INTERVIEW:
You Want Fox
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THE Nottingham-based duo…
You Want Fox have been talking about their development and what goes into their new album, Reverse the Curse. Natalie and Colette discuss being compared with some modern Rock greats; whether they have made leaps since their debut in 2016 – if there are any new artists worth a shout.
I ask whether they have tour dates cemented and what the scene is like in Nottingham; if they feel female duos/acts are on the rise; whether they have a golden memory of music – they end the interview with a couple of great tracks.
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Hi, You Want Fox. How are you? How has your week been?
Hi! We’re very well, thanks. It’s been an awesome Bank Holiday weekend.
For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?
We are Natalie (Bass/Vocals) and Colette (Drums/Vocals) and we are from Nottingham.
Reverse the Curse is your latest album. What is the story behind the record? What themes do you address?
When we first started out, lots of things kept going wrong. Once we started to look more closely, we realised what was happening and since addressing it: it’s no longer been a problem. So, we ‘reversed the curse’. It’s kind of superstitious, I guess.
The songs are about all kinds of things, from calling people out for being underhand right through to the odd cheeky love song - and everything in between.
The debut, You Can’t Sit With Us, was released in 2016. Have you noticed big differences between the albums?
Definitely. We have been more uniform in recording this release. We have our sound nailed now. We’ve spent a lot of time honing our sound and finding what works for us.
The reaction to your music has been impressive. How important is it getting kudos form big names?
It’s always awesome to get recognition from big names as it helps to project your name out there a little bit further. It can be hard to get noticed when you’re a D.I.Y. band.
How did You Want Fox get together? How did you find one another?
We have known each other for years and played in various projects together. We’d always talked about writing grungy pop songs and one day we just decided to give it a go and see what happened. I’m so glad we did!
Your sound has been compared to the likes of Royal Blood. Which artists do you take influence from?
Everything from Skindre, to Deftones to Sleigh Bells...we draw influence from all over though; not just from music.
Being a female duo; do you think acts like yourself and Rews signal female-based Rock music is on the rise?
I think female-based Rock has been on the rise for a very long time. You don’t have to look very far to find some amazing female acts. REWS are a great example.
Nottingham is where you are based. What is the music scene like up there?
It’s great! It’s so diverse and there are a LOT of great bands. The D.I.Y. scene here is amazing, too - lots of great little venues where you can get right in and mosh your heart out.
Do you have any gigs lined up? Where are you heading?
We do indeed and we are currently booking more for the rest of the year. So, if you are a booking agent, please get in touch with us!
We have gigs lined up for Derby, Staleybridge; Cheltenham, Bristol and London as well as our album launch-party on 27th April at The Chameleon in Nottingham.
What do you hope to achieve in 2018?
We’d love to have played Download Festival! But, honestly; we just want our album out there for people to enjoy and to be able to play gigs off the back of the release - and have people singing and dancing along to the new tunes.
Have you both got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?
We recently had a stage invasion during our last song of a live set whilst we were playing a festival. That was pretty special!
What advice would you give to new artists coming through?
Keep going! Sometimes it can be frustrating when you get writers block or you feel like you’re struggling to be heard but the rewards far outweigh the struggles.
Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?
There are loads of great Nottingham bands. We have Desensitised and Marty, both female bands, who will be supporting us at our album launch.
Do you both get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?
We don’t get much time but when we play gigs, we make sure to grab a nice meal and try and chill out a bit before we play if we can.
Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).
Ooh! We’d like to hear Led Zeppelin, Immigrant Song and Skindred, Kill the Power please (smiles).
Thanks!
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