New Year, New Band, New Songs
Some time around late November we made a decision to retreat into our own heads for a little while – we felt we’d had a successful year, playing in venues across Edinburgh, London, and various festivals. We’d held up Whitesnake in Derbyshire, steamed up Citizen Smith’s on Rose Street, made the crusties dance at Knochengorroch, and more besides. We’d caught trains, missed flights, done gigs on two hours’ notice, driven along dark country roads through fog. We were battle-hardened, and over the preceding year we’d really gelled as a four-piece.
It was clearly time to try and reflect that in the band’s sound, and the arrangement of Sabai’s songs. Up till that point, it had been a case of the girls teaching Roy and myself to play their set, tacking bass and drums onto songs which had previously just stood alone, and had taken shape with just the girls working on them. The results of this learning process had been good, and fun to perform, but there were obviously new paths opening up – new directions and dynamic possibilities which the rhythm section brought. It was time to put together songs from the bottom up, and see how we would grow.
And so it was that we retreated into Verden Studios over the winter. Many cups of tea were drank, long discussions were had, memories were shared. Mainly, though, songs were played, teased with, shortened, extended again, discarded, debated, and painstakingly crafted into shapes we were (eventually) happy with.
We think the results were worth it, too. The ‘3 Songs’ demo we recorded with Graeme Steel in January represents the tip of the iceberg, but is representative of what we became, together in that room.
Here’s some virtual liner-notes for your pleasure:
Black Dog
This song is one of Fiona’s, a meditation on the Asian Tsunami 2004, and the hope which sprung up in its aftermath, like the yellow flowers planted on the verge by the old man in the song. It’s also the first song we recorded together as a four-piece, a new beginning of sorts for the band. I love the simplicity of it – the light, jazzy rhythm stays unchanged throughout, driving the song on, which lets Fi’s violin and vocals dance around, bounding along like the titular hound to wonderful effect.
My abiding memory of this is putting on a rough copy of the demo onto a friend’s stereo at about 1am on the day we recorded it, and being overjoyed at the sheer energy of the girls voices coming out at me. Oh, and the not-so-secret desires harboured by Roy and myself to subvert the song and turn it into a Led Zeppelin cover. One day, Roy, one day.
Arisaig
Arisaig is a little village on the north-west coast of Scotland, near the isles of Eigg and Rum, and just west of Fort William. It’s a beautiful place, and once, when Fiona was on holiday there, she wrote a jaunty violin tune, which she named after it. In time, the tune came to be the vessel for a story about pirates enticing pretty maidens out to sea. When I joined the band, we found that we’d both visited Arisaig round about the same time in our lives.
This song was the first that we recorded with Graeme Steel at Verden, and just sounds epic to me. Big and mysterious, like waves crashing against the sea shore. It also features various Verden staff members on handclaps, including Jonee, and the work experience lad at the time, Kier. Good work, guys.
Daddy’s Gun
Miranda shows up to the party on this track, and my God it’s like Carrie showing up to the High school prom. It’s a often overlooked cliche but it’s always the Woman who’s Done and Gone the lonely bluesman Wrong, not the other way round. I think we all know that’s not quite reflective of the real world, don’t we ladies? Miranda certainly thought so, and to redress the balance she penned this charming little ditty about a jilted lover waiting at home with her father’s revolver, ready to carry out some goodol’ Country Justice. Don’t mess with the girl. I’m Just sayin’ is all.
I love playing this live – Roy’s bass setting a slow, menacing foundation for some really chilling vocals from Miranda. Of the three songs on the demo, it was hardest to record, but we’re all very pleased with the way it sounds.
Listen to the tracks on our player, here.