#JoeCopplestoneMeets... Laura White! The RE-Introduction.

Laura White, the spectacularly voiced, crazy-haired Manc lass from the 2008 run of X Factor, has emerged triumphant after 4 years out of the spotlight with her debut EP What My Mother Taught Me. The EP has received an unprecedented amount of acclaim from critics and fans, with its raw soul edge and emotional but catchy song-writing allowing Laura’s spectacular powerhouse voice to shine beyond anyone’s expectations. And that voice is effortless, breathtaking and characterful, even better than we remember it.

I met up with Laura to chat about her new EP, how her X Factor experience shaped her, and to find out why it's been a whopping 4 years since her debut single “You Should Have Known” in an industry that waits for no man. What exactly took her this long to return?

“The last 4 or 5 years I've really been focusing as a writer”, Laura tells me with a beaming pink lipped smile that makes you fall in love with her instantly, “I've been crafting what I wanted to eventually release myself, as well as writing for other artists. The debut EP that’s out now was only written over the last year, but as a writer you have to write for years before you know what you want to release yourself. I traveled to Denmark and America and really studied the art of songwriting.”

After Laura was unceremoniously booted out of X Factor 2008 in its fifth week (a week notorious for shocking exits on the show), she returned in 2009 with a disappointingly mediocre single “You Should Have Known” and then dropped off the radar.

The infectiously positive Laura sees it all as a learning curve. “I'll be honest, my fans, who are so beautiful, were begging me to release something. At that point I had a writing team around me, and they were the ones who wrote “You Should Have Known”, so I'm not as passionate about it anymore. I write everything myself now, and I feel like these days I'm being much more true to myself. But I AM proud of the song - it reached #14 on iTunes!” For someone with such breathtaking talent, she's endearingly down to earth.

Being true to yourself is something most X Factor alumni don’t really get to indulge in. Yet the emotionally powerful and raw What My Mother Taught Me EP sounds like an introduction to Laura White as an artist with a vision, as opposed to just a singer.

“I've been really lucky in that I've been a writer for years", explains Laura, "Along the way I've met with so many different writers and producers including some amazing names; I've been to Denmark to work with Cutfather, and worked with Steve Booker who wrote "Mercy" for Duffy. The producer on What My Mother Taught Me was a guy called Guy Robin, and he's a very new and modern producer, and that was really important to me - getting someone to create a fresh and new sound that I'd never had before."

“Because my sound is so specific, some producers couldn't really capture this sound, but Guy completely ‘got’ my sound immediately, and the very first song we wrote together was "Rush Hour", which made the EP. He's got a very American sound which I love.”

This “American” sound is one that runs noticeably through the veins of explosive Motown throwbacks “Come On Josephine” and “Rush Hour”, the steamy soul of “Jimi Hendrix”, right down to the classic soul vibes of heartbreaking “To Be Loved” (a timeless ballad in the making), so Laura’s main influences come as no surprise.

“Aretha Franklin has been my idol since I was tiny", Laura gushes enthusiastically, "and I love a lot of Jazz singers such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. I also remember hearing "Heatwave" by Martha Reeves in a coffee shop whilst I was making the EP, and the day after I went and said "I want to create a pop sound, but keep it soulful and Aretha-ish", and that was the day we wrote "Rush Hour."

It’s clear that Laura has infinitely more creative control over her music than she did when her X Factor run was fresh. Although I am not keen to dwell too much on her X Factor days, Laura seems surprisingly grateful for the experience.

“Before I did the show, I was doing so much music, and a lot of people say I didn't need to do X Factor, that I could've got out there and done it anyway. But before X Factor, I'd spent six years just gigging and travelling, desperate to get heard, and when I went on the show it gave me a really big platform and a massive fan base  I was really lucky on the show because they trusted what I was doing musically and allowed me to pick the songs I wanted to perform, and I look back and I'm proud of every performance.”

