Introducing Interview: Wallis Bird

Following the acclaim of 2019’s poignant Woman, Irish born/Berlin based artist Wallis Bird has now released her seventh studio album, Hands. Showcasing Bird’s unique, vibrant brand of alt-pop – combining fizzing ’80s-inspired blissful soundscapes with an empowering energy and stirring sentiment -, it reflects heartfelt and resonant themes with a raw emotion, delivered through an uplifting, cinematic musicality.

We caught up with Bird to find out more about the album; her live shows; her thoughts on the music industry today, and more. Have a read, and make sure you take a listen to the stirring sounds of Hands at the earliest opportunity!

Hi Wallis Bird! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hiya, I’m Wallis. I’m intelligent, funny, very handsome and talented. Most of all I’m humble. Everything else is wiki.

Are you able to tell us a bit about how and why you initially started creating music?
Before I could talk I was whistling, before I could stand I got my first guitar. I’ve been writing songs since before I knew what songs were, so it’s actually been something I’ve followed my whole life without question. I wrote my first song as a toddler and I distinctly remember the feeling of comfort and excitement it gave me to sing a lullaby or poem. At around eleven I realised that my friends were singing my songs and since then I suppose I’ve been writing with others in mind, to gather people socially or for posterity. I’ve realised in the last decade that my music is there to inspire, and encourage solutions and conversation through respect and patience and positivity.

We love your vibrant yet gritty pop-infused sounds, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
As a baby it was Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Sharon Shannon, Rory Gallagher, as a teen it was Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, Fiona Apple. As an adult it was Björk, Radiohead, Villagers, classical. Nowadays I’m leaning towards jamming again and writing for comfort and collaboration.

You released your seventh album Hands earlier this year… Are you able to tell us a bit about it? Are there any particular themes that run throughout it?
Spiritual connection, asking for and offering help, the unknown future, exciting and terrifying new beginnings, giving up alcohol and going to therapy, adulting. Obsession and control, and taking care that it doesn’t own me. It’s in support of migrants and defiance of racism. Positivity and powerful vulnerability, and wanting to fucking sweat dance.


Being based in Berlin, do you get to see lots of live music? Would you say it’s recovered since the pandemic?
It finally has, but only in the last two months. Usually Berlin crowds are either tough as fuck, or wild and welcoming, but they seem to have lost their critical edge and are just extremely happy to see their favourite artist on stage again. It’s a golden age at the moment!

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Tonnes of power. Power power power. I can’t ever tame it or hide it, it always comes out. Ugh!

How do you feel the industry is for new artists at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the last few years in its treatment of female and queer/LGBTQ+  artists? 
I feel that new artists are defining the industry because there seemed to be no love for them, so they did it their way and are now defining the industry under their terms – it is revolutionary, and the labels are having to catch up. I love it. It has bred new and exciting artists who are fully aware of and in control of their worth and not taking any less than that – which hasn’t happened in my time on this earth. I’m all for it! In terms of queer artists, man I’m so excited at the normalised lyrics of same sex relationships in stories, something previously disguised and dangerous in my short lifetime. Across all genres, even the known homophobic genres like modern hip-hop or trap specifically, it’s just so powerful to see people laying their heart out in this vulnerable way. To be vulnerable takes the most strength, I love where the youth is going. Healing with abandon.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists you’re loving right now that you’d recommend, we check out?
Síomha just released her debut album, Infinite Space, made over two years with the people from Vulfpeck. Irish traditional mixed with NY ’80s pop jazz cats – it’s deep and relentless in its adventures. Caoi De Barra is my bandmate and she’s just released a beautiful EP called Thicket – think private R&B Jeff Buckley Sin-è sessions. And I can highly recommend Landers – hi-fi lo-tunes from atmospheric jazz nerds.

What does the rest of the year have in store for you?
A ton! I don’t know about you, but it’s as if life happened all at once again. I’m renovating a farm house I bought with five other people and I’m also going on a European tour with my band for three months from September on (tickets are at wallisbird.com/live) It’s all nice things!

Massive thanks to Wallis Bird for taking the time to answer our questions!

