Music, Style & Culture

Electrelane: ‘We Never Really Felt Like We Split Up’

DIY speaks to Verity about Paris, practising and playing again after their hiatus.

Electrelane went on hiatus in November 2007. In their nine years making music together, they had quietly gone about making some of the finest sounds of the decade, and their disappearance left an irreplaceable hole in many people’s musical universe.

The announcement in February that they would be returning to play a string of summer shows was, therefore, deliriously greeted by those who appreciate their sublimely orchestrated form of kraut-pop.

At once delicate, tender and evocative as well as catchy, rocky and playful, Electrelane are a band who could turn their musical prowess to anything. They augmented their elegant kraut-rock with elements of electronica, garage rock and even Welsh choral choirs, to create three richly textured records.

Though it’s been just three and a half years since they went away (not really long enough to call their return a ‘reunion’) for those who missed them live the first time around it’s felt like a lifetime - and the band's reputation has grown in their absence. It always seemed obvious, and slightly sad, that Electrelane were the sort of group whose greatness would only be celebrated after they had gone.

The good news is we haven’t had to wait long for their return. Embarking on a run of gigs this summer the band have once again demonstrated that they are a stunning live force.

DIY spoke to Verity (piano/vocals/saxophone/guitar) about Paris, practising and playing again after their hiatus.

How have the comeback shows been going? And how enjoyable has it been to play together again? What’s been the best show you’ve done so far?
It's been really enjoyable to play together again, much more so than we'd ever expected. And I think the gigs have gone pretty well so far. We didn't really know what to expect before we came back, but the audiences have been lovely, and we always play better when we think people are enjoying it. It's hard to pick a best gig, but if I had to then it'd probably be Paris - we got some crowd surfing and a stage invasion there.

Did you do any rehearsing to get yourselves back into the swing of performing? How did you prepare for the string of shows?
We practised our own parts individually before we met up, and then we had two weeks of rehearsals, every day, for 5 hours a day. We've always been a band that practises together quite a lot!

You were quite high up on the standard Ones To Watch At Field Day list. Did you feel any pressure before performing?
I didn't even know there was a list like that, so there wasn't pressure from that. But there's always a bit of nerves and anticipation before a gig because we want to play well. I have to say though that I was quite surprised to see how big the crowd was when I first came out to set my stuff up. It was exciting though. And then you just get on with getting ready, plugging stuff in and all of that, and also I was coming down with the flu, so I was mostly concentrating on doing mind control on my nose to try to stop it running, which sucks when you have two hands busy on the keyboard and you're trying to sing.

Does it feel in any way different? Do you think you’ve changed as a band at all?
It feels happier. I think we've become more laid back as a band.

What were you hoping for from these gigs?
The complete collapse of the capitalist system and the flourishing of a socialist utopia.

There always seemed to be very disparate groups who liked the band. What type of audiences have you been getting at the new shows?
It seems mostly like it's always been. Lots of queers, nerds and musos - people like us, basically, so we love it. Ros said we're lucky because when we look out at gigs we see the kind of people we'd like to be friends with, and not all bands can say that.

It’s been 3 and a half years since your hiatus – what's everyone been up to during that time?
Emma and Mia moved to the USA. Emma now lives in LA and has been training to be a scenic painter. She's also acquired a very cute dog called Klaus. Mia moved to Chicago, she's doing a degree in English and Psychology and alongside that she's the editor of the classical and opera section at Time Out Chicago. I've been working for Kids Company - a children's charity in London, and I went back to uni to do a masters degree in International Politics. Ros has been doing a PhD in London about the French surrealist nutter Artaud. We've also spent some time doing other musical projects - Trash Kit, Follows, Vera November, Ray Rumours.

When you decided to reform was there a specific catalyst that prompted it?
There wasn't anything specific. But after a couple of years we all realised that we missed playing together as a band, and missed each other, and over email started vaguely discussing the possibility of playing again, and that went on for quite a while. When it became clear that we'd all have some free time this summer, we decided pretty quickly to do it. We never really felt like we split up though, so it wasn't a case of reforming, at least from our perspective. It was more like picking it up after a very, very long break.

There was a fantastic response to the announcement that you were returning. Were you surprised by the reaction? What were you expecting from the announcement?
Yes, we were very surprised! We were expecting (well, hoping really) that some promoters would get in touch to book gigs, and that was all. We never expected there to be the response there was on the internet and so it was amazing and, without wanting to sound like Rupert Murdoch, we were all humbled by it. I think we're very lucky to have fans who stayed with us even though we stopped for ages, and when we knew they still wanted to hear us play it made us really want to do it.

Does this reaction change the way you view the future of the band? Does it open up more possibilities for what you can achieve? You said that there wouldn't be another album; have you changed your minds at all?
I don't remember saying there wouldn't be another album...perhaps we did though. Anyway, I think that because we've all enjoyed the gigs this summer, and we've had a good connection with our audiences, it does make us want to play more and write new things. But logistically it's quite difficult to arrange, with two of us living in London and two in the states. Also at the moment we don't have a label, which has its up and down sides, but we have to think a bit more creatively this time about how we'd fund making a new record. Of course there are lots of possibilities now with the internet. The big question for us at the moment is 'how', and if we can work that out then we'll do it.

If you were to make a new album do you think it would sound different to your previous releases? If so, what's changed?
I don't think we've ever made a record that sounds a lot like the last, so yes I think it would be different, but I don't know exactly how. We don't tend to go in to writing with a fixed plan, although we might have a very general idea. The words that have been bandied around so far are 'psychedelic euphoric trance'. Actually that does seem quite specific. Well, we'll see.

Can you see Electrelane’s influence in any of the bands that have emerged during your hiatus?
I saw a band called the Rayographs play recently. They were great, and when they were rocking out it reminded me a bit of the feeling I get when we play songs like U.O.R. But I don't know if they've been influenced by us, though. You never know what people are listening to.

Finally, what's next for you all, both in terms of Electrelane and outside of the band?
Maybe babies?

Electrelane will play London's XOYO tonight (16th August).