interview – Page 23 – Get In Her Ears

We’ve been huge fans of London band The Nyx for a while now. They’ve wowed us on numerous occasions with the electrifying energy of their live shows, received acclaim from the likes of Clash and Q Magazine for their eponymous debut EP, and have been responsible for one of our favourite tracks of 2017, with the seething ferocity of ‘Fire Breathing Lady’.

Now, with the start of a new year, The Nyx are back with a new release for every full moon of 2018. Kicking off the series is new single ‘Only One’. Out today, it oozes an immense, raw passion and emotion-strewn power; a perfectly glorious, riotous re-introduction to one of the most innovative bands of recent times.

We caught up with Becky from the band to find out more about the new releases and how The Nyx have come to be the exceptional, empowering force that they are today.

Hi! We’ve been big fans of The Nyx for a while now, but for those readers who aren’t familiar with the band, can you tell us a bit about who you are and what you do?
Hey, thank you! We are a group of women from London who make glass (ceiling) shattering rock music.

With empowering tracks such as ‘Fire Breathing Lady’, your music celebrates womanhood with an admirable energy. Did you make a conscious decision to focus on the theme of being female in your songs?
‘Being female’ is a large part of The Nyx. We’re purposefully an all-female group. The reason being – we’re stickin’ it to the man (both the system and the patriarchy)!! You only need to look at any Reading and Leeds festival line up, or any ‘Rock’ playlist on Spotify to realise how unbalanced the rock genre is (which mirrors the wider music industry, and also most other industries, and the world at large). It’s very frustrating, and part of The Nyx’s existence is, to quote Gandhi, “to be the change we want to see”. So, we do have some songs which channel the frustration we feel at the state of feminism, and it’s no surprise that they’re usually the heavier, more angsty tracks like ‘Fire Breathing Lady’. We always make sure they’re positive and empowering, but they come from a pretty pissed off place… But in all honesty, most of our tracks actually don’t focus on female empowerment. Most of them are pretty personal, or even political. Feminism is just one string on a large bow for us.

And will the new songs you release this year be continuing in the same vein?
I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year with what we’ve got planned. The music we’ve released so far as The Nyx, and the songs we’ve played live, are all pretty similar. Big rock, energetic tracks. But we’re actually a lot more versatile than that, and we haven’t really shown our true colours yet. We’ve got a whole load of slower jams under our belt. We’re also planning an acoustic release, and maybe even some genre clashes!!

Having so many releases planned next year will allow us to get that across, as opposed to what’s possible with a restrictive 4 track EP. Each full moon release stands on its own; we’re not playing to any rules. I kind of imagine it’s like we’re throwing punches. Oh, a soft track, cool, I know exactly who The Nyx are – another wishy washy girl band; oh SHIT, it’s a heavy banger; DAMN, that riff. WHAT?!?! Acoustic track uppercut, wasn’t expecting that; IS THAT A COVER coming at me from behind?! WOAH, I was just tripped up by a reggae song… The aim is to blow all expectations out of the ring. Those who know us already, we’re only just getting started. Those who don’t, you won’t have seen anything like this before.

You’re going to be releasing a new song on each full moon of 2018, which is a pretty unique idea. What was it that inspired you to do this?
Being in an unsigned band with limited/zero funds can sometimes feel like you’re screaming at the top of your lungs while floating through space. We released our first EP in 2017. We worked really hard at it but it just didn’t get enough exposure to elevate us. Following that we recorded two more tracks, which we’ve been sitting on for about a year, and have been waiting to release. While hitting our heads against a brick wall – thinking “are we just going to let these tracks loose into the big scary internet again so our Mums can listen to them 50 times and that’s about it” – the idea seemingly fell out of the sky. Release a track every full moon. It just felt so right. It was something really different – which showcases how much of an innovative band we are. We don’t want to follow what’s come before. It also linked perfectly with our ‘brand’ and what we stand for. The Nyx is named after the Greek Goddess of the night. Each moon represents a monthly cycle. It just represents us and what we stand for perfectly.

Releasing a track every full moon for a year also represented how we really want to make this year ours. We’ve been slogging along as a band for around five years now: two years as The Nyx, three years under a different name. In the two years of The Nyx, we’ve managed to lose three drummers which has really tripped us up every time, and made us ask “is someone trying to tell us something here???” We are so unbelievably passionate about what we do, which is why we keep giving it our all despite the sometimes bleak outlook over the past five years. As careers try to drag us into the system, and the band started to drift into a dream rather than a goal, we decided FUCK THIS we’re taking control. The full moon releases represent this.

