I have had the pleasure of chatting with a host of musicians over the past few years but this one was a bit special for me as I have been a huge fan of Lucy Rose since her debut Like I Used To. The album set her up as one of the most influential of the new generation of UK artists. The singles ‘Middle of the Bed’, ‘Bikes’ and ‘Shiver’ made their own space on UK radio playlists. With her band, she toured worldwide, climbed the festival bills, supported Neil Young in Hyde Park and played the Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival.

Her days as a backing singer for Bombay Bicycle Club and Razorlight were gradually eclipsed and by the time the second album Work It Out went top ten in 2015, buoyed up with hooky singles ‘Our Eyes and ‘Like An Arrow.’ She made a video for ‘Nebraska’ with Eastenders actor Danny Dyer (in drag). But something was amiss, “I think I got caught up in the business side of things or too worried about what radio needs or what the press wants and I started worrying too much about it and writing songs in a different frame of mind,” she says. “Even though I didn’t think I was at the time, it must have seeped in, all of that business side of things, which is not what music should be about. And then once the second album came out, I realized I should never have got caught up in all of that because it really is nonsense.”

Lucy is no stranger to the south coast as she has previously played the Wedgewood Rooms back in 2013 and more recently as one of the Southsea Fest 2016 headliners. Last month Lucy popped into Pie & Vinyl for an acoustic performance to celebrate the release of her new record Something’s Changing. Sadly I was out of town that day and missed it. Those who were lucky enough to be there kinda rubbed it in as they said that it was pretty special.

Photo by Laura Lewis

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. For those who are new to your music which three tracks would you encourage them to check out first and why?
I’d probably say listen to ‘Shiver,’ ‘I Can’t Change It All‘ and ‘Is This Called Home‘ because they are some of my favourites and I think they represent me the best. 

Can you describe how you felt whilst writing your first piece of music and the creative differences between then and the way that you compose music now?
To be honest, I can’t really remember writing my first song and I often just doodle on the guitar or the piano and something will come out and in a day or two I’ll play the same thing and write something more and so on. I rarely write a song in one day. Not sure what the differences are, I guess I’m more experienced now and better on my instruments so that helps and when it comes to lyrics, sometimes looking back at the innocence of my writing early on and know I’ll never have that again. 

What bands and artists are you currently listening to and how are they inspiring you to explore and implement new ideas with your music?
I’m listening to a lot of Elliott Smith at the moment, but current artists I love Nadia Reid, Tiny Ruins, Big Thief. Hard to know if any of them inspires me to write differently because I think it’s really important to be me, but it’s always inspiring to see artists in a genre I love doing well and making great records. 

Where can we find you at Bestival and what can anyone coming to see you expect from your live show?
You’ll be able to find me on The Box stage as well as and mingling around the festival, and I’ll be playing with my full band and we’ll be playing all the new songs and should be really fun. 

What does the rest of 2017 have in store for you?
Two days after Bestival, I fly to Tokyo for a tour around Japan and south east Asia, and then I’m hitting the road with Paul Weller in the US and Canada and then back to the UK in November. 

Honestly, Lucy Rose tea is my favourite blend of tea! Where can I get hold of some?
Yes, it is available right now on my website. (For those that aren’t aware the blend is a collaboration with Portsmouth’s All About Tea, located on Middle Street.)

You’ve previously spoken about the love of your life, your little Morris Minor doing?
Yeah still going strong, love that car, and went out for a spin in it last week. 

Tickets to Bestival are available over on www.bestival.net/tickets. If you are unable to make it to Bestival then Lucy is returning to the south coast in November as part of her UK tour. On Friday November 24th she will be playing the Engine Rooms in Southampton with support from Charlie Cunningham. Find out more about how you can pick up tickets at www.engineroomssouthampton.com/event/lucy-rose.

Website: www.lucyrosemusic.com
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Instagram: www.instagram.com/lucyroseparton

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Lucy Rose at SouthseaFest 2016 by James Davis