Interview: Julie from HAVVK

We’ve been massive fans of HAVVK (previously HAWK) for a good few years now, and every time they release something new we get a massive twinge of excitement. So, we’re extremely happy to hear they’re about to release another poignant new single ‘Always The Same’ ahead of their debut album next year. And we’re particularly honoured to be co-promoting their upcoming London single launch at Servant Jazz Quarters on 6th December.

Combining soaring celestial vocals with a grunge-tinged musicality, activism is at the heart of all HAVVK do, with this new single addressing female objectification and asking men to question their sense of safety and entitlement and imagine what it’s like to walk down the same street in someone else’s shoes.

Ahead of HAVVK’s single launch shows next month, we caught up with front woman Julie to find out more about their forthcoming debut album, working with esteemed producer Rocky O’Reilly and some of the other wonderful projects she’s involved with right now…

Hi Julie, welcome back to Get In her Ears! Your band HAVVK have recently re-branded and re-released your single ‘Glass’, can you tell us a bit about what lead to this decision?
‘Glass’ was re-released out of pure love for the track. We initially put the track out there in support of the Marriage Equality referendum in Ireland in 2015. We never actually gave it an official release back then. Our videographer James Byrne created a beautiful visual of a liquid Pride flag and we uploaded it to YouTube to show our support. It all happened really quickly. We wanted to do something special to go along with the new name so it was the perfect time to add ‘Glass’ to our catalogue. The “re-brand” story is much less romantic. We’ve been hearing for a while now that it’s freaking impossible to find our music online, so we decided to change the name instead of battling through – a lot of bands we know have had the same issue. Can’t really get away from it now that the internet is so crucial to how we consume music.  

HAVVK’s debut album Cause & Effect is out next year – are there any ongoing themes running throughout the collection, and how was the songwriting process?
First of all, it’s so fucking exciting to be finally sharing this with you guys. We’ve been working on these tracks for over a year now, it means so much to unleash them. The album has a two-sided theme and we’re actually releasing it in two parts across next year. It seems to us like we’re living in a culture where news and reaction are so immediate, and only the most extreme voices are the ones that get heard. The album deals with a lot of our own digestion of how the world is looking these days, politically; the people it’s effecting and how we deal with it personally. There’s a lot of personal stuff in there too, to do with identity, relationships, self-expression and mental health. But it’s all framed in this idea of extremes – what we say and what we don’t say, right and wrong, and all the grey space in the middle.

You’ve been working with esteemed Belfast-based producer Rocky O’Reilly for the last couple of years and on production for this album, how has this experience been? How do you feel he’s helped develop your sound?
Rocky’s been an absolute force to work with and has also been super patient with us and our occasional studio cabin fever. His space in Start Together Studio is part of Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast, which is like the musical heart of the city, and an extremely supportive space for artists. When you go there, you get a sense of people who really care about their local scene but are also making music that could tour the world. We had already worked with Rocky on a few of our earlier singles, ‘Can’t Explain’ and ‘Below’, and we were so happy with the track. He and Matt co-produce alongside each other, and it’s like they each challenge and bring out the best in each other. Rocky’s got so much experience of producing very dynamic post-rock music, with a lot of heavy and quiet moments – I think you can hear this on the album.

You’re celebrating the launch of the first single from the album, ‘Always the Same’, with a couple of very special gigs in Berlin and London. We’re very excited about your return to London on 6th December! How are you feeling about the shows? Have you got something special lined up for us?
We’ve been fairly cloistered away this year, so these are kind of like home-coming shows. We’re so excited for the line-ups we’re playing with – Rookes and After London will join us at Servant Jazz Quarters, and they’re both doing amazing things. And in Berlin, we’re playing with two bands we’ve fallen in love with since moving there, Leoprrrds and Pearly. In terms of ‘something special’ we just cannot wait to play some of the album material. And we may do a giveaway of the remaining ‘HAWK’ t-shirts – never know, they might be worth a lot of money someday!

