More about: Hayley Mary

Written in the eye of the storm last year, 'Would You Throw a Diamond?' is Hayley Mary's newest sliver of ecstatic, vintage indie rock'n'roll. As she details below, it's one of many taken from fruitful mid-pandemic sessions that will soon materialise as an album.

For now, you can hear the artist's first single of the year. Turn it all the way up and have a listen first on Gigwise, then learn more about Hayley Mary in our Q&A:

Gigwise: Hi! So your debut EP came out over a year ago now in what turned out to be a turbulent time to go solo. How has both the success of that and the events of the last 10 months inspired you to write more? 

Hayley Mary: I often find myself writing out of necessity or compulsion. 2020 was the same but for different reasons. In the absence of touring the only thing to do to keep your chops up was to write more music and just hope people might hear what you released into the strange new wilderness. When Covid first hit, Scott Horscroft, a producer I work with, had all his bookings cancelled because people were trepidatious about the virus, so he offered me a few weeks at one of the best studios in the country at a ridiculously low rate. I guess I just jumped at the opportunity which meant I had to get the songs together. 

GW: I understand that it was your partner, Johnny, who helped you get back into writing again and lended a hand in some production. How has it been having the opportunity to work together professionally? 

HM: Johnny and I were actually introduced by Johann, the head of DMA'S (and later to become my) label in Aus, I OH YOU, a few years back. I was looking to get into writing outside of my band but was a bit lost for direction. The main thing Johnny did was have a few beers with me and insist on putting the guitar on me until I wrote a song. He just kept telling me to get up and write every day. The biggest thing I've gained from working with him is a notion that songs don't only come as gifts from the muses, you can work for them, and you tend to get more that way. 

GW: Having had to cancel your plans to tour last year you did end up with the opportunity to do some acoustic shows back home, how was that experience? 

HM: Yeah, I decided to take the loss of certain opportunities as a chance to take different ones. Being used to playing in front of a band I knew my biggest fear was playing an instrument on stage on my own. So, I  figured I'd do a bunch of it so I'd get better. It was fucking horrible at first. I was shocking. I'm slightly better now and people seem to find it tolerable enough, haha. So I've actually come to enjoy it. In particular, I love rural touring on my own, seeing small towns and the beautiful countryside. 

GW: Australia seems to be in a much better position than at least we ourselves are here in the UK, how has the arts industry there moved to pick itself back up again? 

HM: Yeah, we are very lucky. Think a small population on a huge island has something to do with it. Opposite situation to the UK. The arts were hit first and will be the last to recover on the whole, but there's a lot of variation between the different states some of which have been hit harder than others at different times. In WA and QLD there was pretty much still gigs the whole time. NSW was moderately restricted and VIC (where I spend the most time) was hit the hardest, equivalent to hardline UK type lockdown most of the year. But different musicians all seem to respond differently. I

think a lot gave up. Some more established artists have chosen to sit and wait til 'normal' returns before they play. That just doesn't seem an option to me. I moved from state to state trying to do what shows I could and adapted to the weird, lower capacity shows. There has been a huge push to get more televised and online concerts which created some opportunities, but with no festivals and ticket sales being so limited the industry, though comparatively lucky internationally, has still been pretty decimated. Recovery doesn't seem impossible though. There's a lot of love for music out there. 

GW: I understand too that your Dad is Scottish, and you had spent some time living over here a few years ago. Are there any Scots artists he may have introduced to you that have left a lasting impression? Also, what is your favourite Scottish cuisine? 

HM: My dad left Scotland at a really young age, but he went to school with the guy from the Sensational Alex Harvey band and their song 'Anthem' is probably the song I want to be played at my funeral. Rather than particular artists, dad gave me an appreciation for Celtic melody on in a more general folkish way (he plays harp and used to make me come dance to it in a fairy outfit while he busked when I was a kid), but there are a lot of more popular Scottish acts that resonate with me. They're probably obvious ones to someone from the UK, but Cocteau Twins, Edwin Collins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Orange Juice, Primal Scream, Proclaimers, Simple Minds are some classics. I like some punk bands there atm like Baby Strange and Voodoos and I'm a fan of Shirley Manson since touring with Garbage a few years back. Also, 'Bye Bye Baby' by Bay City Rollers is an all-time tune. 

Cullen Skink is my favourite cuisine. Johnny and I have a side project called 'Sullen Kink', which is a spoonerism of the delicious dish. 

GW: Your stock has been on the rise here in the UK and you even opened a UK store on your website. It must be humbling to have fans as enthusiastic about your music so far from where you call home... 

HM: Haha, really? I'll have to buy some shares. To be honest, I'm so used to gauging things from how many people turn up to shows that it's hard to tell how things are going. I know I've had some really great support from This Feeling and some other great publications who seem to have a bit of influence over there, which is really encouraging. I just hope I can get over in the flesh next year because playing live is really where you find the people who are going to get behind your music in a meaningful way. 

GW: This Feeling recently announced plans for the release of a double LP to help raise funding for struggling venues which you feature on, how did that opportunity come about? 

HM: Yeah, as I said, those guys have been great for me so when they hit me up, I happened to have a new song coming out so it was great timing and a great thing to be a part of. I really have a lot of respect for those media outlets venues, bookers etc who have shown through this pandemic that they really are music lovers by staying active, spreading the word on new music, and trying, despite the odds, to keep something alive. That stuff inspires me. It's a pleasure to be part of it. 

GW: So you have an album in the works, and I believe fans will be treated to some new music soon. Can you tell us a little more about what to expect and your plans for releasing more of it this year? 

HM: Truth be told, yeah I recorded an album worth of tunes. Have released a couple (my latest is 'Would You Throw A Diamond', which premieres with you lot, as you know, thank very much ;) But it's unclear whether it would be wise to drop the whole debut album in such strange times. I can promise that songs will keep coming fairly regularly, but am yet to decide on when a full-length release will be.

More about: Hayley Mary