La Roux Interview

We had been scheduled to catch up with La Roux initially at the Rock City gig, but at the last minute received a message that this wouldn't be possible. A quick bit of calling around revealed that the "red-haired one" (La Roux) hailing form Brixton, had in actual fact succumbed to food poisoning.

James: Firstly, sorry to hear about your food poisoning episode (missed you at Nottingham)! Hope you’re feeling better now!

Elly: I know, very annoying, but im much better now thank you.

80's fashion is making a comeback according to some of the fashion "experts", and I can only hope that pastel suits of Miami Vice just don't make it. But the electro pop that consisted of bands such as Human League, Soft Cell, Yazoo, OMD and Gary Numan has provided inspiration for La Roux, with 2009 set to be race to the top between the likes of Little Boots, La Roux, Charli XCX and Lady GaGa.

James: Some incredible influences such as Bowie and Numan, how did you discover their work and not the more modern artists that have been in the chart more recently?

Elly: Ben is an 80's obsessive and just spurred on my 80's obsession.

James: Loving “Quicksand”, the vocals for a moment remind me a little of Sarah McLachlan, I wanted to know where you drew inspiration for that and what the writing process is for you typically? (Some people keep pages and pages of nice turns of phrases they hear, whilst others will get the tune first and then somehow get a feeling for what to write from that).

Elly: Our process is more the latter, we find a good chord progression or a rift and then write to that vibe.

James: Since the pairing with Ben Langmaid, how has your music changed / evolved?

Elly: I have only ever worked with Ben. We evolved together.

Not so long back a well known newspaper had incorrectly stated that La Roux liked Kylie, or was a fan, and that Elly had tried to set the record straight on her very own blog. As you can guess, with the Internet and it's ability to be utterly random, there were some colourful rantings aimed at La Roux, all of whom seem to have gotten the wrong end of the stick. The Internet, and the social networking phenomenon have proven to be extremely useful for bands in promoting themselves, such as the Artic Monkeys etc, and there are some genuinely incredible bands out there simply doing it all for themselves. However, with the unpredictability of it all, how did La Roux feel about posting views on the world wild web again, and some of the ridiculous arguements that can stem from that.

James: I was reading your comments on the youTube community getting ever so serious, and the whole Kylie issue getting taken out of context, has that made you a bit more hesitant in putting thoughts direct on to your Myspace etc or do you find it’s still useful for putting the record straight?

Elly: I have chosen to ignore all internet disputes. i just don't care.

James: Just how useful has the likes of Myspace been for promoting your music?

Elly: Its a good way to start out and build a fan base, especially when not gigging.

James: You’ve been listed on the BBC’s Sound of 2009 list, has that added pressure on you, or do you “keep working” and not take anything for granted?

Elly: It's nice to be on the list but it doesn't change anything.

James: I was gutted when I read “I think guitar music has had its day, for now anyway”. I was just wondering why you thought that?

Elly: Because it's not going anywhere new, it all sounds the same to me. But that's only my opinion.

James: After your lengthy tour (and probably a rest!) what have you got planned next?

Elly: We just love writing songs, every new song is a highlight.

A big thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!