Photo Credit: Bobby Bentham
Calva Louise are a band like no other, their blend of electronics and rock can be as heavy as it is beautiful. The band also share artistic talents as shown in their graphic novels and animated videos that accompany their blockbuster sophomore record Euphoric. Vocalist Jess Eastwood is also no stranger to trying out different languages in her lyricism – the North London band are truly one of the most creative bands out there. So, we spoke to lead singer/vocalist Jess Eastwood, drummer Ben Parker, and bassist Alizon Taho about all things Calva Louise.
So, you guys have got a headlining slot on the BBC Introducing Stage later today, how are you feeling about that?
Jess: Hyped!
Alizon: Yeah exactly, excited, honoured, lucky, because you know that’s amazing. When we got offered we were like jumping around literally, we were like wow!
J: I was like shit! We don’t want to think about this until the day of it.
Oh nice, so obviously you’re on the BBC Introducing Stage so a lot of people might not know about you guys, so how would you sum up your sound?
J: Umm very bassy.
Ben: Umm drops of electronic here and there.
Sounds pretty good aha, you guys are a pretty creative band like you’ve created your own animated films to accompany your recent record, so if there were no budget limits, what creative medium would you love to experiment in?
J: Oh, if there was no budget, then definitely feature film. Alizon and I would be directing.
A: Yeah, we’ve experimented with directing stuff, I think this experience really made us want to take on more. So yeah, we’d definitely want to experiment with that, and we’d love to do movies and video games too.
B: Yeah, I’d love to jump on like a design team of a video game, I think that would be cool.
Jess: He wants a video game; I want a film.
Aha I’m sure you’d be able to figure something out in the middle!
A: Or we might find something else we wanna try in the next 6 months because you never know, and I feel like we always discover new things too.
So, like, musically, your sound blends a lot of different bits from different genres, is there any bands that particularly influence you?
B: There’s loads, there’s so many. Umm yea well we’re all massive fans of Queens of the Stone Age, we all love them. We all grew up in different places so the first bands we all got into were all different so there’s just so many.
A: More recently, I’d say Ghost has been a big influence on us during the production of the album. Obviously Strange Bones too, we were all up listening to Muse a little while back too, still now too really aha, we were listening to some yesterday.
J: Yeah, we love Supremacy aha.
You guys have also just had an incredible looking release party with Strange Bones too, how has the fan reaction been to that?
J: Yeah, it’s been very positive, if there’s been anything negative then we just don’t know aha.
Ahaha ignorance is bliss!
A: Yeah completely, the party itself was really fun, like it was decided about a week before where we were like, you know what – let’s just do a show, and it was really fun. We had loads of friends around, which was very fun.
[Drunk man falls right next to us and is pulled away by his friend]
J: Imagine that but by 500, and that was the release party aha!
Lastly, what are Calva Louise’s plans for the next 12 months, what should fans expect?
J: The unexpected!
B: Aha, we’re touring with Trash Boat in October and Strange Bones as well.
A: And on the topic of movies, Jess has just finished a full movie to go along with the album that’s gonna be released in…
J: Mid-September, you will have a taste of it on and on Wednesday (1st September), you will have a new music video for Euphoria, which is fully animated and the sequel of The Odds. So it will be a full 45-minute thingy, I don’t know what to call it aha.
Interview By: Joe Loughran
Calva Louise will be heading out on tour with Trash Boat later this year, see them at the following dates:
October 2021
Wed 20th – LEEDS – Stylus^
Thu 21st – NEWCASTLE – Riverside^
Sat 23rd – GLASGOW – Cathouse^
Sun 24th – MANCHESTER – Rebellion^
Mon 25th – NOTTINGHAM – Rescue Rooms^
Wed 27th – BIRMINGHAM – O2 Academy 2^
Thu 28th – SOUTHAMPTON – The Loft^
Fri 29th – LONDON – Electric Ballroom^
