Interview: Little May are surprised and elated
Australia-based three-piece Little May have a new single out and are heading to Europe to perform at the Great Escape Festival in May. We grabbed vocalist Liz Drummond for a chat:
Who/what is Little May?
We are a band from Sydney who like to laugh, write, and play.
What isn’t Little May?
EDM.
What’s one thing you’re jealous of about each of your bandmates?
Hannah has luscious hair and Annie has great middle-aged dance moves.
What was the inspiration behind the deeply ethereal song, Hide, and its accompanying video clip? And can you teach us the dance routine at your next bonfire party?
The majority of ‘Hide’ was written on the way to Melbourne. We had a gig there, and Hannah and I decided to drive to take the “scenic route.” Annie decided to fly, being the smart girl that she is. We took the coast road by accident, so we stopped overnight in a small town called Mallacoota. We had a few wines and started writing a song with the intention of it being pretty dark. It took us 16 hours to get to Melbourne. We had two people turn up to our gig and we lost money (obviously).
Yes of course we can teach you the dance! I don’t know it personally, but I can arrange for us to meet up with our talented dancer friends who were in the video. We (Annie, Hannah and I) just sat on the sidelines and drank ciders with pet snakes around our necks.
What has been the most challenging and rewarding thing about breaking into the European music scene, apart from trying to top Darude’s ‘Sandstorm’ on the charts?
We are feeling incredibly chuffed, surprised and elated. I think it is a challenge in general to be able to have people connect with your music, let alone hear it. We put a lot of time into the EP to get it to a place where we wanted it to be. It feels incredibly rewarding now that people are connecting with what we have done.
Annie’s been harassing us to do an acoustic version of ‘Sandstorm’ for the album. Hmm..
You’re in the line-up for The Great Escape in Brighton, this May. Who are you looking forward to brushing shoulders/cracking open a cold one with/watching perform at the festival?
I’m looking forward to seeing Saskwatch, Hein Cooper, Freddie Dickson, Slaves, Bad//Dreems, Fickle Friends. I am sure I will discover plenty of new favourite bands, too. Hopefully I get to brush shoulders and have a drink with many of them :).
Aside from the Great Escape, where else are you particularly looking forward to playing/visiting in Europe?
I am so excited to play such incredible festivals. I am particularly stoked to be playing Reading and Leeds festivals, and Dot To Dot. I have never been to Ireland before, I am really looking forward to playing Electric Picnic in Stradbally. I also can’t wait to play Best Kept Secret in Hilvarenbeek, too. I can’t choose – they are all going to be amazing. It’s going to be an awesome tour.
What’s the biggest “proud mum” moment you’ve had to date for the group?
We played at Splendour in The Grass in 2014, which was our first big festival performance. We had rehearsed and prepared so much, and we gave it a good hard go. I was so proud of everyone. We had many drinks to celebrate and we all regretted it the day after.
Where is home and what’s the best/worst thing about it? What do you miss most while you’re away?
Home is in Sydney, about 30 minutes out of the city centre. Being away so much makes me realise how much I miss being at home, and how much I miss and appreciate time with my family. I miss my dog, Tilly.
What are your preferred tour snacks? Street kebabs or Barbecue flavoured Arnott’s Shapes that mum packed in your carry-on luggage?
Do I have any other options? Kebabs are good. I also like green apples. 🙂
Tell us something we’d be surprised to learn about Little May.
Hannah snores, Annie has a secret vegetable blog that none of us have seen, and I have no sense of smell.
What does the rest of 2015 hold, after the European tour?
Hopefully we will have a bit of time off at home after the big tour. I would like to cuddle my dog and spend some time with my friends and family. After that, I think we will be sussing out some things for our debut album.
Little May are hitting the UK in May. Here are the dates:
Thursday 14th May – The Great Escape, Brighton
Tuesday 19th May – The Lexington, London
Thursday 21st May – Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham
Friday 22nd May – Dot To Dot, Manchester
Saturday 23rd May – Dot To Dot, Bristol
Sunday 24th May – Dot To Dot, Nottingham
Tuesday 26th May @ Voodoo, Belfast
Wednesday 27th May @ Academy 2, Dublin
Interview by Ruth Hodge.
