A Rock 'n' Roll Checkup with Kitty, Daisy and Lewis

It was a pleasure to attend the 1st annual music and food festival at The Gunton Arms in the UK back in August. Our friend Rupert Orton, the creative force behind the festival and former lead guitarist for The Jim Jones Revue, hit just the right note in crafting an evening with an amazing lineup of rockin' punk rock blues, and tasty bites set in incredible environment. The setting was lush and the vibe was laid back. The large colorful circus tent, where the evenings musical entertainment was held, was in perfect contrast to the 1,000 acre deer park.

The headlining band of the night was Kitty, Daisy and Lewis a five piece "family band" who blew my mind in half! Their rotation of instruments and their familial relationship was unique and genuine. The Durham siblings were in perfect synch with their father Graeme (who is a mastering engineer at The Exchange in London), and their mum Ingrid Weiss - who was the former drummer of one of my favorite Rough Trade imports, the pre-riot grrrl/post-punk band The Raincoats! In live performances, the legendary Jamaican trumpet player Eddie "Tan Tan" Thornton joins them on stage to take their brand of punk rock-blues to another level.

With my family in attendance, I was thrilled to catch these rising stars perform, and to see the awe reflected in my own daughters eyes. Their newest LP "Superscope" on BBC 1 Radios' Sunday Best just landed September 29th and is a solid collection and great presentation of these multi-talented musicians.

Be sure to check them out!!!

Julie Green
October 7, 2017

Kitty and Lewis

JG: Do you still use Analog recording equipment or have you gone digital?

Lewis: Yes, we recorded our most recent record in our own studio again although I had made further "improvements" to the studio such as updating the mixing console, rebuilding the multitrack tape machine, built another microphone...). I still feel there is so much more to discover engineering wise and every time I'm in the studio I/we/whoever I am with learn something new. The equipment is just a tool, the real key is what you do with it to get to what you want and I think thats the skill which is so much of the enjoyment of working in studios...I think?! I am currently making further updates to the studio, I have plans for complete reconfiguration, a whole new concept and design for a custom mixing console and microphone amplifiers, I could go on...

Ingrid Weiss

JG: You have been releasing singles now since 2005. Is there an overwhelming favorite amongst the three of you or do you each have your individual favs?

Lewis: Not really, I have never put on my own records and listened to them for enjoyment. Its not because I dislike them, its because I am/have been so involved in them that its not something I can enjoy as piece of music because I don't listen to them in that way. If I do however, I will just constantly think to myself how it could have been better, or what I wish I could change etc...

JG: As well as taking turns at your instruments, do you also take turns driving the tour van?

Lewis: I'm the only one who can drive out of me and my sisters but, I don't do any of the driving on tour. When we tour Europe, we are usually in a tourbus. Other times we are usually flying out to gigs in which case there is usually someone there to take us to the gig or hotel or where-ever we are going.

JG: Do you all live closely together in London?

Daisy: Yes we do. In fact we live directly on top of each other above our recording studio. Lewis on the bottom, Kitty in the middle and Me at the very top. It's pretty ideal. When we have a rehearsal, Kitty will text me and say "we're ready, come down" then I just have to brush my teeth, bung some clothes on and we're ready to rock.

JG: Do you style yourselves in your music videos?

Daisy: Yeah we always wear our own clothes. Of course the director will give you a bit of direction sometimes. For instance in the last video we shot for 'Black Van' we were told to wear all black. They always ask for a selection too, but you always end up wearing what you want anyway. I do think we all have a pretty good sense of style and know what suits us. The main thing is to feel comfortable in what you're wearing so that you don't feel awkward. Reminds me of a time when we went to France and we were supposed to do a photo shoot for a magazine or something. There was a stylist involved, and he had spent hours rummaging around shops picking stuff out for us to wear, thinking we'd love it. He had a huge rail. It was all disgusting so had to say no. We did say we'd wear the sunglasses! Had to cancel the shoot in the end. The stylist was pretty pissed off to say the least.

JG: Who is the best cook in the family?

Daisy: I think we're all good in our own way. We all cook different things, but we all use tons of Garlic. Lewis cooks a lot of fish, Kitty usually buys the same ingredients, but can make a million different things with those Ingredients. I like making stews, soups and fried rice with random things in. We're all quite good at making things up and just using what's lying around. Not really huge recipe followers. We all like a few raw green chillies to bite on with every mouthful of food, something we got from our dad. We're quite lucky, our dad let us cook from a very young age. I remember standing on a stool in front of the cooker and frying an egg with onions and veggie sausages.

JG: Are you going to be touring the US to promote "Superscope"?

Kitty: We haven’t booked anything just yet but yes we will definitely be coming back to the States to play a few shows. The last tour we did there was incredible and we got to travel to so many different places. One of my favourite places to play there is San Fransisco, I remember we got taken to a crazy warehouse party after the show a few years back. I’m very much looking forward to playing over there soon!

JG: Where are your favorite places to shop for vintage clothing?

Kitty: The Camden Stables market used to be great but most of it has been demolished/redeveloped now which is sad. I have a lot of clothes handed down from my mum and some stuff is home made too. The States is great for second hand clothes, I always come back with my suitcase overflowing!

JG: What shows do you prefer performing at, small clubs, festivals or larger venues?

Kitty: They all have their perks really. Small clubs are great for those sweaty, face-peeling, intimate gigs. It’s nice to play larger venues too as it’s great to see lots of people enjoying your music and having a good time. The odd festival is good too although they’re all so different, but it’s always breathtaking to see a huge ocean of people out in front of you.

JG: Have you been to Japan before prior to your shows there in January?

Kitty: I think we’ve been around five or six times before. It’s an amazing place and so different to the rest of the world. It’s definitely one of our favourite places to play. Everybody is so friendly and the food is great, the audiences always go wild at the gigs too!