Hands, the latest album from Wallis Bird, is out now via Virgin Records / Mount Silver Records.

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Get In Her Ears Live @ The Victoria w/ Nikki & The Waves, 12.08.22

Following a heartwarmingly fantastic July in which we were able to raise £500 for Abortion Support Network from our sold out gigs with Charmpit and ARXX, we returned to The Victoria for the first of our August live events. Hosting Manchester based Nikki & The Waves with support from Birmingham duo First Frontier and GIHE faves Panic Pocket, it may have been a hot night, but it was full of all the coolest vibes with these three wonderful bands and the lovely folk who came out to support them!

Kicking things off in the refreshingly air-conned venue, duo Sophie Peacock and Natalie Healey – aka Panic Pocket – deliver their uplifting, synth-driven indie-pop with all the twinkling charm and tongue-in-cheek wit we’ve come to know and love. With subjects ranging from gatecrashing boyfriends to the anxious British need to apologise, each shimmering offering lilts with sugar-sweet harmonies and the duo’s infectious charm, and – being treated to some new numbers that I’d not yet heard – it’s a perfectly smile-inducing way to start the evening.

Next up, Birmingham based duo First Frontier deliver their fuzzed-out garage-rock with a an immense, driving energy. As Paul’s scuzzy hooks whirr alongside Helena’s fierce, thrashing beats, they’re able to create a swirling sense of optimism with each empowering offering and their vibrant charisma, and I can’t wait to hear more.

Headlining, we’re super thankful that Nikki & The Waves have made the long, very sweaty journey from Manchester to play for us tonight! With a vibrant, retro charm and joyous energy, they create unique funk-fuelled indie-pop as each of the seven band members contribute to a shimmering musical cacophony. Oozing a blissful allure – with shades of an eclectic array of influences, from early hip-hop to Lily Allen – the set comes complete with swooping trombone solos, colourful keys, sparkling harmonies and a relatable witty lyricism; perfect for shimmying along under the air-con, and showcasing all there is to love about this truly magnificent collective.

Huge thanks to three wonderful bands who played for us on Friday and to anyone who made it out to support them! We’re back at it this coming Saturday 20th August at The Cavendish Arms w/ phenomenal Australian duo Mannequin Death Squad, with support from Maya Lakhani and brand new ‘supergroup’, Dogviolet – nab tickets here!

Words: Mari Lane / @marimindles
Photos: Paul Dawes / @paullikesrobots

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Track Of The Day: Deux Furiueses – ‘Know The Score’

Violence against women is a topic you wouldn’t typically expect to lend itself to upbeat, catchy rock songs. But duo, vocalist and guitarist Ros Cairney and drummer Vas Antoniadou – aka Deux Furieuses – have done just that with their new track, ‘Know The Score‘.

The song kicks off with strumming guitars throwing out bouncy riffs over upbeat drum lines; promising the kind of classic rock melodies that take root in your head and don’t leave. The lyrics challenge the patriarchy head on from the first couple of lines, quickly referencing a “Another vigil on the streets of our cities tonight” – this alone evokes a painfully recent tragedy that immediately leaves you with no doubt about the seriousness and importance of the subject.

Referencing familiar experiences – keys in a fist, an easily accessible personal alarm, the need for both on a late night walk home – in a way that focuses on how terrifying it is that these things are so normal, these poignant words are platformed by the howling guitars and throbbing drums ramping up to a solo that screams with all the rage and sadness inherent in confronting these elements of society. The universality of it is boiled down into two simple, repeated lines: “Every girl grows into a / woman who knows the score”. The bluntness of it is heartbreaking; causing you to reflect on all the children whose innocence will be cut short by the selfishness of those granted power by the patriarchy.

The song fades to a close with the repeated line “say her name, say her name”. Deux Furieuses don’t have to say whose name for one to come to mind – whether it’s one that was recently in the news, or one from long ago that has stayed with you -, the fact that there are so many lends this refrain its power. The thought that listening to this song again in a year’s time will evoke an entirely new, as yet currently unknown, name is more powerful still. It has a terrifying timelessness to it.

