Voice On The Verge #50 • Veronica Falls

The lo-fi London scene has been understandably welcoming to Glasgow-born quartet Veronica Falls, plumping the cushions for a long-standing residential spot on the touring circuit. The boy/boy/girl/girl outfit play a eerily good blend of goth-pop-shoegaze, and their time-tested but only just pressed single ‘Beachy Head’ (which came out via No Pain In Pop earlier this month) is sure to make waves. The band have bagged support slots for a number of buzz groups like Vivian Girls and Dum Dum Girls, and gigged frequently with now-defunct East London outfit An Experiment On A Bird In An Air Pump. Though they’re undoubtedly busy making black and white music videos and prepping for that anticipated debut LP, Wears The Trousers caught up with bass player Marion, who reminisced on her early attempts at songwriting in French (her first language), why she’s still tattoo-less, and why her fear of flying wont stop her passion for travelling.

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What did you listen to when you were growing up?

A whole lot of different stuff. I used to go to my local library in the early ’90s and take out a bunch of random CDs, listen to it all then return it the following week and take some more of the ones I’d like plus a few more by random artists I’d never heard of. The ones that stood out and that I can still remember being really excited about were early Cat Power and Smog albums. The internet wasn’t widespread then so it was hard finding any information about who these people were or whether they’d release anything else.

What’s your middle name?

Elisa, after the Serge Gainsbourg song.

What is your most loved item of clothing and why is it so treasured?

My mustard yellow ‘Breton’ jacket with a blue and cream striped lining. It’s a kid’s jacket and has a label on which to write your name and classroom number. It’s waterproof so quite well suited to the British weather.

Who was your childhood idol?

Antoine Doinel, a recurrent character in Truffaut movies. I thought he was effortlessly cool and I had a big crush on him.

Tell us about your favourite instrument.

My dad recently gave me his first bass guitar he used to play with in the early ’70s. It’s an old Teisco and it looks really good. I haven’t played live with it yet, it needs a bit of work done to it first but I’d always wanted to have it in my possession.

Do you have a tattoo?

We were all really tempted to get a tattoo during our American tour. James already has a couple but Patrick, Roxanne and I don’t have any. I’ve been joking about getting the Michelin Man tattooed on my arm. I do actually really like ‘Russian criminals’ tattoos but I’m too much of a wimp to do anything about it.

If you could star in any TV show, past or current, which would it be and what kind of character would you play?

‘Seinfeld’! I’m a big fan. Elaine Benes is the best female character to have come out of American sitcoms in my opinion. She’s pretty, incredibly funny, witty and a bit of a feminist too. It’d be hard to come up with a character that perfect again so maybe I could just play some sort of ‘Elaine Benes Tribute’ type of character?

What was the last good book you read and how did it affect you?

I really liked Françoise Sagan’s Hello Sadness. She was only eighteen when she wrote it yet it’s so cleverly put together, it’s amazing. I wouldn’t really say it affected me but I enjoyed it and bought a few of her other books afterward, but none that I liked as much as this one.

Which female musicians have most inspired you most, if any?

Christina Billotte and the whole of Slant 6, Maggie & Tobi Vail, Shirley Collins, Françoise Hardy, Ellie Medeiros from The Stinky Toys, young Sylvie Vartan and many more.

What’s your biggest fear?

I’m not very good with planes. I hate flying which is annoying as I love going places and need to fly quite often. I just can’t relax, sleep or fix my attention onto anything when I’m up in the air. I wouldn’t say it’s my biggest fear, but it’s certainly quite close to being a phobia!

What’s been the best moment of your career so far?

Touring the East Coast of America has been my favourite bit. We were unsure about how people would react to our music over there or if they’d even heard of us before, but everywhere we went everyone turned out to be really nice and we had a lot of fun.

What’s your tipple?

I like a good White Russian.

What’s your top household tip?

Delegate, delegate, delegate.

Which artist would you most like to work with – your dream collaboration?

I think we are all quite fond of Alex Chilton but I guess it’s too late now.

Do you have an instrument you’d still like to learn? What’s stopping you?

I’d love to play drums. It looks like a lot of fun, or maybe Patrick just makes it look that way. Don’t have much time at the moment though and I’m still sort of learning to play bass, so…

What have you done today to make you feel proud?

I’ve gone for a swim, which I’d been meaning to do for the last six months!

Are you multi-lingual? Have you ever written a song that wasn’t in English?

My first language is French and I used to write songs in French all the time when I was younger. It seemed easy enough back then but I’d hate to read back on it now.

What kind of person would have sex to your music?

I’d never thought of that before but I honestly don’t think anyone’s ever had sex to our music…

Would you rather see a ghost or simply have a piece of toast and watch the evening news?

I’d like to see the ghost of Rasputin having a piece of toast while singing “Life, oh life” by Des’ree. That would really make my day.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever worked and what was so bad about it?

I’ll answer that one when I’m 100% sure I don’t need to ever get back to it.

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For all things Veronica Falls, stay tuned to their Myspace.

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