Laura was especially fond of her old mentor Cheryl Cole: “Cheryl was a down to earth girl, and musically she understood that I knew what I wanted to do. She'd say "Laura, what do you feel this week?" She really looked after me, and understood how shy I was and how I'd gone from singing to about five people in Jazz bars to about 18 million on live television! She was really helpful. I think it would have been harder with someone like Simon who's so busy!”

Despite her positive account, it’s safe to still say Laura was very lucky. As a fully formed artist, all she really needed from the X Factor was the exposure. It’s no secret that those who go into the X Factor for more than just exposure as musicians are destined to fail, and no one knows that better than the industry-savvy Laura.

“I'd say you really need to know yourself before you go in; be very strong minded but also remain humble. It's so easy to get carried away with it all, but you've got to remember you're doing it because you want to make music. Music to me is everything, so I think music should always remain the main thing rather than anything else.”

“After the show, for a while I just wanted space, to go away for a bit, a few years to write on my own, to tour, make music. I turned down a lot of TV and celebrity things, because I wanted to establish myself for the music rather than doing all that. I didn't want to sell my soul! If I'd done that I think I would've lost everything I am.”

As far as what’s next for Laura is concerned, jumping into releasing an album isn’t high on her agenda – she’s more concerned about giving something back to the fans that have stuck by her through 4 years of musical soul searching.

“I’m going to probably release another EP first”, she says when quizzed about a debut album, “I want to just release a few things for my fans, as they've so stuck by me. Though when there is an album, we had this idea of a double album – the first album very much like “Come On Josephine” and the other more stripped down, with loads of instruments - just beautiful!”

Laura definitely has the same warmth and glow as she did 5 years ago, but unlike the shy, quiet girl we saw on the X Factor all those years ago, Laura now comes across as chatty, friendly and infectiously positive. There are times when talking about her beginnings that one would expect her to make a negative comment, but she is surprisingly and humbly grateful for her X Factor experience. There's no bad blood here - she hasn't got a single bad word to say about it. Or anything for that matter.

Laura White's debut EP, What My Mother Taught Me, is out on November 10th on iTunes. For those that missed her Ronnie Scott's performance on the 29th October, you've got a chance to catch her at The Social in London on Monday 18th November. Buy tickets here.

Listen to "Come On Josephine" from What My Mother Taught Me below.

- Joe Copplestone, 7/11/13

@GivePopAChance

An Interview with SAN CISCO.

San Cisco are an indiepop band from Victoria, Australia. Best known for their teenage obsession anthem “Awkward”, the band are currently supporting the equally chirpy Darwin Deez on his European and UK tour. Fans of colourful, multi-instrumental indie rock bands like Stornoway and The Coral would be doing themselves a disservice not to check the band out.

This has not been the best couple of days for the Aussie indiepoppers. They found their van, er, vandalized the morning of their Darwin Deez support slot at London's Shepherds Bush Academy on Thursday night. Nevertheless, the band gave an energetic, joyous warm-up for Darwin Deez, and I caught up with lead singer and guitarist Jordi, drummer and singer Scarlett and guitarist/keyboardist Josh the morning after (bassist and keyboardist Nick was running late), hoping to catch them in a better mood.

First of all, sorry to hear about your Van yesterday? I don't suppose you fancy reiterating the story for me...?

Jordi: Tell it Scarlett.

Scarlett: We got up for our 9am lobby call, walked to the car, and saw that we'd been broken into and there was shit everywhere.

Was anything stolen?

Scarlett: Just the GPS. Somehow we worked out that the guy must've got stuck in the boot, tried to cut his way out with a knife he found in Jordi's guitar case, bled everywhere...

Jordi: Obviously I keep knives in my guitar case.

Scarlett: Police said it was the easiest crime scene they'd had in ages.

On to happier things, how did you guys all meet and eventually form the band?

Scarlett: (gesturing Josh and Jordi) These guys met in school, but I knew Jordi from when we were quite young.

