1.Firstly, thank you so much for agreeing to do an update interview!
To begin with, I thought I would ask you if there have been any significant
developments for Ipso Facto since my original e-mail Questionnaire
and what some of your favourite memories have been since that time?
Samantha: Well, weve supported every band going
Rosie: Yeah (laughing), were like Resident Support
Band Of The Year!
All: (laughing)
Samantha: As quoted by Rosie herself (smiling)!
Rosie: (laughing) Yeah!
Samantha: We win that award!
All: (laughing)
Rosie: We supported The Last Shadow Puppets on their European
Tour, and weve just finished supporting Magazine
Samantha: We also supported Siouxsie last year as you know, and
we did the festival season.
Rosie: Yeah, we played lots of festivals weve just
done loads of gigging really. We havent done as much recording
as we would have liked to, but thats more this year, because were
going to be recording our album. But yeah, we have loads of memories
(smiling). I guess the best thing we did was the European Tour, because
we got to play in places like Amsterdam
Victoria: Paris was good too!
All: Yeah.
Samantha: And we also went to New York for the Ray-Ban Launch.
Rosie: Yeah, that as well that was great!
Samantha: They paid us like a ridiculous amount of money and put
us up in a ridiculously posh hotel and flew us over business class!
And now, ever since weve got back to London, we have to get on
The Tube and thats shit!
All: (laughing)
Samantha: But New York was really, really good (smiling)!
Cherish: We actually filmed hours of footage while we were over
there, but its just mostly of us all messing around in front of
the camera!
All: (laughing)
Rosie: Were still not signed for an album thats
a big problem but I mean somethings come up thats
looking very promising, so
We wanted to get it done last year
Victoria: Its just choosing the right label.
Rosie: Yeah, its proving difficult, because weve had
some problems with labels and stuff. But obviously, our aim is to get
the album out this year as soon as possible really.
All: Yeah.
Victoria: Were going to record with Mark Ronson for the
next single
Samantha: Well probably go to New York, but we just need
to get the dates arranged.
2.Johnny Marr recently gave a lecture at The University Of Salford,
where he argued that Outsiders are the lifeblood of The Music
Industry, but too often overlooked. What are your feelings on
this?
Victoria: Well, I think thats quite relevant at the moment
Cherish: I think every band thinks that though!
All: Yeah.
Cherish: And I think thats even a positive thing
especially for people like Siouxsie, because she definitely has a cult
following.
Rosie: Yeah.
Cherish: But she would never be able to cross into the mainstream
really. So, having such a huge and devoted fanbase is probably a bonus!
Victoria: I think in terms of career progression, being thought
of as a cult band could certainly become a hindrance like say
if you want to get to a point where you have lots of power.
Samantha: Yeah, but those fans are really loyal though and theyre
going to be their fans forever! Theyre not people who are going
to quickly move onto The Next Big Thing and personally,
I think thats more important.
All: Yeah.
3.Many music fans, critics and Internet bloggers are currently debating
which artist / band they feel has defined the last Decade. But if the
decision was yours, who would you choose?
Rosie: Id say the Arctic Monkeys.
Cherish: Yeah, because although they are a classic indie band,
its good music you know? And people who would never like that
type of music, like it!
Victoria: Yeah.
Rosie: Especially when I was at school and they first came out,
because everyone who wasnt into a band, or who wasnt into
guitar music, sort of crossed over. Its similar to what Oasis
did for music in The 90s. I guess they sort of appeal to everyone.
Victoria: I cant think of any other British band in recent
times, that has represented their generation so well.
Cherish: No. But I also think that there are a lot of bands out
there at the moment, who are still kind of small, but will probably
have a big impact on The Music Industry in years to come
Victoria: But the Arctic Monkeys for this Decade definitely!
4.Jack White said that he thinks of his gigs as The modern
day equivalent of a community going to church every week. Adding,
"The thing I love about live performance the most, is that the
doors are closed, the lights are turned down and the audience has to
be reverential to what's happening onstage. It's not like being at home
where you can change channels, fast-forward, turn it off, put the book
down, or walk away. It's this phenomenon where we all, as a community,
go to church and sit and experience this thing together. Would
you agree with this?
Samantha: Ahh, I like that (smiling)!
Cherish: Thats a nice quote!
Rosie: Thats a really good thing to say!
Victoria: Yeah, I like it!
Cherish: I dont think Ipso Facto are quite there yet
Rosie: (laughing) People do just get up and walk away!
