Manchester Punk Festival Releases 37th Compilation
Manchester Punk Festival have released the 37th volume of their compilation series ahead of this year’s festival. Manchester Punk Festival Vol. 37 is…
Louise Distras is a northern UK punk rock singer songwriter who’s debut album Dreams From The Factory Floor dropped back in 2013 and recently she played a gig at the iconic 100 Club in London. After that gig she took some time out to give us some insight into how her new touring band came together and her 2015 plans.
Check out the full interview below.
Before we get into the 100 club show from last Friday, before the holidays you played a gig with Stiff Little Fingers, how did that come together and how was it playing with those guys?
It’s not a very exciting story really, I just woke up to an email one day asking me if I would support them on their show at Holmfirth Picturedrome last December, so of course I said yes coz they’re one of my favourite bands. It was a very cool experience to open for them and their fans were a great audience too. It was a really fun show.
So you played the legendary 100 club on Friday with UK SUBS, how did it feel to play in such an iconic venue, and did it feel like the spiritual home of punk rock?
Yeah I guess. I’m aware of the 100 Club’s history, so as a new artist it was a big honour to be invited to play the show as part of Resolution Festival, and in the spirit of the occasion it seemed like a good time to reveal the new touring band lineup and start the new year as I mean to go on.
How did you end up hooking with your new bandmates Jamie Oliver and Chema Zurita?
Jamie plays drums for the Subs, and he also played drums on my debut record ‘Dreams from the Factory Floor’. Jamie suggested and introduced me to Chema who is an incredible bass player with great punk history; having previously worked with some very inspirational women in rock such as Texas Terri Bomb and Fangs On Fur – Jamie’s suggestion of inviting Chema to join this touring band lineup seemed like a no brainer, and I was so happy when he said yes! As far as I’m concerned Jamie and Chema are two of the best drummers and bassists in the punk world right now, and they make a powerful team. Working with em both has been a real privilege, not to mention a huge learning curve…and I am so happy to have them onboard at the start of this new and exciting chapter.
The new music video ‘Bullets’ live at The 100 Club had a real energy in it, and I can only imagine how much more intense it would have been in the venue – how was that while you were playing?
Pretty intense! Prior to when Jamie and Chema walked onstage, nobody knew a thing except for the soundguy, the promoter and the rest of the Subs who saw us soundchecking. As you can see from the video, our camera guys really captured the energy of very first moment this all blew up. Jamie and Chema totally blew the roof, it was definitely a lot of fun and a huge adrenaline rush. If The 100 Club show is anything to go by, the full band electric tour is going to be insane.
…and I know the announcement states that this is a touring arrangement for the moment, but is there any chance that we will see new music being recorded with the full band as well? If so, when is that likely to see a release?
First up there’s a couple of solo shows with TV Smith in February in Leeds and Derby, which are going to be awesome. There will be full band shows in 2015, to be announced in the near future.
With regards to new material, in late 2014 I demo’d some new songs in London with Steve Whale, who also produced ‘Dreams from the Factory Floor’ and of course I am really excited about the new material and full band direction. In terms of releasing it, we will not be rushing the process. I spent two years working on ‘Dreams…’ with Steve from writing new songs to pre-production then recording/mastering and release date. The reason for this was because we wanted to make sure the record was the best that it could be and the same ethics and approach will be applied to the second album.
Are you likely to work with Street Revolution again?
As far as the UK is concerned, yeah I guess so. However at the moment, there’s cards on the table to work with a number of record labels in mainland Europe, USA and Japan. But for now the main focus is on making the second album the best it can be.
Can you give us a sneak preview on any plans for 2015 after your tour with UK Subs, TV Smith and New Model Army finishes?
Currently, there’s a lot of demand, plans and discussion revolving around touring outside of mainland Europe in 2015 but unfortunately I must keep those cards pretty close to my chest right now, but I will promise to reveal more news on that coming soon.
In Spring 2015, I will be returning to mainland Europe and the UK for a month long tour. Joining me on these shows will be a very special guest from the USA who will be touring a new album as part of his UK and European debut. Also my friend Jenny Woo will be joining us for some of these shows, dates to be announced in the next couple of weeks!
To coincide with the release of the new video ‘Bullets’, I’ll be releasing a brand new EP next week via my website www.louisedistras.co.uk . This will include four tracks taken from my debut album ‘Dreams from the Factory Floor’, aswell as previously unreleased live studio versions, ‘Live at The Roundhouse’ radio sessions plus the new video all presented in a very cool handmade, signed and hand numbered, limited edition collectors CD.
As far as the rest of 2015 is concerned, there’s a lot of plans in the works but who knows what’s going to happen? But one thing for sure is that every day really is a blessing and I’m very lucky to receive so much energy, passion and support for doing what I love so much. 2014 was a fantastic year, and I hope that together we can make 2015 even better!