there needs to be some sort of guide. In the past we only had eight tracks, so it was pretty much all of us playing and recording in the same room. All we had to do was overdub vocals. The last two albums have a much rawer, live sound. This one we wanted to try produce it differently.

What lessons did you learn from the first two albums that you applied to The Third?

It's not really about learning a lesson, it's about developing. If you do the same thing all the time, you get bored of it. We record everything with old equipment, so we are learning as we go along about the recording process. Especially Lewis, he is great with the equipment. We've also collected a lot more equipment over the years. The more equipment you have, the more you can do and the more you can learn. The more experience you have, the more you experiment. We also got a new a studio a couple of years ago. Well we built it ourselves pretty much. It's got a bigger control room and recording space. It helps us achieve a bigger sound.

How does a life on the road shape a record? Are you influenced heavily by what your live audiences react to?

You obviously can tell what songs are going down well and what points give it an up lift. You just apply it to the next live show. You see which songs work well together. It is more about the order of the set. You don't really use that to shape your recording. They are completely different things really.

Which song do you get the biggest kick out of during your set?

I don't know. They are all different. I love playing Say You'll Be Mine at the end. Although it's the hardest one for me to play as I am on the drums for about ten minutes, it is the one I don't have to think about singing or projecting. Not that I don't like that, but it lets me get in my own world. I just get into my own rhythm and enjoying the moment for what it is. It's up and down all the time. If you are playing the same things throughout the set, it gets boring, so it is good to change it up.

I love the start of No Action, the singing and piano. I love that change of people going crazy to the sudden silence.

Lastly, what has been your favourite show to date?

I guess the one that sticks out for me this year is when we went to Japan and played Fuji Rocks. We did two different gigs on the same day, but one was at 3am in the Spiegeltent. It was just completely rammed and everyone was really pissed and going mental at that point. It felt so relaxed. There was nothing to be nervous about. You felt like you were part of the crowd. Everyone was reaching out and grabbing our hands. The vibe was there. For me that was the most fun gig of the whole year.