Kitty, Daisy & Lewis interview: We love a rowdy audience

Image: Kitty, Daisy & Lewis

Serving up a revivalist sound in a contemporary mould, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are an uber-eclectic quintet hailing from Camden Town. Opting to swap and drop instruments when commanding their hip-shaking live shows, the band is bound by a rather unique synergy. 

They're fronted by three siblings from an extremely musically talented family, which meant they were clanking the piano keys and hooting the harmonica from an early age.

Through their mastering of multiple-instruments and individual music palates, the band are constantly re-inventing their rhythmic, genre-hopping sonics that blossom magnificently on the live stage. 

Currently touring their latest LP Kitty, Daisy & Lewis The Third, they are nearing a year the end of an extensive tour. In wide-eyed anticipation of their visit to Leaf On Bold Street in Liverpool on Thursday 4th February, we chatted to Kitty about current band affairs. 

Your latest album was rightfully lauded by many, what do you put its success down to? 

I guess just all the hard work we've put into it over the past couple of years. We spent such a long time writing, rehearsing and developing songs and building the new studio at the same time. So it's been so rewarding to see great reviews and feedback for something that we've poured our heart and soul into. 

What did you pick up from working with The Clash's Mick Jones on the album? 

He spent about five months rehearsing/learning the songs with us before we started recording which I thought was a great approach, so he really got to know the songs inside out.

It was really handy having an extra pair of ears in the room with us, as usually it's just the five of us bickering. We'd never worked with a producer before so we weren't really sure what to expect but he was so positive all the time and it kept us going. He loved the music, and that was the main thing.

The record weaves magnificently between different era's and genres, where do you get your eclectic and revivalist knack from? 

We grew up with all kinds of music and have all have our own unique tastes and styles of playing. The three of us write separately and then develop the songs together.

So we don't sit down and think of what kind of genres to play or anything, it just comes naturally; it's music.    

You're playing a show that falls on Independent Venue Week, how pivotal are such venues to musicians like yourselves?

Cool! Well we're quite lucky as we get to play in all kinds of venues, sometimes they're small which I like as it's more intimate and sometimes you're in large venues with a huge crowd which is a lot of fun.

It's sad because a lot venues and clubs are being demolished all over the world to make way for flats and office blocks. So I like playing the older venues that have more history and character as soon there probably won't be many left.

What are you aiming to bring to this tour that your audiences haven't witnessed before? 

If you haven't seen us before we're constantly swapping around on stage between songs. I think our shows have gotten a bit more crazy as we've been on the road for a year, so there's no holding back when we're on stage. We love it when the audience are rowdy too as it makes all the difference!

Where are you most looking forward to playing on the UK leg of tour and why? 

We've been on tour for over a year now so we're nearly at the end. We don't play in the UK very often so it's special for us to end the tour at home. Especially our final show at KOKO in Camden where we grew up. 

What's the secret to a successful sibling chemistry in a band? 

It's hard to say as we've played music together our entire lives so it's just normal for us. There are plenty of arguments but because we're family we tend to move on and forget about it five minutes later. We know each other inside out so when playing we can easily fall in and sense where the song is going. 

We imagine 2016 will be a pretty busy year for you guys, what would make this an incredible year for you? 

We plan to write and record another album this year so we won't be touring. I can't wait to get playing the new stuff and hear what Daisy and Lewis have come up with too. Just making good music and being able to make a great album would be an incredible year for me.

Tickets for the Liverpool date at Leaf On Bold Street can be found in the box below. 

Read: Kitty, Daisy & Lewis at Leaf On Bold Street

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