Interview Porridge Radio: “I think an artist never fully realises their goals; things are ongoing, and that’s good”

Hey Dana, how are you? We can imagine you’re very busy in the lead up to the release of ‘Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me’ - what are you up to at the moment?

We are right now on the way to Cardiff to play a festival; it’s October, the sky is bright and blue, and there are no cars in sight. Suddenly, a big bear jumped out of the woods and everyone was terrified. A brave man with a sword said ‘stop!’ to the bear. The bear was startled but big.

Each of the singles from ‘Clouds..’ so far has arrived accompanied by stunning live videos filmed at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Can you tell us a bit more about the concept and set of these visuals? Why did this venue feel like the right place to bring ‘Clouds…’ to life for the first time?

It was a series of great coincidences, set in motion in November 2022, when we were approached by the Centre Pompidou to perform there after a show in Paris. We didn’t want to play our same old setlist and we needed a break, so we decided to come back and play the show with our new record. The visuals for the show and the overarching vision were conceived by director Ella Margolin and set designer Ellie Wintour, who creatively together brought the show to life.

Throughout ‘Clouds…’, there’s a real sense of the lyrics being grounded in nature motifs. What was it about the natural world that you found yourself being drawn to or inspired by when writing?

Touring extensively completely fucked with my mind and my body - I could never catch up with myself. But I would look up at the sky and it was always there, and the trees were always there too. Everywhere you go, you can be sure there is the ground and the sky and birds in the trees, and I think they saved me.

You recorded in Somerset with producer Dom Monks, which press materials have called “an environment where you could fully express yourself”. Why was this the case - could you tell us a bit more about this experience? Did the band dynamic change or evolve during this time?

We supported each other through it. It was a beautiful studio, and we cooked for each other every day. We ate eggs and we ate salads; we ate pasta and a lot of potatoes; we ate a lot of fish and chips. By the time we got to the recording studio we had definitely locked in and evolved together, after spending about nine months working on the songs in our studio in Portslade - it was there that Dan [Hutchins, bassist] joined the band. Once, Georgie [Stott, keyboardist and backing vocalist] saw a rat come out of a bin.

Last time DIY spoke to Porridge Radio, you commented that “Nothing is off limits when I’m writing, but when I’m sharing [my writing] I sometimes pull things back a bit, or make details a bit more ambiguous. But I really want to push myself to the edge of what I can possibly share.” Do you think ‘Clouds…’ represents the realisation of this goal?

I don’t really remember saying that, but I’ve been writing a lot - I have a substack. I don’t think I was relating that as a future goal, but an ongoing one - past, present, and future, one that’s present in all the music I’ve written. I think an artist never fully realises their goals; things are ongoing and changing and moving, and that’s good. I will keep sharing. I love this album.

You’ve said that the burnout and mental health issues which informed ‘Clouds…’ were partly caused by the pressure of the writing/recording/touring cycle, and the relentless pace of the music industry. What advice would you give to other artists going through something similar?

This advice is for anyone: say no to things you don’t want to do, nobody knows your limits except yourself. More opportunities will come and you’ll be able to do the things you want to do for longer if you pace yourself. Be open and stay busy, but rest and push back and don’t worry. The music industry is cooked for us all. 

This album is the most raw and vulnerable you’ve been on record to date. How have you found the experience of performing these track live?

We’re about to head out on tour all over the UK, Europe, and North America, so I guess we’ll find out.

‘Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me’ is out tomorrow (18th October) via Secretly Canadian. 

Tags: Features, Interviews, Porridge Radio