All: (laugh hysterically)
Samantha: They do not (mock defensively)!
All: (laughing)
Cherish: I think maybe for The White Stripes, thats how
it is
Victoria: I do understand what hes saying how an
audience has to give something of themselves, they commit to a point
of engagement
Samantha: Footballs similar as well, its like a new
religion. But like Jack White said, the number of people going to church
every week is dying out, so a lot of people do now find hope and faith
in music (pausing), thats a really lovely idea actually!
All: Yeah.
5.Whats the best gig line-up that youve ever seen, including
both the headline act + supports?
Victoria: Oh man, we could give so many answers!
Rosie: Shit
Samantha: Oh God, thats really difficult.
Victoria: I think theyd all be different as well you know?
Cherish: I cant choose I really cant choose.
Rosie: It would probably have to be a festival or something wouldnt
it (looking at the girls)?
Cherish: But then that wouldnt be a gig as such, because
there are so many different bands on at different times. I remember
when I was maybe 14, I went to V Festival and it was the first proper
show that Id ever been to and I just remember watching Muse.
Victoria: I went to a great N*E*R*D gig once (smiling)!
Rosie: What if it includes us (laughing)?
Cherish: I cant think of anything this is a really
hard question well have to come back to this one later
if we have time (laughing).
6.And who for you, have been / are some of the greatest frontmen
and frontwomen in the history of popular music?
Rosie: Ooh
Cherish: Ive never really thought about this before (pausing)
Victoria: These are really hard questions (pausing), well, theyre
not hard, theyre actually quite easy, but off the top of your
head
Theyre the best ones though, when you have to actually
think you know?
Samantha: Youre going to have a lot of long pauses on your
Dictaphone throughout this interview.
All: (laugh hysterically)
Cherish: Sorry were so rubbish!
Samantha: You get nervous when you put yourself under pressure
to think of good answers
Victoria: Ooh (excitedly), I went to see Grace Jones recently
I think shes awesome! They dont like her though (looking
at the girls).
Samantha: What are you talking about!?!
Victoria: Oh, you like her do you (looking at Samantha)?
Samantha & Cherish: Yes!
Victoria: Oh OK, they like her. I think Patti Smiths great
as well (smiling)!
Samantha: Bowie and Jarvis Cocker.
Cherish: It depends though, because there are so many different
ways of looking at it, like musically or The Wow Factor
like Marilyn Manson or somebody who puts on an amazing show.
Samantha: Fred
Rosie: (laughing)
*I ask Samantha if she means Freddie Mercury*
Samantha: Yeah, Freddie Mercury (laughing)!
Rosie: No, she doesnt mean him, its another Fred we
know, but he does actually look a lot like him though (laughing).
Cherish: He doesnt look like Freddie Mercury.
Rosie: Im going to pass on this question
Cherish: Oh come on Rosie, I know that in your head its
Paul McCartney!
All: (laugh hysterically)
Rosie: Hes not a very good frontman at all, so no.
7.Last year, The Clash released a deluxe retrospective book and Mick
Jones is now set to display his personal collection of memorabilia at
a London exhibition. But is there an artist / band who youd love
to see release a comprehensive book + have an exhibition of memorabilia?
All: Not The Clash (laughing)!
Cherish: Brian Eno.
Rosie: Yeah, that would be really cool! It would have to be someone
whos monumentally big that would impress you, whos completely
untouchable
Cherish: Were really shit at answering these questions.
Rosie: (laughing) Were so not functioning today!
Cherish: I think Brian Eno
Rosie: Do you (looking at Cherish)?
Cherish: Yeah, because hes done so much!
Victoria: People like Aphex Twin actually, who you never see,
who are anonymous.
Cherish: But I dont think there are many musicians who are
untouchable these days if youre in The Music Industry,
you can kind of work your way up to meeting at least some of the people
who you admire.
Samantha: Id agree with Brian Eno and Id also say
Bowie again Id like to touch all of his clothes
Cherish: (doing an uncanny Spinal Tap / Nigel Tufnel impression) Dont
touch it! Dont point! Youve seen enough
All: (laughing)
*I ask the girls if theyve ever had any Spinal Tap moments*
Rosie: Weve had some (laughing), like trying to find our
way to the stage at certain venues and weve also been given
bread thats smaller than the ham!
All: (laughing)
Samantha: I liked it when Spinal Tap reunited for Live Earth (laughing).