The shows are being promoted in conjunction with Veta Records, the indie label you run. Have Veta got any more gigs planned for the new year?
This is such an exciting time of year for us right now. We had put our live nights on hold for a while, after moving to Berlin, but it was always a really important part of what we did in London, and really gave us a sense of community. We’ve always been keen to showcase women in music – the majority of the acts on our label are women, and this is something we want to do our bit to address in the industry. Since we moved to Berlin, we’ve actually made more and more connections with the Irish music scene – there’s a huge creative diaspora out there. One of the reasons we are kick-starting Veta Records nights again is to build more connections across our various home countries. Part of this is co-promoting with established music supporters like your wonderful selves and the awesome women running Bang On back in Berlin. Next year, we’re planning more co-promoted gigs in Ireland, Germany and the UK, as well series of living-room shows.

As well as being in a band, running a record label and putting on gigs, you’ve also recently co-founded SelfMade – a platform to explore DIY music in Ireland through performance, discussion, and art. How did this come about, and can you tell us a bit more about the project?
This has been the most unexpected and rewarding thing to happen to me this year. Joanna Bain is an artist from Scotland, and wanted to launch an art project celebrating DIY Irish musicians last year. When she asked me to get involved, I suggest we add a discussion element, as it had been really on my mind how little transparency there is around the day-to-day of making music. What transpired was this amazing event last February where we exhibited portraits and heard performances and panel discussions from nine Irish women in music. The feedback was really positive and before we knew it we were booking our second, and third event. The last one was last Monday in Belfast at the Oh Yeah Music Centre, and we explored the ins-and-outs of releasing music. The interesting thing is that there are rarely ‘right’ answers to these things, but it’s so valuable as an artist, to get a sense that you’re not the only one with these questions and to know you can look to fellow artists for support.

You also launched ‘Female Fronted Drawn Together’ last year – a project through which you created a playlist of admirable female bands/musicians and created an illustration to accompany each song. We thought this was a wonderful idea, especially as it included some of our favourites! Are you planning on continuing this project, or do you have any more art-related ideas up your sleeve for the new year?
At the moment, my illustration energies are being put into SelfMade – you can check out some of our portraits and zines to see what we’ve been up to. I’m also doing a lot of digital design for Veta and the branding work for SelfMade. I feel like every time I commit to a new project, I’m back on the Adobe Illustrator tutorials – and I love it!

Finally, as we’re a new music focused site, and we trust you have great taste, are there any upcoming bands/artists you’d recommend we check out?
Yes! My current album obsession is Dilly Dally – their latest record is infectiously good. Thinking more locally, please check out the bands we’re playing with in Berlin and London, as well as (off the top of my head!) Just Mustard, Oh Joy, Girlfriend, and our label buddies, Sive, Dyvr, and Maria Kelly.

Huge thanks for answering our questions! Can’t wait to see you on 6th December at Servant Jazz Quarters!
Thank YOU ❤

Pre-save ‘Always The Same’ now from Spotify. Cause And Effect, the upcoming debut album from HAVVK is out in 2019. Catch HAVVK live in Berlin and London:

30th November – Loophole, Berlin (with Leoprrrds and Pearly)
6th December – Servant Jazz Quarters, London (with After London and Rookes). Event info & tickets here.

 

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ENJOYsugoi Festival to host TRICOT, Yumi And The Weather and more

Following its first instalment at The Garage on 14th October, ENJOYsugoi festival returns on 18th November, spotlighting some of favourite artists from Japan, alongside a packed line-up of great acts from all corners of the alternative/experimental music world.

Bringing together some amazing acts in an all-dayer at the Scala, headliners TRICOT will be joined by Natalie Evans, Yama Warashi, Poly-Math, Yumi And The Weather, itoldyouiwouldeatyou, and Holding Patterns.

ENJOYsugoi is the first major London event for the promotions arm of Brighton-based Small Pond following the recent hugely successful third instalment of their Bad Pond Festival in their hometown (which adds to their frequent live promotions in the city, ranging from rising indie sensation Boy Pablo to modern piano legend Olafur Arnalds).