What's the story behind the name? I'm guessing it's got something to do with San FRANCisco...

Jordi: No, it's got nothing to do with San Francisco. We actually got it from a Ouija board.

Josh: Did we?

Do you guys believe in all that stuff?

Scarlett: I'm probably more prone to believe it than these guys.

Do you think whoever it was you'd reach was probably trying to say "San Francisco", but didn't have enough time?

All: Yes!

Scarlett: We were asking where someone's school teacher had died.

Well that's a lot more morbid than your music lets on! After you formed, how quickly did you start touring?

Scarlett: Not very. We played our first show at the beginning of 2009, but we didn't do a proper tour until the end of 2011. It hasn't been an immediate success story.

Well, it's certainly turning into one now. You've supported the Vaccines in America, and now Darwin Deez in Europe and the UK. How have the two band's fans been with you outside of Australia? I caught your set last night, and the crowd certainly seemed very enthusiastic.

Jordi: We've got very similar fans I think. At the Vaccines show there were lots of people that knew us, which was really cool.

Scarlett: We haven't had a tour yet where we haven't gelled with the other band.

You have a very British indie sound to my ears. Is UK indie rock something you take a lot of influence from, or is there a big scene in Australia?

Jordi:  I really like the Arctic Monkeys and Alex Turner.

Scarlett: I would've thought we were more influenced by American bands like MGMT. That kind of pop, psychedelic sound. The last MGMT album, "Congratulations", was pretty influential.

Jordi: Some people knock it, but I really like that album.

Josh: It's got that beach vibe.

Do you listen to much 60s pop music?

Scarlett: Yeah definitely. The Mamas and The Papas!

Josh, you and Nick seem to jump from instrument to instrument on stage, do you plan to incorporate even more eclectic instruments in the future?

Josh: I would love a mellotron.

Scarlett: There's just so many constraints on what you can bring on tour.

Would you take extra instrumentalists on tour with you if you could?

Scarlett: I think you ruin the synergy by bringing in another member who hasn't been there from the beginning. We had another guy playing with us once but...

Jordi: ...but he was a druggie.

Scarlett: I think it works for you if you're this massive band and you've got an amazing repertoire.

You've released a fair few EPs over the last couple of years, do you have a full length record coming out soon?

Jordi: We've released one in Australia, but it'll be out here over summer, though there's no set date just yet.

Your singles are all quite colourful, quite indie pop. Are there going to be any surprises on the album?

Jordi: I think there's a few darker tunes. I think that's something we wanted to do with the album, to show a deeper side to our songwriting. So there's some quieter tunes, some darker tunes...The album's a bit more of a mixed bag to what the singles are.

When you started writing, did you just want to write two minute ditties?

Jordi: No, the other way round.

Scarlett: From the start, we've always wrote deep meaningful songs, and then "Awkward" just sort of came round in the middle of our career and shook things up. People think that it’s definitive of our career, when it's not really.

Jordi and Scarlett, you share most vocal duties, do you also share writing duties?

Scarlett: No, that's these two. (gestures to Josh and Jordi)

Are all your lyrics written from personal experiences?

Jordi: Half the time they are, the other half it's from observing others, or even just making some up.

Obviously "Awkward" is about a boy who can't take the hint...

Scarlett: (Interrupts gleefully) Yes! You get it! Everything thinks it's about me and Jordi dating!

What's the dog about in the video by the way? About halfway though there's a split second shot of a dog...with an erection?

(Whole band groans.)

Jordi: That's Scarlett's Dad's* fault. He's in love with that dog, he just wanted to put it in the video for no point at all.

Scarlett: We were gonna have a horse in there, we were going to have loads of animals...

Jordi: ...but the horse got scared.

(*Scarlett's Dad is the band's manager)

So what else does 2013 have in store for San Cisco?

