TLOBF Interview :: Bertie Blackman

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The Flowerpot in Kentish Town is a cozy little spot, all red drapes, nice couches and lamp light. Bertie Blackman wonders over after a promising soundcheck, short, messy black hair poking out of a beanie, she looks every inch the London rock chick frontwoman though pleasantly humble; a far cry from her rising-star, award winning status playing massive venues in her native Australia.

“Australia is so far away from everything, it’s very isolated culturally, and the music scene there is really quite small for such a big country. I guess not a lot of people actually live there! It’s mostly desert after all, where a few farmers live in the middle and suffer through droughts…It’s like starting again for us , it’s nice to get out…” she begins, looking a little fatigued but still enthusiastic about this, the start of her current spate of London shows.

It’s no surprise, what with all the traveling to and fro, that she’s in demand; a powerful, sultry voice backed by accessible though just shy of purely-mainstream electro tinged rock. As it transpires later, it’s a sound that translates into a heavier and rawer live show, and is all the better for it.

Still, she’s mostly full of praise for the start again, and the city in general: “There’s been nothing I’ve hated….the buses are always full of people! I never wanna catch the bus, I’d rather walk everywhere anyway, but as I pass them they always look so full of people and I’m glad that I’m not on them.”

A typical laid back, beach-combing Ozzie thrust into the big smoke then? Hardly, Bertie is very switched on and glad of the opportunity to play in new pastures: “I mean, amongst people I’ve been talking to it’s not like a sudden urge to come over here, maybe the English are becoming slightly more open minded with Oz music because there’s some really good stuff coming out, better than it’s ever been. Indie bands are being more adventurous with their sound because we’ve been so far away for such a long time. I might sound like a knob now but the technology and the internet has opened up the world, especially when you live so far away it changes the influences and flavour of what’s going on in your country, so a lot of that has been going on. Anyway, England is the mother country, we have to come here at some point you know what I mean?!”

By now she’s less answering my interview questions, more chatting, and I’m already ruing the fact that I only have twenty minutes to quiz her, as it means sticking (at least roughly) to the point when I’m sure if I could get her to talk about her real passions and ramble tangentially it would make for a seriously interesting read. Back onto topic, I ask her about the short documentary up on her official website where she walks you through a few song meanings. Did she commission it herself? Does she prefer letting the songs speak for themselves?

“I don’t like having to talk about them very much! I just do what I do, and I like seeing people discover their own meanings about whatever I’m doing. If they notice something or they find a way to connect with something or someone it’s a really special moment. If you spell things out for people they’ll never have their own opinion; I love hearing what people think my songs are about because they’re never what I think they will be; they’ve taken the concept and made it personal. I try not to spell things out too much. It’s like reading a book and then seeing the movie, you don’t get to use your imagination any longer.”

Well that’s fair enough. I know what NOT to ask her more about now . She has three animal themed songs on her debut; what animal would she be? “What would I be? Erm right now it changes from day to day…. Today I am an ant eating bear.” Wow, that’s quite specific. Why? “Well if I was a bear I’d be outside and the ants would be very cold, almost frozen, and I think it would be an interesting texture to eat.”

This segues somehow into her love for Where The Wild Things Are, and five minutes later, I mumble something about probably asking her more about music stuff seeing as I’m interviewing her for a music website after all. Thinking that 2009 was seen by many as Year of the Woman, wondering whether the musical climate was similar half way across the world but worried she’ll shy away from that reasoning I ask her to comment on what she’d like 2010 to throw up, music trend wise: “Oh it’s gonna be a year of aura. Of clusters.”

(‘Clusters?’ I probe) “…Clusters of things coming together and getting interesting. And then I hope it’s a year of surprises, I like being surprised. Upheaval is the best. If everyone turns to busking on the corner of the street would be good!”

By now I’m appreciating that in many ways, Bertie is charmingly old-skool. Only in the sense that she’s not big on huge press campaigns and trendy virals, more just writing quality pop songs, trying new things, and certainly likes the idea of staying close to her fans (though definitely not through Twitter…)

“I’m really bad at it, I’ll get better though. I keep getting scolded, I write all the time and I find it hard to…I don’t understand it. How it works. I don’t use it personally. I did twitter yesterday and I will be twittering today.”

(‘Tweeting’ I offer)

“SEE!? I’m technologically retarded. I’d prefer folded up paper airplanes with notes to people written in them. On stage. ‘Here you go, take that!’”

‘Take that’ indeed! Bertie Blackman is a very curious individual, and I left after an excellent performance very curious to hear how her sensibilities will come together on the new album, whether she’ll find an appreciative foothold here in the UK (probably leaning towards the pop enthusiasts as opposed to the more alternative crowd) and just what animal she’ll end up as tomorrow…