8.On a similar note, War Child has just released a new CD called Heroes
which has been billed as, The ultimate covers album recorded
by todays biggest acts, requested by the original legends.
But is there a musical legend who you would like to personally ask Ipso
Facto to record / rework one of their classic songs?
Rosie: Well, I saw that Paul McCartney is on there
All: (laughing)
Rosie: I keep mentioning his name in interviews and its
really not good for my street cred (laughing)!
Samantha: Thats true (laughing).
*I mention that Paul McCartney asked Duffy to cover Live And Let Die
for the CD*
Cherish: Are you kidding (surprised)!?!
Rosie: Oh My God, that is like my dream the bitch (laughing)!
Duffys going down!
All: (laugh hysterically)
Cherish: Its happened a teeny-weeny bit to us though
obviously nowhere near as big but we did a Lesley Gore cover,
You Dont Own Me. And at our Christmas Party (Im Dreaming
Of A Black & White Christmas), we were talking to Mark Ronson and
he was like (adopting a Transatlantic accent), Oh yeah, I know
her
I was like (gasping), You know her!?! Shes
a bit of a legend (smiling)!
Rosie: With Magazine, we sang backing vocals with them as well,
so it was almost like we were collaborating. But, if Paul McCartney
asked me to sing Live And Let Die, that would be really good, because
I fucking love that song!
Samantha: I think it would be good to cover a band that you like,
that doesnt sound like you though, because I dont think
theres any point in just recreating a song.
Cherish: This interviews going to still be playing on our
minds in 5 hours time I think like, Why didnt we
say that?
Rosie: Yeah, Idiots!
All: (laughing)
9.In terms of songwriting, some musicians talk about how although its
rewarding to finish writing a song, its also equally as fulfilling
knowing when to take a musical idea / lyric away, that isnt going
to work. Is this the same for you?
Rosie: I hate doing that (without any hesitation)! I really cant
do that I hate letting things go, even if I know that a song
will sound better without something. Its hard, because I much
prefer having everything rather than taking away.
Cherish: Musically, when you think of something, even its
really shit, youre like, Oh, I can make it into something.
And then, you try and try and sometimes, it just doesnt really
work or come to anything. But, you keep working at it (laughing)!
Samantha: Yeah (smiling).
Victoria: I find it really hard to program-in rhythms, like I
have to play them and record them, and that means that I often just
lose thoughts that are in my head. Its really annoying, because
I never rehearse not really, apart from the gigs so its
really tricky for me to transfer some of my musical ideas.
10.Would you agree that behind most great albums, there has always
been a great producer?
Samantha: I think its really, really important to have a
good producer and someone who understands your vision and the route
you want to go down
Rosie: Yeah.
Samantha: Because you can have an amazing band with amazing songs
and really shit production.
*I comment that the majority of records which feature in The Top
100 Albums Of All-Time lists, more often than not, always seem
to have had revered producers behind the control desk*
Rosie: Oh yeah, if you work with a producer that you really get
on with, it is almost like having an extra member in the band.
Victoria: Yeah.
Samantha: Its really good to have friendships with people
who know more about the technical front like the mixing and everything
because if they can bring that knowledge to you and make suggestions
about your songs, in the long-run, it will make for far better music!
All: Yeah.
11.As a band that also takes great care and pride in your artwork,
which artists / groups from the past and present, do you feel have had
the best sleeve designs?
Rosie: A lot of metal bands (laughing)!
Victoria: Yeah!
Cherish: And prog bands theres a band called Yes,
and their artwork is fucking incredible! Im like, YES!!!!!
(excitedly) everytime I look at it.
All: (laughing)
Samantha: The Smiths always had really good artwork
Rosie: Yeah.
Samantha: Like their T-shirts are amazing, but I just dont
like them as a band.
12.Rosie, I really loved your duets with The Last Shadow Puppets
and Magazine, but if you could sing a duet with anybody else, who would
it be and why and Cherish, Victoria and Samantha, if you could
be the backing band for any singer for an evening, who would it be and
why?
Samantha & Cherish: Rosie would pick Paul McCartney (without
any hesitation)!
All: (laugh hysterically)
Rosie: Im really not that much of a fan, I just fancy him
a bit. Oh God (long pause + thinking), I think it would be really fun
to sing with someone whos like a proper crooner, you know like
(doing a crooner impression)
Samantha: Like Tom Jones (looking at Rosie)?
Rosie: Yeah, but not him specifically, someone like that
Samantha: Maybe Elvis, if he was still alive?