Formed in Kyoto, headliners TRICOT have been bubbling since the mid-2000s; their unusual and distinctive sound brings a mixture of pop harmonisation, emotive vocals and complex rhythms. With fans all around the world, they have toured extensively in Asia, North America andEurope (including UK tour support dates for Pixies). They are joined on 18th November by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Natalie Evans, whose unique mix of folk, pop and classical sounds will be brought to life by an expanded full band; outlandish, Bristol-based psych/art-rockers Yama Warashi (the project of Japanese experimental artist Yoshino Shigihara); the technicolour, psychedelic pop of Yumi And The Weather; prog-laced instrumental three-piece Poly-Math, and more. 

It all sounds like a pretty epic day! Book tickets for ENJOYsugoi Festival here.

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PLAYLIST: November 2018

The dark winter nights are creeping in, but our brand new November playlist is filled with bright, vibrant new sounds from a range of unusual and inspiring new artists. Take some time to scroll through our words and hit play on the Spotify link at the bottom of the page…

Temples Of Youth – ‘Darker Places’
Temples Of Youth have long been a favourite of ours here at Get In Her Ears, so we were thrilled to have them as guests on our Hoxton radio show last week (listen back here). ‘Darker Places’ is the title track of their latest EP, and I love Paul’s sweeping guitar sounds and Jo’s melancholy, but powerful vocals. We can’t wait to have them play for us at Notting Hill Arts Club on December 1st alongside Alyss, Elsa Hewitt & Varley (tickets are available on DICE. RSVP here). (Kate Crudgington)

Montauk Hotel – ‘Stains’
I poached these Dublin indie girls from Tash after she played ‘Stains’ on our Hoxton Radio show last week. I love their gentle, melodic, shimmering sound. They’re definitely ones to watch… (KC)

Scrounge – ‘Etch’
Both edgy and itchy, the appropriately named ‘Etch’ is a short, but very sweet blast of perfect scuzz-filled post-punk. A track that will indeed remain etched on your ears, demanding multiple listens, it’s propelled by Luke’s thrashing beats as Lucy’s colossal vocals rage alongside whirring hooks with a gritty sense of urgency. Oozing the duo’s epic, swirling wall of sound, with ‘Etch’ Scrounge have blown me away once again, marking themselves out as definite ones to watch. (Mari Lane)

Vulpynes – ‘2 Cents’
A song about freeing yourself from expectations, Vulpynes’ ‘2 Cents’ is propelled by the gritty, impassioned vocals of guitarist Maeve, raging with a seething energy and sublime raw power as punk-fuelled riffs are blasted out alongside intense pummelling beats. Reminiscent of the riotous force of the likes of L7 or The Distillers, it’s another storming, empowering offering from the Dublin duo, showcasing all there is to love about them. (ML)

Chorusgirl – ‘Demon Baby’
Following 2015’s wonderful self-titled debut, GIHE faves Chorusgirl have now announced their long-awaited new album Shimmer And Spin, and we couldn’t be happier for them. Taken from the album, ‘Demon Baby’ is the first song of the band’s to be released that’s written and sung by Faith Taylor (also of faves Suggested Friends). A slight change in tone from the usually guitar-driven jangly indie of Chorusgirl, ‘Demon Baby’ combines those welcome fuzz-filled hooks with a backdrop of a glitchy, electronic soundscape, filled with sparkling effects and luscious cascading harmonies. Shimmer And Spin is out 16th November via Reckless Yes. (ML)

Worst Place – ‘Square Eyes’ 
Oozing all the totally dreamy vibes we’ve come to expect from the East London band and GIHE faves Worst Place, ‘Square Eyes’ is an ode to Netflix lovers (me!) everywhere. Flowing with the scuzzy whirr of guitars alongside bassist Amy’s luscious honey-sweet vocals, it’s a simply perfect slice of sparkling, woozy indie-pop. ‘Square Eyes’ is out now on limited edition green glitter cassette, along with its double A Side ‘Soak’. (ML)

Bryde – ‘On the Subject of Breathing’
Following a nomination for the Welsh Music Prize for her debut album Like An Island, London-based Welsh songwriter Bryde has share this new single ahead of her UK tour. It’s strummy, it’s seething, it’s sullen. (Tash Walker)

