Interview: Rosie & The Goldbug - the dark side of pop music

July 27, 2008 · Filed Under Features, Interviews · Comment 

“Back then we were very piano-orientated. We’re now more bass-and-drum-orientated,” says Rosie Vanier, she of the band’s name. She’s talking about when Music Towers first encountered her band, when they were the only real shining star at a lamentable corporate battle of the bands-type affair, where Music Towers described their performance as “vaudeville brand of gothic ephemera as a more than welcome change from the indie-boys-with-haircuts-and-guitars”.

“It’s a lot more focused around Pixie and Plums being in the band, with the piano riffs floating on top,” Rosie explains. “I was very restricted with the piano and it was a little bit boring - we realised we had to make an adjustment with the instrumentation. It’s a lot more ballsy and feisty, before it was quite melodic, and we were going for that really epic sound, whereas now it’s all about vibe and having a good time.”

Completed by drummer Sarah ‘Plums’ Morgan and Lee ‘Pixie’ Matthews, Rosie & The Goldbug formed in Cornwall, and along with pasties and Straw Dogs, they’re set to be the next thing to come out of the toecap of Britain that will get people talking. “ Cornwall is a beautiful place and there’s a lot of music going on down here, but it’s very different to London. London you can hop on the bus all the time, whereas down here you’ve got a little bit more time to explore and create your own thing and anything can happen. There’s a lot to be inspired by.

“It’s hard to say it without sounding derogatory, but I guess its sometimes a little bit ‘behind the times’ here,” Vanier mulls. “You make up whatever you want instead going with what’s ‘hot’. There’s a lot more freedom and a lot less restrictions.”

The promo video for ‘War Of The Roses (Because You Said So)’:

That experience has led to a series of songs that range from the dark-disco stomp of ’Heartbreak’ through to fragile ‘Springtime Dreaming’. If Katie Jane Garside stopped chasing garden sprites to front Dragonette for a night, then it could’ve resulted in the ‘War Of The Roses EP. But this hasn’t meant they haven’t taken a cosmopolitan approach to songwriters.

“My instant reaction was to think ‘oh no, I don’t want to write with anyone’ because I was really precious about my song-writing,” Rosie sighs. “Then I thought \this is ridiculous – I’ve got the opportunity to work with some people I really admire’.” And it’s true – the list of people who’ve come on board to help pen songs is admirable indeed. “Before I knew it, I was writing with Marcella Detroit – I was an absolute Shakespeare’s Sister fan when I was younger, so that was a bit of a dream come true, writing with her. Jim [Eliot]from Kish Mauve [writer of ‘2 Hearts’ – Kylie Minogue’s top 5 hit] – he’s a bit of a wizard. I wrote with Pär Wiksten as well, from The Wannadies, which was a great experience.”

As well as playing a host of festivals over the summer (culminating with an appearance on the BBC Introducing stage at Bestival), the band have a London residency of sorts lined up. While glossy chart-botherers like Duffy might prefer the Piccadilly gloss of the Pigalle for such things, Rosie and The Goldbug have gone for the 12 Bar Club in Soho – it’s a “unique” venue, that’s for sure…

Rosie laughs at the description. Music Towers strongest memories of the 12 Bar involve cheering along a fight in the alleyway behind the venue after a misguided whiskey-drinking competition that ran into the wee hours. “The 12 Bar has really inspired us – because it is really smelly and rancid in there. We were changing in the toilets for a gig there once and we were thinking ‘for fuck’s sake; it can’t get any worse than this’ as it basically stank of shit.

The promo video for ‘Feeling’:

“We thought it was a perfect concept for our album – this is what we’ve experienced for the last year - an absolute weird experience of going from revolting venues to being in flash record company offices.

“As the 12 Bar is important to us, and we thought it would be a good place to do a residency and show what we’ve got. Not many people know us yet, and we’re willing to start wherever to get people to know who we are. The 12 Bar represents everything – it’s such a cranky little venue with such a tiny stage and I love performing in strange spaces. There’s lots of beams to climb over. It’s very unique.”

That sounds a lot like fightin’ talk. Rosie & The Goldbug don’t have anything to prove, but Vanier sure sounds like she’s got gusto. “I don’t like that Marmite thing. The whole ‘you either hate it or you don’t’ thing confuses me because maybe sometimes you like it a little bit, and then sometimes not. It’s not as simple as black and white.”

‘War Of The Roses (Because You Said So)’ by Rosie And The Goldbug is out now on Lover Records. The band is midway through their residency at the 12 Bar Club – click here for more details.

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