Interview with Liz Hunt singer of The School :


S: When and how was The School born? 

L: The School were formed in 2007 by me as a side project to my previous band The Loves, but The School quickly became the focus of my efforts. Previously I was playing keyboard and singing backing vocals, but now I'm writing all the songs, playing keyboards and singing lead, allowing my girlgroup tendencies to come out more.

S: Where is the name of the band coming from? 

L: It's just from us being a collective of so many people, we're usually about 8-9 when playing as the full band, with lots of great influences coming from different places. Also I thought the name would look good on an album or a t-shirt.

S: How and when did all begin with music? 

L: I've been musical from as long as I can remember, brought up in a household that always listened to music, especially 60's and the 80's pop of the time, which seems to have given me an ear for classic pop songs. Then I studied classical piano up to university level, and taught piano to children for about 8 years.

S: What are the positive and negative sides of being a musician in UK? 

L: The UK is really strange about our type of music, they don't seem to catch on to indiepop as much as other countries, we're not very well known at all over here, the press seem to always be looking for the next teen icons like The Libertines or an experimental breakthrough like Animal Collective. A lot of bands from the US do quite well, on labels like Slumberland, but it's frustrating seeing other bands not being championed in their home country, or taking 10 years to get the recognition they deserve. Positives? Hmm, the very small indiepop scene that there is here is really welcoming and devoted, festivals like IndieTracks make it all worth it.
 
S: Do you feel anxious before a show?

L: Yes very much so. Most of it is excitement to just be playing live, I still get a thrill out of every single show we play and don't see that ending any time soon. But there's also a side of me thinking 'why are you coming to see us?' and 'why have you put in all this effort to put us on?' but that all goes away when people react to the songs, it's so wonderful.

S: What musicians or artists had an influence in your life and in your work?

L: Ellie Greenwich, Brian Wilson, Carole King, Phil Spector, The Beatles, an endless list of 60's girl groups, and many of today's sounds like She and Him, Vivian Girls, The Carrots and Lucky Soul.

S: Do you remember what was the first CD you bought?

L: No I can't actually! Haven't got a clue. My first few records were Jive Bunny, Kylie Minogue and Blondie, I bought lots of records from car boot sales when I was 8-10 years old.


S: Do you think the emotion is different between a song in English and in another language?

L: Yes very much so, I listen to a lot of French music and don't think I'd ever be able to recreate some of the feelings I get from it. I also like a lot of Spanish pop which is always so happy! There's nothing I know in English that sounds like Spanish pop.

S: How could you define the music of The School?

L: I always say it's music to make you dance and cry at the same time. Our songs are very simple, they're mostly about love and sunshine, boyfriends and girlfriends, make-ups and break-ups.

S: Do you agree with Victor Hugo who said :"Melancholy is the pleasure of being sad"?

L: Yes I do, I seem to thrive on being melancholic, I write much better songs. Our music often sounds very happy, but if you listen to the lyrics they're usually quite sad.

S: When you write a song you follow your heart, your brain or your hand?

L: A little bit of everything really, it starts off with the heart setting the emotion and general themes of the song, then the brain puts it into some kind of order!

S: What is your favourite song of The School and why?

L: At the moment it's 'Is He Really Coming Home?' which is a very simple dreamy song from our album, I always favourite our newer songs. I like the arrangements, lyrics and sense of longing.
 
S: As musician, what is your feeling about Internet?

L: We love the internet, we're all addicted! It has certainly been very useful for getting the band known, especially in other countries, faster than we could have ever expected. We're a little scared about the future of the internet, a lot of unknown territory, especially with the current download debate. Whatever happens, we will need to adapt to survive.
 
S: You toured this year with brilliant The Boy Least Likely To, how was this experience?

L: When I started the band I was watching The Boy Least Likely To from the front row when they released their first album, and 2 years later we were on stage supporting them. It's unbelievable, and more than I could have ever dreamt of. They are lovely people, so supportive, and I hope we won some of their fans over too. It was over too quickly, so I hope we can play together again very soon.

S: "You don't believe in love" or "you're ready to be heartbroken"?

L: Ahaha, I'm ready to believe in love then have my heartbroken.
 
S: Can you describe what is a typical The School's day?

L: Work, internet, maybe try out some new songs or singing practice! We'll be a lot busier leading up to the album, from January onwards..

S: What are your hobbies aside music?

L: Going to gigs, listening to lots of new music, watching films. We also put on bands in Cardiff for a night called Loose, we've brought some amazing people to Wales including Daniel Johnston, Of Montreal, Apples in Stereo, then lots of lesser known indiepop from overseas like Speedmarket Avenue, Pelle Carlberg, The Motifs and Still Flyin'.

S: Are you venturesome person?

L: Yes! Probably too much so.

S: Where would you like to play in the future, is there a place in the world you would love to visit?

L: I want to play everywhere. I'm not sure what Ryan our bassist would say about that, he's afraid of flying. If he could, he'd get a bus everywhere. I'd love to play Japan, the US and all over Europe - anywhere really!

S: Are there any things, which you are afraid of? Do you have any fears?

L: Getting stopped in the middle of it, like being hit by a bus before we're ever able to go on tour or something, and not being able to take the rest of by band members across the world to play. Losing my fingers?!

S: What is the best moment and best place to listen to your music?

L: On a dancefloor or in a bedroom. Maybe if you're a little down?

S: As our website is related with Manic Street Preachers maybe can you say some words about them?

L: The Manics were my favourite band when I was about 16-17 in college, I knew every word and every tune! I think my favourite album is The Holy Bible. It's an honour that they're from Wales. The DJ Huw Stephens once played us on his show and James Dean Bradfield was also in the studio with him, he said our single 'All I Wanna Do' sounded like Tracy Ullman and seemed to like it. So I think for one brief moment he knew who we were!

S: I know it’s a difficult question, but if you would have to keep just one album from your CD collection what album would it be?

L: Phil Spector's Christmas Album. That would cheer me up any time if I had to lose the rest of my collection.

S: What was the last song you listened to before the interview? And, if you know, which one will be the next?

L: "Henry Rollins Don't Dance" by Allo, Darlin'. We're hopefully going to be playing some shows with them for our tour next year. Next one will probably be a band asking to play for us in Cardiff, so hopefully they'll be someone we like!


S: Can you tell us the name of one French song, or singer, or band?

L: Bonnie & Clyde by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot
S: And say something in French?

L: Je T'aime

S: What are your plans for the nearest future?

L: We're playing some UK show in November to warm up for when the album comes out in February. Then we'll be touring from mid-March, playing the UK, Spain, maybe a couple of dates in France, Germany and Italy.

S: And finally, what’s the most important thing in life for you?

L: To live and to love


MANY thanks to Liz and The School for the interview!

More informations about The School:

- on their site:
http://theschoolband.blogspot.com

- on their Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/theschoolband