Ultimately, ‘Know The Score’ forces you to confront the darkness that women face and powerfully acknowledges the need for change. It demands not only to be listened to, but for action to follow. Of the track, Deux Furieuses explain:

“We wrote this song about the shadow pandemic of violence against women. The song is a pounding strut of confidence on a big stage. It is bravado on a deserted street as we reach for our personal alarm… This is a song in solidarity with women who all know the score.”

Songs From Planet Earth, the upcoming new album from Deux Furieuses, is due for release on 11th November via Xtra Mile Recordings. Pre-save here.

Kirstie Summers
@actuallykurt

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Five Favourites: Mega

Having received acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 1, NME and The Independent, London-based artist Mega has recently released her new EP Colour Your World. Combining her influence of legends such as Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone with inspiration from her Ugandan heritage, she creates beautifully shimmering melodies propelled by the rich, soaring emotion of her soulful vocals; a collection of instantly uplifting anthems oozing an exquisite heartfelt splendour.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of Colour Your World, we caught up with Mega to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. See below for her choices of her five favourite albums, and listen to latest single ‘If Not My Heart’ at the bottom of this feature.

Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
I remember when I first heard this album. I hadn’t heard a voice like this in the UK. I was obsessed with her voice, lyrics, melodies: everything. She reminded me of the great artists that I loved growing up. I loved how you can hear the ’70s influences shine through, but also how you can hear influences from as early as the ’50s/’60s such as artists like Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday. What I love about this album and Amy Winehouse’s music is her unique and distinctive writing style, as well as her painfully vulnerable lyrics and storytelling. She had this incredible way of telling haunting stories, with an uptempo twist. She may have been heartbroken, but she used that ache, twisting the emotional scars to suit her songs and refused to allow that heartbreak to defeat her.

Alicia Keys – Songs in A Minor
I remember hearing this album for the first time. I had never experienced all the things that Alicia Keys was writing about at the time, but her music encouraged exploration of all the emotions that she was portraying through her vocals and music. It’s pretty impressive that she wrote songs such as ‘Butterflyz’ at 14. Her vocals on this album and songwriting is incredibly persuasive. Her musical arrangements are very interesting on this album – whenever I’d listen to it, it takes me on an incredible journey. I’d listen to it from beginning to end – no skipping!! It’s so innocent and sincere. The sincerity of an artist is the number one thing that draws me to the music.

Carole King – Tapestry 
Although this album came out in the 70’s, the first time I heard this album was like a warm hug. I love how raw her vocals are, her careful phrasings, and how understated but powerful the songs are – connecting you directly to her as a person first and then artist. I got the feeling that this was just about the art and her expressing her heart – rather than creating a polished and perfect sound/recording (although her voice and everything on this album is perfect) My favourite songs on this album are: ‘It’s Too Late’, ‘You’ve got A Friend’ and ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’. And how can I forget ‘Natural Woman’. My goodness – her lyrical ability is such a gift.

Miriam Makeba – Pata Pata / A Promise 
Miriam Makeba was an incredible South African singer who managed to crossover two genres and do it so well. Not only did she manage this, but each of them felt authentic and believable. She was also bilingual and her vocals are sensational. She made incredible American soul as well as incredible South African songs, so I have chosen two of her albums here – Pata Pata and A Promise – as they demonstrate her ability to do both so well. I’ve never really liked to define myself using genres as I find them quite restrictive, so I was delighted when I came across Miriam Makeba. I just adore her music and how distinctive it is.

Afrigo – Teri Mubi
Afrigo band are a Ugandan band that I grew up listening to, and they have an album called Teri Mubi which translates as ‘we are no liars’ or ‘there are no liars’. African music/melodies are something that I will always be inspired by; from the rhythms/melodies to instrumentation and the laidback storytelling. Drums, percussion and bass are the key instruments on African music and Afrigo band do it so, so well. They still manage to stay true to their music styles and are not really influenced by the later emergence of Afrobeat. Their music evokes feelings of joy and makes me feel so warm. 

Massive thanks to Mega for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Listen to recent single ‘If Not My Heart’ below:

Colour Your World, the latest EP from Mega, is out now via Nettwerk.

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