The first new single ‘Only One’ is out today. Can you tell us a bit about the track and what it’s all about?
Something we’ve never been outwardly open about with the band is that me (Becky) and Simone are in a relationship and have been for the past five years. Especially in the early years of the band, we kind of kept it under wraps, thinking it was a ‘professional’ thing to do. But our connection is a huuuge part of what The Nyx is. ‘Only One’ is written about us.

What was the recording process of the new material like, and how did it differ from your previous work? Does one of you tend to do the majority of the writing, or do you take turns and share the responsibility?
‘Only One’ was actually recorded over a year ago now, and even in 12 months, it feels a bit old! I think that shows how much we’ve been growing as a band recently – we’ve really found our sound now. This time last year (with ‘Only One’), it was in its adolescence. I think that’s something which has made the five years of the band really worthwhile; we’ve bounced through multiple genres, and finally settled on a sound which feels like it’s OURS. The way it used to be is I’d write some songs, Simone would write some songs, then we’d play our separate songs. In the early days there was a really clear difference in the writing styles – my tracks were a lot more bluesy, Simone’s much more soul-infused. Coming to our shows was like watching two different bands in one. Then, over the years, we’ve fused together. We’ve found our flow.

Recently, we’ve been in the studio with Grammy award-winning producer Tommaso Colliva (Muse, Phoenix). We’ve currently recorded two tracks with him, which will be our 3rd and 4th full moon releases. They’ve really stepped up the game for us, which is how we’re looking to continue throughout the year with our releases, with each one building on the last.

Following the release of ‘Only One’, you’re going to be playing for us at The Finsbury on 12th January (which is going to be awesome!). What can fans expect from your live shows?
We are SO excited for 12th January because it’s our first gig in about 6 months (so we might actually explode on stage!). Also, it will be the first show playing with our new drummer who is amazing and we can’t wait to unveil her (also shitting it because she’s only been with us a month = pressure). Half the songs in the set are completely new so it’s kind of the first show of the new era of The Nyx (also = pressure). Playing live is where we shine. Our energy is something we’re often praised for, and live shows are where we can really get that across. We’re all completely invested in the moment and just let go of everything. Anything can happen and no two shows are the same. Come see for yourself!

And finally, with all these new tracks set for release, will there be an album coming up on the horizon?
We’re going to finish the year with thirteen tracks released. Feels like quite a nice album doesn’t it? But in all honesty, we’re not thinking that far ahead yet. We’ve only got four tracks recorded so far. And it was only last week that we discovered 2018 was an odd year where there’s an extra moon, so that’s made our lives a lot easier… We’re going to take it month by month and see what happens. But we know we’ve really set ourselves up for a challenge here. Again, being an unsigned band with zero funds, I really don’t know what the hell we’re thinking. But it feels right, and with enough growing support it will really spur us on to make this our year.

Huge thanks to The Nyx for answering our questions! Listen to brand new single ‘Only One’, for the first time, here:

Catch The Nyx at The Finsbury on 12th January for Get In Her Ears Live, along with Witch Fever, ARXX and Militant Girlfriend!

(Originally posted on Gigslutz)

When Parallel Lines first announced Beckie Margaret’s debut London gig at The Waiting Room earlier this year, I immediately scrawled it in to my diary. As an avid fan of Cool Thing Records (the label Beckie is signed to) and all of the artists on their roster, instinct told me this was going to be something special. My instinct turned to panic when they (very kindly) asked me to DJ on the night under the name of Get In Her Ears, but the panic subsided at the thought of chatting to Beckie before the gig and spinning a few 90s grunge classics throughout the night.

I met Luke (Asylums/Cool Thing Records) outside the venue, and was introduced to Beckie shortly afterwards. We joked about both being from Essex and my questionable DJ skills, before heading down to the backstage area of the venue to have a proper chat. Although Beckie is new to interviews and gigging, speaking to her about both was effortless and genuinely enjoyable. We laughed our way through interruptions (that’s what happens when you sit on a chair in front of a door) and talked about her influences, her expectations, and where she’d like to perform next…

So, Beckie, when did you first start writing your own songs?

I started playing songs when I was about 7, and then when I was around 9…

That’s so young!

