SXSW 2014 Interviews: London Grammar, Chlöe Howl, Young & Sick, Tove Lo & more

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For this special edition of Best Fit’s All Apologies, we went backstage at SXSW to find out a little more about the people driving the hive of activity in a little more relaxed environment.

Want to know what bands pop trio London Grammar are crushing on? What food truck would Chlöe Howl be? From Aussie electronic outfit Seekae, to popstar on the rise Young & Sick, to soulful songstress Mauhaut Mondino, Dallas crooner, Conner Youngblood, to the sweet and sexy Tove Lo to BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, we caught up with some of the festival’s most tipped acts for a little downtime.

What does it feel like when you’re on stage performing?

Young & Sick: Like a jump into a nice heated pool.

London Grammar (Dan): A mixture of nerve wracking and just general excitement.

Tove Lo: All adrenaline. I love it.

Seekae: It’s changed a lot. It used to feel far more nerve-wracking, because we felt like outsiders. We were bringing computers and old gear onto stage when other people were just playing with guitars. But now, now we feel more comfortable. I think Alex feels quite a lot like Michael Jackson cos he’s just dancing all over the place. Now it feels good. Now it’s easy enough to do whilst drunk, which is good.

ASTR (Zoe): Awesome. Amazing. Like a wave.

If you were a food truck at SXSW, what type of food truck would you be?

Seekae: I reckon we’d definitely be something very unhealthy, because George, he can’t get enough of that BBQ sauce man. A gluten-free hot dog truck with endless amounts of BBQ sauce.

Annie Mac: The Kelis truck! I just think she is great. She is an incredible artist and she makes her own food and sauces!

Young & Sick: I would sell bananas and every banana would be a different flavour.

London Grammar (Dot): I’d be like Jerk Chicken, something chicken.

Mahaut Mondino: Expensive.

Conner Youngblood: A truck that just sells milkshakes.

Tove Lo: I would be a veggie Mexican place. I had the best veggie tacos at one the other day, and I was like, “This is what I’m going to eat for the rest of my life.”

ASTR (Zoe): We would be a fusion truck. Something fun and eclectic, probably gourmet.

Do you have a good luck charm?

ASTR (Zoe): I used to have a crystal I brought around, but then I said “Fuck luck, you just gotta live this shit.” (Adam): Maybe that’s why all our flights are fucked up, you need to bring that crystal around more.

Young & Sick: A coin that Max (my booking agent) gave me here at SXSW, it has the capital of Austin on it.

London Grammar (Dan): We have our tour manager. He is legendary, he’s called Sweeney. And uh, we don’t think we could ever do a gig without him now.

Tove Lo: I always wear my friend’s ring. She makes these rings called “Leontine,” I always wear that.

Seekae: Yeah. It’s probably Alex’s cataract glasses. He wears them on stage even when it’s dark. They’re these real big grandma glasses that give him this super power to just dance like a beast, and us play our best.

Chloe Howl: I wear these boots I’ve got on every time I’m on stage now. Otherwise I think I’ll fall down. I’m superstitious now.

Best festival swag you’ve ever received?

Seekae: Probably lottery tickets. We put them on our rider. We kind of put them on there as a joke, and one day we got them. We figured we could win like $20,000 and just quit the band. That was pretty amazing. Melbourne’s been the best place to actually have a festival give them to us.

Annie Mac: I don’t usually go for it. In the UK its always crappy sunglasses or something.

Young & Sick: Underwear. Very soft underwear.

Conner Youngblood: Well this year I got two free suits tailored to fit me. I might cut off the pants and make them into shorts.

Tove Lo: A free pair of Converse yesterday. They were really cool!

Go-to party song?

Mahaut Mondino: “Shake Your Ass” – Mystikal.

Annie Mac: ”Something” by Janet Jackson.

London Grammar (Hannah): Lady Gaga – “Dope.” Love that song.

Tove Lo: I do! It’s “212” by Azealia Banks. It just gets me all cocky and cool.

Seekae: There’s a song we love which is called, “Walking Into The Night,” and it’s on a Roland piano commercial. And ever since we’ve heard that, we always whack it on when we finish the show.

Chloe Howl: “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop! I was once at a party, I had just gotten out of my car, and I was like a minute walk away, but I heard “Drop It Like It’s Hot” start and I just legged it in, back past the bouncers and I found my friend on the dancefloor and immediately was just grinding.

What song will they play at your funeral?

Tove Lo: Something happy. I don’t want it to be sad. I mean I hope people will be sad, but it should be hopeful. Maybe like, it would be fun if they played like, “Always look on the bright side,” if they put that on when they are carrying me out, it won’t be too emotional, and it would be funny.

