Author: Kirby Evans

Supporting Frank Turner on his UK tour, ├ësme Patterson welcomes the audience with some feminist┬ápunk-cross-indie-cross-country vibes. IÔÇÖve spent a while trying to compare her and her backing band to other artists but the truth of it is, sheÔÇÖs got a pretty unique sound. A seemingly delicate woman steps out on stage┬áand releases a powerful collection of empowering songs. This phenomenal woman has a good understanding┬áof herself and her music, as can be seen in the interview that follows. Here at Quench, we were lucky enough┬áto grab a chat with Esme before the gig.

Sat in ├ësmeÔÇÖs little green room with two of her three-piece backing band, IÔÇÖm offered a drink, whilst ├ësme sips┬áon her red-wine-cola combo.

Hey ├ësme, thanks for having us. First off, we noticed you donÔÇÖt have a Wikipedia page. We are going to have┬áto change thatÔǪ.┬á

Yes! We could make a really funny one. ÔÇ£Esme was born in the wizard circleÔÇØ. We actually found a circle of┬ástones in the park by the castle (which we couldnÔÇÖt get into) and we just assumed it was probably a wizard┬áthing.

Congratulations on the new album that came out in June in the US. Are we right in saying that when you did woman to woman it took a day to record?  

Well it actually took five days but somehow someone started saying that and thatÔÇÖs not actually true, but all of┬áthe band tracks were done in one day and then I spent a few days adding a few more songs on. So, IÔÇÖd say┬ásuitable five days in total. We Were Wild took a little longer than that though: With demos and pre-production┬áand recording it was more than a year

Woman to Woman was about other people. Would you say the new album(We Were Wild)  is based on you more so? 

Yeah it’s definitely itÔÇÖs autobiographical. I felt like it was time. When writing Woman to Woman I felt in some┬áways I was taking a much-needed break but in other ways escaping into a world of fiction. My whole life IÔÇÖve┬ájust written from my own experience and it was really lovely and fun to take time away from things I was going┬áthrough. In terms of We Were Wild, the only way I really know how to move through hard times is to write┬áabout them so all of the songs are quite intense they command the place of pain or struggle but I do like┬áplaying them because I was doing myself a favour at the time by making a path through a particularly hard┬átime. It helped me find strength and peace.

If something funny or embarrassing happens to me I think this is unfortunate but at least the story to tell it. Can you relate to that with your lyrics? 

I think itÔÇÖs like that with everyone. That suffering, to a certain point has to do with your mentality. You can feel┬ápain and you can use that pain and turn it into something else or use it to propel yourself forward to a place┬áwhere thereÔÇÖs less pain.

WhatÔÇÖs it like being on tour with Frank Turner?┬á

ItÔÇÖs so fun! The crowds really care about words because all his lyrics are so meaningful, which is great because┬ámy lyrics are a big part of my work on and so I really appreciate that and everyone has been so welcoming and┬ákind. We are on tour together for a month altogether, and it’s cute, we are like a family.

 What can we expect your current sets?

One or two songs from woman to woman but mostly from the new album.

How do English crowds compare to American crowds? 

Beaut yeah, in general British crowds are more stoic and will give you a look thatÔÇÖs hard to tell whether theyÔÇÖre┬áenjoying it or not. But the shows when I question whether people enjoyed themselves tend to be the ones┬áwhen people come up to me at the end of the show and say really enjoyed it, which surprises me from looking┬áinto the crowd. But in Portland where IÔÇÖm from it’s similar to that because people are into their music so they┬álisten to the lyrics more. TheyÔÇÖre not like ÔÇÿwoo yeah partyÔÇÖ but are digesting the words.

 What are you listening to at the moment? 

In the van today we were listening to Parkay Quarts. They are a really cool band. And I really love the new

Frank Ocean album. I also had a couple of friends in the springtime asked me to stop talking about Lemonade because it was all I talked about. I just watched Lemonade and cried three times in a row like a child.

Do you have any musical inspirations? 

Horses by Patti Smith which just turned 50 years old. I was listening to that a lot when we were making the record because Patti Smith is a huge hero of mine.

 Would you describe yourself as a feminist? 

Yes. Everyone should be a feminist. ItÔÇÖs just about equality and being treated like a human. Men can be┬áfeminists too! People can be afraid of feminism though, these are the people who are afraid of words and their┬álack of accountability.

 Finally, are you enjoying Cardiff? 

Yeah! We had a cool day in Cardiff today the Christmas markets were awesome. My bandmate had a crepe with lemon and maple syrup. Awesome. And thank you so much having me, I hope you enjoy the concert tonight!

 

She is empowering. Order her new album We Were Wild here! http://esmepatterson.com/