The Orielles – ‘Bobbi’s Second World’ 
The story of a cat named Bobbi, this new track from faves The Orielles flows with an onslaught of scuzzy, funk-fuelled hooks and groove-laden, disco-reminiscent vibes. With the noticeable addition of keys courtesy of new member Alex, ‘Bobbi’s Second World’ initially sounds a lot less ‘indie’ than previous releases – focusing on creating a poppy danceability -, but it is certainly no less innovative. It remains distinctly The Orielles; an instantly infectious anthem filled with a buoyant energy and oozing a colourful spirit. ‘Bobbi’s Second World’, along with accompanying track ‘Makes You Forget (Itgehane)’, is out now via Heavenly Recordings. (ML)

Planningtorock – ‘Much Too Touch’
I have loved Planningtorock for many a year now, having seen them for the first time in 2011.  Oh how the years fly by and the music just gets better and better. ‘Much Too Touch’ is the second track Planningtorock has shared in the run up to their very recently released album Powerhouse and the only track from the album to feature a co-producer, who is long time friend and collaborator Olof Dreijer of The Knife. Powerhouse was released last week on the 9th November via DFA records and is EXCELLENT. Go listen. (TW)

Queen Zee – ‘Hunger Pains’
Will there ever be a day when Liverpool rockers Queen Zee release something we don’t immediately love? (errr, no). ‘Hunger Pains’ is the band’s latest knockout single, and it’s accompanied by the news that they’ll be releasing their debut album in February 2019. We. Can’t. Wait. (KC)

Nasty Little Lonely – ‘Excuses Excuses’
Bristol’s Nasty Little Lonely are taking a step back from band life for the foreseeable future, but they’ve released the powerful ‘Excuses Excuses’ in to the world just before they do. Of the track, vocalist & bassist Charlie explains: “The song is about how fucked the planet is and how we all know we need to do something about it, but things need to get serious right now or it’ll be too late”. We’re definitely aware of the climate change epidemic, and we’re glad we have the riotous sounds of NLL to motivate us in to action. (KC)

Zilla With Her Eyes Shut – ‘Cut Me Boy’
‘Cut Me Boy’ is the latest single from Zilla, who now goes by the name Zilla With Her Eyes Shut. This track was created using samples of unconventional objects such as a Stanley knife, liquid iron, rocks, elastic bands and an eye mask. The results are a thick mixture of unusual beats and warped vocals. I love it. (TW)

Elsa Hewitt – ‘Invisible Threads’
I saw Elsa Hewitt at The Great Escape Festival in May and her ambient, altruistic electronics have been floating around my head ever since. This is her latest stand-alone single, and it’s full of intricate loops and hushed vocals. She’ll be playing for us alongside Alyss at our next Notting Hill Arts Club on December 1st, so grab a ticket on DICE now and come along to appreciate her talent in all its live glory (RSVP here). (KC)

CHINAH – ‘Real Thing?’
Oh-so-many sultry beats which carry the promise of more to come. ‘Real Thing?’ comes from Copenhagen’s CHINAH, and their debut LP Anyone is out now. You can read more about them in our GIHEs interview with them here. (TW)

 

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Introducing Interview: Sive

Having shared stages with the likes of Lisa Hannigan and Gemma Hayes, Irish artist Sadhbh O’Sullivan – aka Sive – creates slices of spellbinding alt-folk, interweaving twinkling melodies with soaring, multi-layered vocals and a unique, compelling charm.

With her captivating latest single ‘Quietly’ out now, we caught up with Sive to find out more…

Hi Sive, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thank you! I’m an Irish songwriter and musician living in a place called Kildare, not too far from Dublin. I’ve been writing and performing independently for about 10 years now, and in that time I’ve released two albums and toured all over Ireland, Europe and New Zealand. I recently started working with Berlin-based label Veta Records, so I’m really delighted to be releasing my new music in collaboration with them.

