Becca and the Broken Biscuits - Interview

  by Dixie Ernill

published: 4 / 10 / 2011

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Article

Ahead of their appearance at Penny Black’s showcase gig at Gullivers in Manchester, Becca Williams from Becca and The Broken Biscuits takes time out to answer a few questions… PB: Musically you probably fall within the folk-pop bracket. Is that a fair assessment and who are your musical influences? BW: I’d say folk-pop was pretty much on the money really, with perhaps the occasional blues element here and there! Our musical influences vary significantly as a band, which I think shows in the live shows, but as the songwriter, I would say folk music was the genre that first got me really interested in music. Joni Mitchell, John Martyn, Eddie Reader, Kate Rusby; they’re all amazing musicians and storytellers. I remember learning every Bob Dylan song from a compilation album when I was 15, and being overwhelmed by his ability to fuse words and melodies so beautifully. As I’ve gotten a little older my influences have broadened, I’m a huge fan of Bjork and would give my left arm to have a touch of her genius! That said; I’m a sucker for the tradition of folk; simple melodies, straightforward lyrics and a darn good story! PB: You have been making waves in Manchester for the last couple of years and recently supported Roddy Woomble in Wales. How did that gig come about? BW: Yeah, that was a great gig! It actually came about through a collective of music lovers who live in Trelawnyd in North Wales called the Record Journal. I grew up around the corner from them and, although I didn’t know them back in the day, they heard our single, ‘Train Driver’, on YouTube and asked us to come and play! They are passionate about bringing established acts to the area as well as supporting home grown talent. They are a great bunch of guys and a fantastic venue! PB: So far you have only released one extremely limited single. Are there any other releases on the horizon? BW: Extremely limited is not the word, those things are like gold dust! Basically, we created 50 hand-made, hand-printed, hand-drawn, hand-numbered singles to give away free to all those who came to the single launch. It was a crazy night and a massive relief to get something out there for folks to hear. We have recorded our second single ‘Maria’, which should be released before the end of the year, and we’re currently working on our debut album with an award-winning producer over in France. It’s all very hush-hush at the moment, but things are happening behind the scenes - just watch this space! PB: You live in Chorlton (acool and quite arty Manchester suburb-DE), which has been a bit of a singer-songwriter hang out of late with the likes of Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy), Stephen Fretwell and John Bramwell (I Am Kloot) all living or having lived there in recent times. Have you come across any of them and are they aware that you are ready to give them a run for their money? BW: Ha! Run for their money... that’d be the day! That said, I do know them all pretty well. Chorlton is a great place to live if you’re in any way musically or artistically inclined because everyone seems to have congregated there over the years. I’ve lived here for eight years now and I used to work in bars as well as gig the circuit on a regular basis, so I came across Damon and John pretty early on. Stephen was a fellow circuiteer back in the day so I’ve known him for donkeys! They’re all lovely guys and great musicians and hugely supportive of what we do. PB: Anything special lined up for Gullivers? BW: Maybe, you’ll have to come along and see for yourself! PB: Thank you.

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