Rosie: I dont know? People just ask me to do them for some
reason and I enjoy doing them, but now, Im like Duet Girl
(laughing)!
Samantha: Stick with Paul McCartney!
All: (laughing)
Rosie: No, Im not going to say him again, Im going
to say (long pause + thinking)
John Lennon!
Cherish: Any member of The Beatles minus Ringo, because of his
nose!
All: (laugh hysterically)
Samantha: Oh God, now its our turn
Victoria: You should ask each of us individually who wed
pick.
Samantha: Yeah, but can we pick any time and any era?
*I say yes*
Victoria: Mariah Carey like seriously!
Rosie: (laughing)
Cherish: I dont think Id want to be in a backing band,
but I would like to have a keyboard-off with Keith Emerson (Emerson,
Lake & Palmer).
Victoria: Wait, wait, I thought you meant singing!?!
Cherish: No, youd be in the backing band for them singing
(looking at Victoria).
Victoria: Oh right, scratch that!
Samantha: Did you say that you wanted to be Mariah Carey (surprised
+ looking at Victoria)?
All: (laugh hysterically)
Victoria: Im sorry, I didnt listen to the question
properly.
Samantha: Id pick The Stranglers during their About Time
era, because thats an amazing record!
Victoria: Aphex Twin dont have a backing band do they?
Rosie: I think being the backing band for Bowie would be really
cool (looking at the girls).
All: Yeah!
Victoria: Ooh, I would like to play with Stanton Moore and Buddy
Rich (drummers)
*At 6.50pm, Ipso Factos Sound Engineer / Tour Manger Mark, enters
the dressing room and says to the girls to give him a call when our
interview has finished, so that they can then go and grab a bite to
eat. So, I ask Rosie, Cherish, Victoria and Samantha, if they would
like to finish up the interview where we are, but they very kindly agree
to answer some more of my questions. With this in mind, I skip through
to the final few
*
13.What inspires you outside of music?
Rosie: David Lynch films.
All: Yeah, definitely!
*I say that Howling Bells love David Lynchs films*
Samantha: Their new video (Cities Burning Down) is awesome!
Rosie: Ive never heard any of their music, but we get compared
to them a lot.
*I tell the girls that theyre a really great band and lovely people
as well*
Samantha: Ahh
Cherish: I enjoy reading, but because I dont write lyrics,
my favourite authors are the complete opposite
Samantha: Catherine Cookson (looking at Cherish)?
All: (laughing)
Cherish: I do actually have a couple of Danielle Steele books
as well (pausing), thats not my favourite author though (laughing).
Rosie: I like Aleister Crowley.
Samantha: I think were all inspired by lots of different
things outside of music really.
All: Yeah.
14.If you could be photographed for any magazine and be on the front
cover, which one would it be?
Rosie: Id say Vogue (without any hesitation)!
Cherish: FHM (jokingly).
All: (laughing)
Samantha: Id say Q Id like to be on the front
of Q, because its such a classic music magazine. Id also
like to be on the front cover of the NME.
Cherish: GQ would be so great
Rosie: GQ (surprised + looking at Cherish)? How is that relevant
to anything?
All: (laughing)
Rosie: Obviously, I would like to be on the cover of Q or Rolling
Stone, but I doubt thatll ever happen (pausing), I think we should
try and get ourselves into the whole Kerrang! thing, I think it would
be hilarious if we just had loads of really hardcore rock fans
Samantha: Wed get bottled man!
Rosie: No, it would be great theyre really loyal.
Victoria: Mark, our Sound Engineer / Tour Manager, will put in
a good word for us!
All: (laughing)
15.Whats on your Rider today?
Victoria: Oh God, dont weve been marking the
Riders out of 10.
Rosie: We have a points system with Riders, but weve actually
been treated really well recently. We got an 8 out of 10 Rider the other
day (smiling), which was just almost perfect! But today, we got some
carrot sticks, celery and dips
Samantha: It was a 2 out of 10 Rider.
All: (laughing)
Rosie: I dont know whether theyre trying to put us
on a diet, but thats all we got. Whereas the other day, we got
a big feast (smiling)!
Samantha: They gave us £20 and we were like, Well
go and get it ourselves! So we said, This is the best Rider
weve ever had (laughing)!
Cherish: And we had change leftover!
Rosie: We put black tights and ear plugs on the Riders, but we
never get them.
Samantha: No, we never get them so were going to
have ladders in our tights and go deaf.