How did you initially start creating music?
As a kid I loved singing along with whatever pop songs I happened to be obsessing over at the time. I particularly remember being fascinated with harmony and learning the backing vocals parts, which is probably a little weird for a child. It was really when I was about 13 and got my first guitar that I started to write songs. I had a tape recorder which I used to use for very fancy multi-tracking (you need two blank tapes and a second tape player – happy to give lessons if anyone’s interested), and then I eventually got a Boss 8-track recording device which allowed me to mess around a little bit more with arrangements – piano parts, layered vocals etc. I’m showing my age now! When I finished school I went to study in Ballyfermot Rock School and started playing my songs with other musicians. It was terrifying, I hated singing in public for a long time, but that’s when I really started to take my own music to the next level.

Your new single ‘Quietly’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about?
It’s about feeling overwhelmed by the noise of the world, and wanting to find a space among all of that to be quiet. It reflects what it’s like to just stop and listen to what’s going on inside yourself – it can be a calming experience but also a little scary in there. The video played around with using lots of projected images to reflect the idea that you create this mad and complex reality in your head, and then project it out onto the world around you.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Jesca Hoop and Julia Jacklin, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
Jesca Hoop would certainly be one of the more recent ones. I’m not familiar with Julia Jacklin but will look her up – it’s always interesting when you get compared to someone you haven’t heard yet! Some of my biggest influences over the years were Tori Amos, Simon and Garfunkel, The Shins, Feist, Ella Fitzgerald, Kila and Jeff Buckley. More recently I’ve been listening to This is the Kit, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Rokia Troare, The Toure-Raichel Collective, Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell. I really love choral and early vocal music, and I think that’s why vocal layering is one of my favourite parts of the recording process!

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
My local music scene is on the up. Being so close to Dublin I think people are used to travelling for their live music, but more has started happening in my area. I was actually involved in setting up a new night in my own community called Skylarks Music Club recently, which got off to a roaringly successful start. It’s happening in an old nun’s chapel and our first night featured three amazing performances from Cathy Davey, Ross Breen and Farah Elle as well as our house band who are called Square Pegs. I also just opened for John Spillane in a community centre in a small town nearby last weekend. It was their first live music endeavour in there and they put a lot of work in to make it succeed, so I really hope they continue to grow. John’s live show is really fantastic!

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
My live show has ebbed and flowed over time, depending on what feels right for different gigs. At the moment I’m enjoying playing solo because it opens me up to some nice intimate gig opportunities and also gives me a chance to really connect with the audience. I always try to engage the crowd as much as possible by chatting a bit about the songs etc, so that hopefully it feels like a shared experience as opposed to me just singing at them. I’m actually toying with some new ideas for my live shows for next year though, so at the moment your guess is as good as mine as to how that might unfold!

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I’m always scared to answer these questions, because I know so many talented artists that I hate leaving anyone out! But I’ll narrow it down to a few who I’ve gigged with recently or who’ve released new music this year. Some of those who I’d recommend checking out would be Maria Kelly, Pearly, Ross Breen, Farah Elle, Dani, Inni-K, and Hatchlings. My pal Emma O’Reilly has some new stuff stuff up her sleeve too, I had a sneak preview a while ago and it’s well worth keeping your eyes peeled for!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It is difficult because there are so many people making music independently out there. But I think if you have good material and you put some thought into how you want to present it, it’s very doable. The upside of social media is that, if you’re clever, you really can do so much by yourself. The downside is that it’s quite saturated, and you also end up having to pay to make sure the stuff you share gets seen even by people who’ve already liked or followed you. But I do think there are endless opportunities out there for people who are willing to persevere.

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for Sive?
Well I’ve just released my new single ‘Quietly’ as you mentioned, along with the video by Myles O’Reilly which was a dream to make. I’m planning lots more releases for 2019, so the rest of this year will be mostly preparing for everything that goes along with that. In fact, as soon as I finish chatting to you I’ll be packing my bags to head off for a week’s writing retreat in a little village on the southeast coast of Ireland! I do have a gig coming up in Whelan’s on Sunday 9th of December, supporting a great songwriter called Enda Reilly. Then there are some lovely shows already planned for early next, so do come and say hi on social media if you’re interested in finding out more!

‘Quietly’, the new single from Sive, is out now via Veta Records.

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