London Grammar (Dot): I’d like some really amazing concert pianist to play some Chopard.

Mahaut Mondino: “Thank You” – Sly & The Family Stone.

Conner Youngblood: If I have a funeral. I feel like I want to be one of those people that gets shot into space into a diamond or something. But, if I had a funeral, it would probably be “Tarzan Boy” by Baltimora.

Seekae: “Satellite of Love” by Lou Reed.

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What’s the one thing you always remember to bring when you’re heading to a festival/tour?

Conner Youngblood: A sound guy…

London Grammar (Hannah): A sponge or a loofah, can’t forget that.

Mahaut Mondino: Underwear.

Tove Lo: My pen and paper, so I can write lyrics.

Seekae: Athlete’s Foot Cream.

Chloe Howl: When you’re going to a festival always pack baby wipes. If there isn’t a shower there, you can have a baby wipe shower.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?

London Grammar (Hannah): I get told I look like Mena Suvari or Tom Odell.

Annie Mac: Colm Meaney, he’s the Irish actor who’s been in loads of movies and Star Trek!

Conner Youngblood: Supposedly I look like the guy from Ratking. I heard I looked like Heath Ledger once; in a weird “Black to white person way,” someone actually said that.

Tove Lo: Rachel Evan Wood cos she seems like she’s a bit crazy, and I like that.

ASTR (Zoe): Claire Danes. Haha, in like, what’s that show where she’s always crying? [Ed: My So-Called Life]

Chloe Howl: Scarlett Johansson, because she’s so hot. You know when you watch movies and it’s based on a true story, and it’s someone playing a real person, and the actress is a babe and you’re like ‘Wow. I wonder if the real person’s a babe! They must have been!” They have to look a bit a like, and then you look them up and you’re like “Oh no.” But I want people to think for a short period of time that I’m as hot as Scarlett Johansson.

What song do you wish you’d written?

Chloe Howl: “Last Christmas” by WHAM!

London Grammar (Dan): “Secret Smile” by Semisonic. (Dot): ”Dice” by Finley Quaye.

Mahaut Mondino: “Strokin” by Clarence Carter.

Conner Youngblood: “Something” by George Harrison.

Seekae: “Knives Out” by Radiohead.

Favourite band of the moment?

Young & Sick: The Preatures.

London Grammar (Dan): a band called Jungle – massive crush, (Dot): The singer of Little Dragon, (Hannah): Banks!

Conner Youngblood: The singer from Wet.

Tove Lo: London Grammar. I met Dot the other day, they are so sweet!

ASTR (Zoe): London Grammar! Cuties!

Chloe Howl: The lead singer of Biffy Clyro.

What five people would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?

Seekae: Shawn Micallef, he’s an Australian comedian, Jonny Greenwood, Richard D. James, I’d wack in someone like Frederich Nichetze and just to kind of even things out a bit, Brad Fittler.

Mahaut Mondino: Dolly Parton, Prince and my father. Don’t need the extra two.

Tove Lo: I would invite Lorde, my boyfriend, Marina and the Diamonds, and just because it would be so interesting, Ty Dolla $ign, his eyes are so crazy! And I would invite Elliphant, the Swedish artist, cause she’s just crazy and fun.

ASTR (Adam): Would you invite Deepak Chopra? (Zoe): That would be really fun, so yes. Oprah, (Adam): Neil Degrasse Tyson, (Zoe): Vashtie Kola, she’s hot, and Lil’ Boosie.

Chloe Howl: Beyonce, Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Hardy for the bang afterward, my flatmate cuz she’s funny, and maybe Miley, just so we could all hate her. I feel like I wouldn’t get along with her.

Who would you most like to apologise to and why?

Annie Mac: To my 16 year old self for being so hard on myself.

Young & Sick: I’d like to apologise to de Eindhovense, the design school I went to because I stole an HP scanner.

London Grammar (Hannah): Tom Odell. Because yesterday I got asked who I look like, and I did an impression of him with my hat backwards.

Mahaut Mondino: My cat. Daddy I lied, I broke that expensive lamp, Lulu didn’t.

Conner Youngblood: Just anyone I was ever mean to as a kid.

Tove Lo: I want to apologize the most to a very close friend of mine who I used to work with a lot, who I’m not close with anymore cos I was not myself. So I’m deeply sorry about that.

Seekae: I’ll apologize to every single person who has to fly on the airline Jetstar. Because, basically, you realize there is no God when you’re flying on that airline.

ASTR (Zoe): Oh my god, my mother. For being a terror as a child. (Adam): I’m sorry for a lot of things, but I’ve already apologized.

Chloe Howl: When I was 13, there was this girl that I just ran up to and slapped her in the face. I would like to apologise to her because I feel like she didn’t deserve that.