Jordi: We have an Australian tour when we go home, then we'll have 3 weeks off, which will be the longest time we've had off this year, then we're off to America and Europe again! After that I'm not sure exactly what we're doing, but just lots of touring and not much time off, although hopefully we're doing a few Australian festivals.

Are you playing any festivals outside of Australia?

Jordi: We're playing Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Scarlett: There might be one in, ummm... (trails off, then whispers) ...it's top secret!

Did you play any festivals last year?

Jordi: We did a few in Australia.

Scarlett: We played Groove In The Moon, that was awesome, Fool's Fest... We also played in a nature park outside of Amsterdam!

Did you have animals invading the stage? In fact, did you have that dog onstage?

Scarlett: If our manager was here, he'd be like "That's a great idea! Get the dog onstage!"

So I left having solved the mystery of the randy dog in the “Awkward” video, and thoroughly charmed by the laid back aussies. And if last night’s set is anything to go by, there will be nothing awkward about San Cisco’s success story from here on out. Check out the band’s latest single “Fred Astaire” below, and keep an eye on the band’s Official Website for upcoming details on tour dates and their debut album.

- Interview by Joe Copplestone

An Interview with My Plastic Sun.

My Plastic Sun is a 3 piece psychadelic rock band from Rochester NY. Formed less than a year ago, founding members Roy (drums, samples, backing vox) and Johnny (lead singer, pianist and guitarist) recruited guitarist Sam a few months after. After online exposure of their haunting rock ballad "Give it All Away" gained them an online fanbase, I finally managed to catch up with them to find out a bit more about this mysterious trio.

Me: How do you all know each other? Is this current line-up the original one?

Sam: We all had played in the studio together, and knew each other from bands around town. The original line up started as Roy and Johnny in the studio, and then they were smart enough to add me a few months ago.

The band's been together a matter of months. That's not a long time at all, yet you seem to have already built up a fanbase online... did the band gig a lot when you started out?

Roy: Well... We started in the studio because of our shared interest in music. And, being that we're basically brand new and getting songs together, our debut gig is May 4th.

To new listeners, I would describe your music as atmospheric, emotional post-rock, if I was feeling particularly aloof and pretentious that day, and I would definately recommend you to fans of slightly "progressive" and "intelligent" rock music like Deerhunter and Radiohead... would you say these are fair recommendations? Are you fans of music like that?

Roy: Yeah, we like a lot of ambient modern indie bands, as well as major acts like Radiohead. But... I also love the great writers from the 60's, like Bacarach, The Beatles, and Brian Wilson
Johnny: Yeah, some of my favorite music has really catchy melodies, and is typically really hooky, and when you dissect them you get to see how well put together it is.
Sam: I like pretty much all the music I get to hear, but there is definitely something about My Plastic Sun that keeps me super interested, especially when Johnny sings to us.



The sixties melodies definately show in the vocal melodies, the airy vibe of "Give it All Away" in Johnny's voice especially. Do you have any singers that inspired you particularly Johnny?

Johnny: Definitely influenced by the Beatles early on in my life, and in particular, McCartney's vocal inflections wore off on me. Later on I was def' influenced by Thom Yorke.

Some might say you sound like Thom Yorke without marbles in his mouth.

Johnny: That's because I spit them out before each take.

Despite the intelligent rock label I'm unfairly putting on you, there are multiple sides to your music, most noticably an emotional side and a rocking side. To a new listener, "Give it All Away" could almost be by a different band to "Silicone Junkie". How would you catagorize the band? Or would you at all?

Johnny: generally  we're a psychedelic melodic rock band, however we dont liked to feel boxed in musically. Much like the Beatles Albums, we like to explore a wide range of things, depending on what inspires us. The song "House of Fun" is very bouncy and upbeat, whereas Silicon Junkie is slicing and aggressive, and a song like "Falling Awake" is lush with an emphasis on melody.
Roy: Yeah, exactly... Always intrigued by The White album, and a writer and band that would put "I Will" and "Helter Skelter" or "Julia" and "Yer Blues" on the same disk... Why not?

