Try as I might, I can’t get Little Boots’ Victoria
Hesketh to reveal her new album title. She’s keeping it a closely guarded
secret, an all-encompassing title to fit a collection of songs she’s been working
on for nearly 3 years, since debut album Hands. Likening
the naming of an album to the naming of a baby, Little Boots wants to ensure
that it’s entirely perfect before she reveals it to anyone, even her manager.
This meticulous attention to detail and fine-tuning
process has become habit for Little Boots, who has spent the last 3 years
quietly writing and sampling, as well as touring the world playing DJ sets and
releasing mixtapes.
After her Record Store Day release, Every
Night I Say A Prayer, Little Boots is finally ready to showcase her
first single, and a taster of what’s to come with the new album.
What have you been up to since Hands?
I’ve been making the new record, which has been quite time
consuming, I’ve been DJing lots and travelling around to work with people. I’ve
definitely not been on an island sunbathing or anything, I promise you. I wish!
I’ve released a few mixtapes. They were one of the first things I did, back in
the day, and I’ve done three now over the last year or so.
What’s the appeal of DJing?
It’s like going to a party where you get to choose all of
the music, and you get paid. It’s the most ridiculous job in the world. The more
I treat it like a real musical job, instead of just a fun thing to do, the more
I get out of it, and I’m really enjoying it now. It will never compete, or give
me the same satisfaction as playing live, but it’s a great other side of what I
can do.
Has any of the music you’ve been playing in your mixtapes influenced
your new material?
Definitely. I’d always done it for fun, but it meant that
after I’d stopped touring I could still find a way of getting out there and
getting a reaction from the crowd. It’s the whole reaction from a crowd thing
that I miss when I’m not on tour. I can see how people react to what I play,
and old disco and new disco, old and new house have been going down really
well, and you can definitely hear that on the new record.
You did a record store day release with Andy Butler from Hercules and Love Affair, how did that come about?
I’m a huge Hercules fan, I have been for a while, and I’ve asked about working with him before. I was playing in San Francisco and he came, and said we should work together. We hooked up in London and had a crazy time, and it was very productive. I love him, and he’s crazy and fun.
Do you think you’ll do any more vinyl releases with the new album?
I would love to, I love vinyl. I have a lot of vinyl at home, and I think if you’re going to get a physical thing, you might as well get a vinyl instead of a download code. The practicalities of it adding up are a problem. The last one we did had Gold embossing which was very expensive. The nicer it looks, which is the point of doing it, the more it’s going to cost.
How will the new album compare to Hands?
Because it’s me writing all of the songs, I think I have my
own lyrical and melodical style, so that’s not going to change too much. It’s
still going to be a synth record, but there isn’t so much of an 80s pop thing
going on. I’ve tried to really strip things back a bit and make sure that the sounds that are there, are sounds
that really needs to be there. Nowadays, anyone can download the latest synth
software and make a synth album in their bedroom, so it’s made me take more
care over the sounds.
You supported Scissor Sisters in London, how was that?
It was so much fun, they’re amazing. Their show is so big,
and I’d love to get that stage where I can have ten dancers, ten lazers, ten
backing singers. There’s loads of people on stage, it’s like having a party on
stage, and it totally amazes you. We can’t afford to take ten people on the
road, so it’s always limited.
Did their live show give you any ideas for your live show?
It felt like that show could work in any situation and be
great. We have to work with what we’ve got, and even from day one when I had a
crappy little mobile laser, and a crappy smoke machine, I’m never gonna stop
thinking about other elements. It’s difficult to tour, because often you’ll
have to get an easyjet flight, because it’s the only airline that flies to
where you’re playing, and checking a laser harp into excess baggage on an
easyjet flight is just not gonna happen.
Are you looking forward to getting back into full touring?
I can’t wait. We’ve got a few one off gigs, and I’m off each
week either DJing or playing. It really is full on, but I’d love to do a proper
tour of the UK and Europe. I want to get all the new music to people.
Did the tour give you a chance to preview some of the new material?
Yeah it really did, and it actually feels to me that the new
songs go down better than the old ones. I don’t know if it’s just because you’re
playing with new energy because they’re fresh, but they go down brilliantly. We
played in Berlin, and I was worried it’d be super trendy and they wouldn’t be
into it, but they loved it more than the old stuff.
What do you miss most about touring?
The continuousness of it. You’re on a bus every day, you
become a little family anddo a show every night for your fans. You know that
everyone there is gonna be there for you, which is different to festivals or
support slots, where you don’t really get that buzz or that connection. I miss
the bubble of being on tour, when it becomes your world.
Have you got a release date for the new album?
Autumn time, we don’t have an exact date. I’m not telling
anyone the title, I’ve got one in my head, but I haven’t told anyone. I had a
few different ones, and everytime I told someone, they thought it was wrong for
the album, so I’m waiting until it’s finished to reveal my new one. It’s like
naming a baby before you’ve seen it, so I’m waiting.
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