INTERVIEW:
Fable
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I was keen to interview…
the magnificent Fable, as her album, Shame, is out on 29th July via Naim Records. I ask the Devon-born artist about the album and the new single, Onion Brain. She also discusses the video for Shame’s title track, what it was like working on an album during a pandemic, her love of Kate Bush, her early life in Devon, in addition to why it is so important performing live and connecting with the crowds after a long time away (due to the pandemic). Shame currently appears on BBC Radio 6 Music’s playlist. Fable has also been championed by BBC Radio 6 Music broadcaster, Chris Hawkins (he called her a ‘Devon Queen’). A remarkable artist gaining support, traction and a lot of love, here is someone who is going to go a very long way! It has been a pleasure interviewing a majorly talented young artist whose upcoming debut album, Shame, is one that…
IN THIS PHOTO: The cover artwork for Fable’s debut album, Shame
EVERYONE should hear.
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Hi Fable. Your album, Shame, is out on 29th July. How does it feel knowing it will be out in the world soon? What was it like recording the album?
Hey! Thanks for your curiosity…
This is the first album I've ever released, so naturally I'm apprehensive about getting it out there, but super-excited for people to hear some of the more experimental, non-single tracks that I had a lot of fun creating with my producer, Jonas Persson - involving bicycle spokes and drumsticks. The first single, Thirsty, and album track, Unequal, were written and recorded on our first meeting. It was after that session that I knew we had a vibe together…and over the next year and a half, we sporadically created the album. I was lucky enough to work with some amazing musicians along the way, including Joel Cadbury (UNKLE) and Max Grunhard (Ibibio Sound Machine), who feature on the album. Joel absolutely understanding the assignment on future single, Swarm, bringing such a graceful vibe to the sessions.
There are different themes and sounds expressed throughout Shame. Did the tracks come together quite naturally, or were there songs that you wrote and didn’t make the cut?
There were a few tracks that didn't make it. The songwriting is more considered and not as freestyled as my earlier stuff. It's about that massive sense of shame we're all gonna feel if we don't bother to change the system. That's the theme expressed through a bunch of contrasting sonics. The album isn't a tightly-wound concept, but a spectrum of all my influences. Trip-Hop, Metal, Jazz, Pop, Lo-Fi, Funk, Classical - it's all in there. But the theme that runs through them all is my state of mind during the pandemic.
“It kinda calms me down and simplifies things in my head when I hear it”.
What was it like writing and creating music during the pandemic? Did the wider situation and uncertainty affect the way you approached the music and wrote?
I think it brought the collective consciousness into a more reflective state from a very reactive one. During that time, I was in full swing with getting the album written. I'd write the demos from my partner’s student accommodation in Wales. And between restrictions lifting, drives to London to get some time in the studio, writing demos with limited equipment in a cold Welsh cottage, I found a more amateur attitude to making music - which helped me get rid of my blocks and be totally focused on message and melody.
Is there a track from Shame that stands as a personal favourite or has a particularly personal connection?
It would have to be my new single, Onion Brain. It kinda calms me down and simplifies things in my head when I hear it. I don't sit around listening to my own music very much, but it's got this self-soothing effect and I'm glad it came into existence.
Can you tell me about Onion Brain and the story behind it?
Onion Brain came to be one of my personal favourite tracks on the album. The main theme is the acceptance of loss, and the inseparable relationship of life and death. I titled the track Onion Brain with a hint to the Buddhist idea that the suffering we perceive is caused by there being a sufferer; a noun. We believe ourselves to be nouns, static and separate. But as we peel away the layers, we realise we are but verbs - living, breathing, digesting our experience; always flowing and affected by the world around us.
The video for Shame’s title track is particularly memorable. What was it like working with director Matt Hutchings and filming the video?
I really love working with Matt: an all-round talented good egg. He's responsible for the Thirsty and Orbiting videos too; bringing his animation and CGI to the table to bear the weight of my ridiculous ideas. The whole video was a sixteen-hour shoot at Camberwell Studios in London. He always brings a talented crew with him, and we just have fun all day to a strict time schedule. His mum gets massive mum points for making a fair few of the cakes on set. I felt pretty sick by the end of that scene. It was in the contract that the cakes had to be eaten.
Your music has been lauded by the likes of NME and BBC Radio 6 Music. How important is it having that sort of support and acclaim under your belt at such an early stage?
Well. It's pretty astonishing if you ask me. I'm very pleased to announce Shame has been playlisted on BBC Radio 6 now, and I can't thank the station enough for championing a small independent artist like myself. It genuinely means the world as a working-class artist that's just come out the end of a penniless pandemic. It made the hard work feel recognised and worthwhile.
“She was also the first woman I saw on T.V. that actually looked like she was being her authentic self”.
Take me back to your early life living in Devon. What sort of music caught your ear and inspired you as a child and teenager?
Grace Jones, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Portishead. I loved my mum's record collection when I was a kid. I took a slightly more menacing stance as a teenager with my love of Ragga-Tech, Aphex Twin, and Nine Inch Nails. Amy Winehouse had a massive influence on my emotional connection to music, and the Radiohead influence is very traceable in my writing.
Like me, you have a love for a certain Kate Bush. What is it about her as an artist that resonates with you?
When I first encountered Kate Bush, I was three or four. And I remember I thought she looked like my mother. I loved her magical performances on Top of the Pops. Unpredictable and clumsily graceful, her music videos are a kind of performance art. She was also the first woman I saw on T.V. that actually looked like she was being her authentic self. I think people forget that, back at the time, she was the butt of jokes in a 'burn-the-crazed-witch-sexist-crush-free-spirits'-kinda-way. I heard Björk say something like that - which made me love her even more. I love the fact that she just refuses to submit to the industry's demands and has always kept the focus on her music.
Do you have any gigs or festivals lined up for this year? Where can we see you play?
For the album launch, I'll be playing three dates. From 29th July in Totnes, Bristol and London, then we're gonna explore some of the North! Very excited about the prospect of a German tour as well this year.
“So many strong, inspirational women coming through at the moment. I wish I had them around when I was growing up”.
You have already played some big gigs, including Glastonbury. How important is live performance and connection with the crowds?
Playing live is my favourite part of the job. I've played with a full band and at some pretty large venues, but this year I'm stripping it back to play some sticky club nights with just my drummer and the decks. I really enjoy being able to see individuals and vibe with them from the stage. I grew up doing the club circuit, and I think the bigger you get the further away you become from people…which is kinda sad.
Are there any particular new artists emerging that you would recommend or would particularly like to collaborate with?
I AM IN LOVE WITH BILLY NOMATES. Also loving Bristolhead, Grove. So many strong, inspirational women coming through at the moment. I wish I had them around when I was growing up.
Finally, and for being a good sport, you can pick a song to finish with and I will include it here.
It would be great for more people to see the video for Shame – we’re really proud of it, and it takes you on a journey!
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