Photo Credit: Chris Driver
Calva Louise are back with their new EP POPURRÍ, a blend of indie, dark pop, electronica and punk, and a celebration of their roots in Venezuela, France and New Zealand. We caught up with the band ahead of the EP to find out more about their formation, their first musical memories, their ambitions and more.
Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself and your band.
Alizon [bass], and I met at school in France and studied a play called The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco. I saw the play in my school in Venezuela and it was the most absurd thing but also very funny, it kind of reflected how the band started and when we met Ben in London we called the band Calva Louise. Calva because Calva means ‘bald’ in Spanish. Life can be absurd and funny at the same time, so we felt the name almost acted like a metaphor for our band.
How did the band form and how long have you been together?
Alizon and I [guitar] met when we were sixteen at school, and then we decided to move to London. In 2016 we met Ben [drums] and the band was formed.
Can you remember the first time you realised you wanted to make music?
We all started playing music pretty young, I started when I was ten playing with my dad, Alizon started around the same age playing cello and same for Ben playing drums. There were many different bands that inspired us from the start, Ben was really into skatepark-rock, Alizon into Pink Floyd and I was into the 70s rock my parents listen to.
Who and what are the band’s main influences?
We discovered lots of North American and English bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Muse when we were very young, but there’s lot of impact from Latin American bands like Calle 13, Soda Stereo and Molotov, all of this had a big influence on our music. Same French artists like Noir Desir influenced us as well.
What do you aim to achieve as a band?
The most important thing for us is to try to give to our audience quality and authenticity. It’s important to remember that people connect with us through our music.
For those who are yet to see you live, what can they expect from a Calva Louise show?
We always try to make our shows feel like a big gathering of friends, we love talking and connecting with the audience because it becomes an big energy exchange!
What’s next for Calva Louise?
We’re preparing everything for the release of our new EP POPURRÍ, featuring the new single I Wish, and the new video which is coming out on 31st July 2020!
Calva Louise‘s new EP POPURRÍ is due for release on 31st July 2020.