I know! I think it’s because I just loved poetry and words from a really young age, so just out of curiosity I started using other peoples poems and putting them to guitar. I mean, obviously they weren’t very good – I was 9 – but I’ve always been interested in English language and literature. I think the poems were just things that I’d find on the internet, or in old non-recognisable books in charity shops…God knows.

That’s cool. So your inspiration came from poetry originally, but are there any songwriters/musicians in particular that your song-writing is influenced by?

I love Jeff Buckley.

ME TOO! Sorry, carry on…

Justin Vernon from Bon Iver, they’re probably my main ones. When I started to self-produce, James Blake became a massive influence in terms of arrangement, but for song-writers it would definitely be Jeff Buckley and Bon Iver. Purely for the organic emotion, that gets me.

Same, especially with Jeff. How did you hear about your label Cool Thing Records? Did you approach them or did they approach you?

Luke (Asylums/Cool Thing Records founding member) is a teacher and he taught me song-writing, and he’s one of the reasons I’m doing my song-writing degree at ICMP (The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance). I’m in my third year of that now. I left college, started my degree, self-produced my single ‘Cars & Catacombs’, got it mixed and mastered and ready to go, but I didn’t know how to release music.

I dropped Luke a message asking if he could recommend any websites and how to release new music, and he asked me to send it to him. I was like, “why does he want to listen to it?” and I remember saying to my boyfriend “I’m really nervous, why does he want to listen to it?” – the next thing I knew, I was in a meeting with Luke and he said he wanted to sign me. I literally just thought I’d get a link to a website when I sent the message.

That’s great, he obviously had faith in your talent if he took you under his wing straight away?

He’s great, he’s always helped me. Even when he taught me back in college he understood that sometimes I didn’t always work as well in a group so he’d let me sit on my own, and just let me be, you know?

It’s great that you’ve got that level of support from him.

Your sound differs quite dramatically from the other acts who are also on the Cool Thing label (Petty Phase, Suspects, BAIT, Asylums). What do you like about these bands? Is there something in their sound that inspires you in your own performances or song-writing?

I think it’s mostly just about being yourself and each band doesn’t really care about trying to be like anyone else. I think that’s what Luke looks for, as well as quality. I really love how different and versatile everyone is. It’s a real support system as well, everyone’s behind each other all the way and that’s what makes it an inspiration for me. Music is music at the end of the day, as long as you can emote to it, it doesn’t matter what genre it is!

You’re about to play your first London headline show for Parallel Lines at The Waiting Room. How are you feeling? What are your anticipations for the night?

I’m hoping I won’t just be playing to my Mum. I’m new to gigging, so I think it’s just about remembering you’re doing it because you love it and to not take it too seriously. I just want to enjoy it, which is actually harder than it sounds. I’m just gonna focus on my band mates and get lost in the music, and if it goes wrong – it goes wrong!

That’s a good attitude to have! I know you’ve only just started to perform live, but once you’ve established a larger following (which I’m sure you will) do you have a “dream venue” that you’d like to perform in?

KOKO. I love KOKO. We’ve (Cool Thing Records) had discussions about potential followings and finding a following that’s loyal, and not big – kind of like Lucy Rose. I saw her at a festival recently and I went up and spoke to her and we were just having a chat about her music and her little dog, but no-one else really came up to her and knew who she was. I’d like to be like her, to be respected but not be mobbed, you know?

That sounds cool. What new music have you been listening to recently?

This is gonna sound really weird, but I starve myself of music as part of my creative process. I tend to listen to Brian Eno, Philip Glass and drone music because it provokes lots of thoughts and helps me to write my own songs. I’ve been starving myself of music while writing single 3 (listen here to single 2). I have listened to Nothing But Thieves new album though, and Anderson Paak, and I’ve gone back to Bon Iver recently too. And of course, the Cool Thing guys too. I couldn’t help myself in those areas!

Of course! So, what’s next for Beckie Margaret? More song-writing? Recording? Live dates?

Everything really, we’re going to be stepping it up a notch. I’m already working on single 3, I’m working on a cheeky EP, and just getting ready for next summer really. I’m going to make this my project for the final year of my degree too, so very busy. It’s good to be busy though!

Huge thanks to Beckie for answering our questions, and to Cool Thing Records for being as cool as ever. Follow Beckie Margaret on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Tag: interview

Premiere: The Nyx – ‘Only One’

Introducing Interview: Beckie Margaret