Photo: Press
"One more thing you can say that you can definitely print, that annoys the fuck out of me," says a wide-eyed Miranda Kilbey, pausing to sip from her beer, "is this notion of 'a girl band' - should we start calling The Beatles a boy band? Or shall we start calling Arctic Monkeys a boy band? We're all just bands. The fact that they put 'girl' before just to make sure that no one misconceives anything and they're just girls playing instruments is so annoying and old-fashioned."
It's a misconception that has plagued Swedish-Australian twin sisters Say Lou Lou. Every headline and blurb you read about this deservedly hyped duo is likely to say something about their cheekbones, their clothes and use the phrase 'girl band', but to do so does this band one hell of a disservice. While their image is as arresting as their sound is dramatic, everything is considered but never contrived. What you have here, is a pair of authentic artists who craft their own world by delivering the whole package.
"Some people see us as soft and girly and fashion band-y, and that's so annoying because it's so hard to find an anitdote," continues Miranda, frowning with a fixed and certain gaze. "The misconception is like 'yeah, they're just two girls that don't do anything themselves - they're just hype and they don't know what they're doing. They're two puppets, two model girls'. And we're like 'what the fuck? Where did that come from?'
"Just because you're a girl, you're all of a sudden a fashion model girl. We see that about so many other female artists and it's so boring just to write people off like that."
From the moment you meet the Kilbey sisters, it's immediately obvious that they couldn't be any further from manufactured 'fashion puppets'. There's a conviction behind everything they say, matched by the same symbiotic passion and sibling connection that those who have ever had the pleasure of seeing them live have been so captivated by. The children of Steve Kilbey, songwriter and bassist with Australian band The Church, and Karin Janssen of Swedish new wave band Pink Champagne, music has always been a part of their life - feeding into all of the other influences that drive them to make "music that tells stories, and is quite filmic".
As they frollick and playfully exchange knowing looks and answers, you'd struggle to find two bandmates more firmly on the same page.
"We're twins, obviously, we've grown up our whole lives together," smiles sister Elektra, chuckling as she spills her beer. "It's not like we sat down and said 'this is what we're going to do'. We are who we've always been. All of our visuals and everything is what we've liked since we were young. We've always had the same style. We like the same films, music.
"When Say Lou Lou came along, we never doubted what we should look like or who we should be like. It was always what we were."
Say Lou Lou at Live At Leeds Festival, by Gigwise/Charly Murgatroyd
As deeply ingrained in them as the idea of Say Lou Lou may be, it wasn't until they moved to London that their vision became fully-realised.
"Sweden is such a different scene, the music industry is so different there," muses Elektra. "Sweden is kind of like a place where you just grow. But here it's like 'are they really good?' and there's always a 'but' and a critique."
Miranda nods: "I think here in England everyone is very harsh and raw and look at music differently. They're quite harsh critics and I think you have to get in and prove yourself more. The second time we ever stood on stage in our entire life, NME came and reviewed it. Those kind of things. It was so kind of hardcore from day one."
"That's not fair!" squeals Elektra, cursing at the sky, before Miranda rubs her back comfortingly: "Nothing is fair, but those kind of things toughen you up and really gives you that push to want to succeed."
And succeed, they should. They certainly tick all the boxes, rather than fall through the gaps. They have a pretty perfect sound - a blend of indie, electro, pop and classic rock that has found them a diverse mix of fans by touring with everyone from Hurts and Say Lou Lou to Foals. The bands and fans all report back with the same fawning praise, and suprise at how warm their personality and music really are.
"People think we're a lot colder than we are," smiles Miranda. "We're actually very talkative and very happy and silly. That's the only thing that people don't know about us, but time will tell. I feel like every song we've released has been warmer and warmer, so it's going to get warmer. The album is pretty warm, it's pretty fun - a lot more than people would imagine."
Elektra spritefully jumps in: "Yes, and more rhythmic. Not as floaty as people might think. From the beginning and our parents' heritage, we've listened to a lot of rock and indie music our whole life. Being floaty pop music in the beginning wasn't accidental, but it wasn't the only side of us."
The other sides of Say Lou Lou are clearly on show when they take to the stage. The shimmering pop perfection of their singles 'Everything We Touch', 'Julian' and 'Better In The Dark' are given a much rockier edge by their live band, and are bursting out of the walls of the somewhat intimate venues they've been gracing, begging for a much bigger stage. The throbbing disco-rock banger of new track 'All That Glitters' reflects the true warm, open and fun nature of the Kilbey sisters, proving highlights of their so faar short but flawless sets - and a promising sign for their debut album.
"This is going to sound lame but I think the album is what people expect of us and want us to be," laughs Elektra. "I hope it will challenge some people.
"It's all a learning curve and we're so young and barely into our adult life," she admits. "We wake up every morning with loads of new ideas and we're still growing, learning and becoming people. We're still who we are but we find new music who inspire us. It changes day to day. I bet every band says this but we really want to be an album artist rather than a single artist. That's why we haven't gone for the big single.
"I just want the album to come out and for it to spread, then we're going to make 10 more albums. That's how we feel."
That's how we feel too. They're not a girl band, they're not a pop band, they're not trying to be anything to anyone. What they have is that special something that could be everything to everyone.
Say Lou Lou perform at Secret Garden Party this weekend, before they make appearances at Standon Calling and Bestival. For more information, visit Gigwise Tickets.
Below: Say Lou Lou, Years & Years and more - The best bits of Live At Leeds festival 2014