One thing I admire about you as a band is the songwriting, which is of a standard that I personally thing is incredibly rare in the current music industry, where fitting into a scene seems more important than writing a good song regardless of genre. The referencing of the Beatles is certainly clear, My Plastic Sun's songs have a timeless quality to them. As a band, do you share the songwriting duties or is there on key member who writes all your material?

Roy: Initially, Johnny and I co-wrote everything. Now with Sam in the band, we are writing a lot more as a band. Silicone Junkie represents a collective band effort.

Did you bring some kick ass riffs with you when you came then Sam?

Sam: I'd like to think they were pretty kick ass.
Roy: He better have a lot more in him.

I would hazard a guess that Silicone Junkie is the most fun to play. What inspired that song?

Johnny: I don't know what inspired it musically aside from just riffing around.
Roy:  Lyrically it's kind of fun filled paranoia.



Where do you take inspiration to write lyrics from?

Roy: Always from personal experience some of it psychedelic, some of it literal, some of it metaphorical... We all like to read a lot.

What do you mean by psychedelic experience?

Roy: In America, the proper response is "I plead the 5th"
Johnny: Let's just say that too much cough syrup is never a good thing.

"Give it all away" was obviously the first song to gain you attention, and the first song I personally heard and was blown away by. Is that a particularly personal one?

Johnny: Yeah it's reflective, of the human journey.
Roy: Without getting too deep, there's a zen buddhist philosophy that underlies the lyrical intentions.

Go on, humour me.

Roy: Well, musicially, the song was a real challenge to record, with over 120 tracks, the majority of them played by Johnny, and programmed by me. Lyrically, it's very straight forward and direct.
Johnny: I think it's reflective of everything that you don't need in life. And that the only thing that truely exists is the present moment.

You recently filmed a video for the song. Who directed it? Did it reflect the message of the song well?

Roy: It was directed by the Olson brothers, who were a blast to work with, and super talented. We gave them complete artistic control of the scripting and vision for direction of the video. We felt really lucky that they would choose to work with us. The outcome was beautiful, but really their creation.



It's got a very "magical" and otherworldly feel, it feels quite escapist, as does the song it's for. Are there any more videos in the pipeline?

Roy: There are some live videos coming up in the next couple of months. And actually, a live performance by Johnny on the acoustic piano of Falling Awake to be posted in a week or so.

Now My Plastic Sun is a very deep, meaningful band with a skill in the long forgotten art of songcraft and a philosophical lyrical outlook... but there must be some bad taste amoungst the three of you somewhere, some bizarre influence...

Sam: I have a cover of a Ke$ha song online.*

...and there it is.

Johnny: I kinda dig Journey.

Who doesn't?

Roy: I like Procol Harum and Cormac McCarthy's writing.

I think yours are pretty lame Roy. I was hoping you were a Kylie Minogue superfan, but alas.

Roy: Honestly, I have no freaking idea who Kylie Minogue is, but I can sing for you the entire Procol Harum first album from start to finish.

I had a feeling after I wrote that you'd say that. She's freaking massive over here in the UK. I keep forgetting how damn big and, y'know, non-UK the US is.

Roy: Yeah, after Americans missed out on Marc Bolan, it's gotten worse ever since.
Johnny: I've been known to rock out to the Ting Ting's "Thats not my name"

Anything else you need to exorcise? 

Roy: I will not exorcise my demons, just hug them...
Johnny: I would now like to plug my new cook book. But we can rain check.

Really?

Johnny: Only kidding.

 - Interviewed by Joe Copplestone, 01/04/12

Get in touch with My Plastic Sun at the following links. 
Facebook.
YouTube.
Twitter.


Don't forget to catch their debut gig at Sticky Lips in Rochester NY on May 4th!

(*Unfortunately, Sam has asked me not to post the link)