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Catching The Tiger star Lissie is back with new album Back to Forever and new single 'Shameless', pushing into tougher territory with her second album. The US star has been out of the public eye recording her new album, but now she's ready to tell all and make her mark on the music world once again with her unique brand of Americana rock.
We caught up with Lissie to discuss her comeback, why she found performing at Glastonbury so stressful, her horror at the idea of people peeing in cups and throwing them at festivals, and her love for Bruce Springsteen ahead of her Hard Rock Calling slot...
Welcome back Lissie. How was the recording process the second time around? Were there any struggles?
With Catching a Tiger everything was so new and I didn't really know what to expect. There were studio musicians on Catching a Tiger that were hired for the record, I didn't know my band yet and I didn't have anything to compare it to. There were some struggles with the first record but nothing crazy. With this one, everything's been pretty smooth, only that it took longer to make than I thought. Now it's all cool but for a while I thought 'Is this record ever going to get made?' I was anxious that everyone was going to forget about me if I didn't come back soon.
The tracks from the second album are grittier - and more noisy than on Catching A Tiger. What are your ambitions this time around?
One of the hard things is that primarily I was always a live artist. With the first record I had always been solo so it was hard to figure out how to put instrumentation to the music and that was Catching a Tiger. Since then, I've been playing so much with my band and the live aspect has really formed my style so the second record my band played on it. Going into the record I didn't have a goal or reference point, it was just to see what each song needs.
This record is more rock-pop, whereas Catching a Tiger is a little bit more of everything, so this is focusing more on what the band and I do live but I don't think a record can ever capture that. If people want to know what to think about us they need to come see us live. I think you have to see the person live, to see the person in their element.
Watch the video to Lissie's new single 'Shameless' below
You're performing at Hard Rock Calling in London at the end of the month. Who on the line-up are you the biggest fan of?
I'm so excited because I'm a big Bruce Springsteen fan and I'm excited to see the new Olympic Park. I'm looking forward to Alabama Shakes too, I think they're really good but I'm sure there will be other people that I'll like alot too. But Bruce Springsteen is so iconic; he stands for kind of the 'every man's man' and that's something I personally aspire towards being.
He sings about the Working Class and the blue-collar town. I grew up in a town where alot of factories closed when I was young and he's the side of America that is the integrity, the rebel spirit and the open roads and all that stuff.
Lissie will perform alongside Bruce Springsteen at Hard Rock Calling in July
Hard Rock Calling is the same weekend as Glastonbury. What are your experiences of the UK's biggest festival?
I have been to Glastonbury and I did know they were the same weekend because at one point I think we were going to do Glastonbury. I was at Glastonbury three years ago, when it was really sunny and hot and I had so much fun, I loved it. I really liked it alot, I thought it was so fun. I went to Bonnaroo the first year they did it, in Tennessee, and camped and did the whole thing, and I love that kind of stuff. To attend, it's really fun but playing it is difficult because Glastonbury is so massive that it can very exhausting and stressful to get to where you have to go. You're carrying stuff, then you get lost, 'cause it's like a city practically. Festivals are an adventure and I like that but playing your own show is different.
Being an attendee and a performer are different things. With the stadium festivals there will be dressing rooms, toilets and places that I can make tea, so from a practical standpoint as a performer, stadiums have resources. But as an attendee, Glastonbury is such an experience and you can run around like a wild hippy child.
You're playing a lot of festivals this summer, which one are you looking forward to the most and why?
I played Secret Garden Party a couple of years ago and I thought that was a pretty cool festival. I wouldn't say I'm looking forward to one more than the other though, I'm just excited that we're going to be doing some cool shows like Bestival. I had a really good time there a few years ago. We do a lot of stuff in Norway, and I'm really looking forward to going there again because it is beautiful.
Watch Lissie's 'When I'm Alone' video below
You're no stranger to the UK festival scene. What do you enjoy most about UK festival gigs?
I think it's really nice because when you come to the city, like London, everyone's in a hurry, they're really busy and serious. But when you go to UK festivals people are on holiday in a way, ready to have fun with no responsibilities and just let loose. It's a fun type of people to see, when they're just ready to have a good time. It's a nice thing to be a part of.
Have you ever had any truly awful festival experiences (as a performer or just as a punter)?
Nothing really bad. We had an English drummer for a while and his girlfriend came with to a festival and she is one of those people who can't throw up and is terrified of seeing people throwing up. Then she saw someone throwing up and it really upset her. For her, she had a terrible time because there were so many wasted, drunk people who were throwing up and peeing everywhere. That can get a bit gross.
Also, when people pee in a cup and throw it? I've never personally experienced that but I've heard about it and I just think that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. I don't think it's something I've ever heard of happening anywhere else. I can't wrap my head around it.
How do they compare to ones in the US?
The UK has always had festivals and had a lot of festivals and it's a really big part of your culture. The US has started to have more festivals, like in the last 10 years but it was something that was done as much there. I guess there was Woodstock in the 60s, or maybe there were festivals and I'd never heard of them! I feel like we just don't have as many festivals as you guys have.
Lissie finds solace in a local car park
Do you think the likes of Savages are turning the attention back around to girls with guitars again?
In my first record, I was playing a lot of electric guitar and then when I went away, in the past year or so there's been more girls with electric guitars for sure. And I would hope that there would be a resurgence of it. There definitely needs to be more women in rock and roll.
What have been your favourite albums of 2013 so far?
I haven't bought one record this year, I don't listen to music. It's kinda sad because I use to listen to so much music and then since I started doing music I stopped. Even if we're in the car and we're listening to music, I'm like "Turn it off!"I guess that's not very supportive but I just feel like I don't really wanna know what's really going on in music, it gets in my head. There was one day when I'd written this song and then I realised it was a song my brother had played me that he liked. Not the whole thing, the melody was familiar and then I realised that it wasn't my melody.
I do listen to some music; the last record I bought was probably Lana Del Rey's and I really loved it. And Tegan and Sara, they've got a new record too. Actually, I've been listening to a lot of Bruce Springsteen so it was a fun coincidence that we'd be playing on the same night, so I'm pretty stoked.
Thank you very much Lissie. Her new single 'Shameless' is out now.
Catch Lissie at Hard Rock Calling in July, Secret Garden Party and Bestival, amongst other festival dates.
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