All: (laughing)
*I ask the girls if you have to send your Rider request to each venue
in advance*
All: Yeah.
Samantha: Theres no point though
Rosie: No, because they dont listen to a word you say anyway
you turn up and its different everytime!
Samantha: And Hummus is on every Rider
Rosie: Yeah (laughing), it seems to be a standard.
Samantha: Its horrible!
Rosie: Do you know why its called a Rider (looking at me)?
Samantha: I discovered that the other day actually, I looked it
up on the Internet. It means an addition to the band performance contract
or something.
Rosie: Oh, Id been wondering for ages and I was asking everyone,
but nobody knew, but weve looked it up now!
16.If you were asked to put together a TV show in a similar vein
to Storytellers whereby 5 musicians play songs together,
talk about their music / respective careers, jam and tell anecdotes
etc. Who would you ask to appear?
Rosie: Id just completely freak out I get so star
struck if I respect their work, I wouldnt even be able to get
a sentence out
*I ask Rosie if she would ask Paul McCartney to appear*
All: (laugh hysterically)
Rosie: Dont make out Im obsessed with Paul McCartney
(mock defiantly), it was just a childhood thing thats stuck with
me (laughing)!
Victoria: Theyd all be different.
Rosie: Yeah, theyd all be different.
Victoria: Well, lets have 1 each and then a spare 1 that
we all like (looking at the girls)?
Samantha: Im no good at these on-the-spot questions, Ill
have to think about it
Rosie: Do you mean someone that youd really want to work
with?
Samantha: Or just someone who youd like to hear tell stories
about their songs and lives?
*I say that it can be for either reason*
Rosie: I would say Thom Yorke I really want to work with
him, because I think from the past Decade, hes just the biggest
genius!
Victoria: That would be cool! Id say Patti Smith.
Cherish: Um (long pause + thinking).
Victoria: Matt Bellamy (looking at Cherish)? Or a member of Take
That (jokingly)?
Cherish: Im going to go with Cheryl Cole from Girls Aloud
Victoria: What (surprised)!?!
Cherish: Im joking (mock defensively)!
All: (laughing)
Victoria: You could ask, What happened in the toilet Cheryl?
Cherish: I really dont know, this is such a hard question.
Samantha: Im going to pick Marilyn Manson.
Cherish: Please dont ask me, because its just too
hard I really cant decide.
Samantha: Or Bowie I guess?
Cherish: Oh right (suddenly), Ive got 1 Corey Taylor
from Slipknot!
Victoria: Oh yes (excitedly)!
Rosie: (laughing) Corey!
Victoria: Thats a good one Cherish.
Cherish: Do you know why? Because he has so many different singing
styles, that hed be able to use a different voice for every song!
*That Ipso Facto Storytellers line-up in full: Thom Yorke,
Patti Smith, Marilyn Manson, David Bowie and Corey Taylor from Slipknot*
17.Whats the most memorable MySpace message that Ipso Facto has
ever received?
Samantha: There was one guy who said, I have a shoe fetish
and I was just wondering if you could send me any of your shoes that
youve worn on stage?
All: (laugh hysterically)
Samantha: Weve got a really sweet fan in Japan as well,
who came to London
Rosie: On her own!
Samantha: And shes our first crying Japanese fan! It was
amazing!
Victoria: What was the reason she came over for (looking at the
girls)?
Rosie: She came over for our London gigs with Magazine and our
own headline show.
Samantha: I gave her a T-shirt and she cried!
Victoria: Oh God yeah, we were signing her maps and everything
(smiling).
Cherish: Shes probably older than me its just
insane!
Rosie: We so want to go to Japan, thats like our fantasy
and I think wed do really well there as well!
Samantha: Our Japanese EP has just come out there as you know,
because youve got it
*I remark that a lot of female Japanese Ipso Facto fans will probably
dress like the girls themselves*
Cherish: Well, I think our hair is more like theirs anyway (smiling).
Rosie: Yeah (laughing).
Cherish: This particular fan did have a dress which she called
Ipso Facto.
Samantha: Yeah, it did look very Ipso Facto.
Victoria: It looked like that one I wore for the NME shoot
you know the one with the lace in black? It wasnt mine, but
18.Lastly, how does it feel all living in the same house together,
and is being in a band / the lifestyle, everything you expected it would
be?
Samantha: We used to live together
Rosie: 3 of us used to anyway Victoria didnt live
in the house, we found her at a bus stop!
All: (laughing)
Samantha: She did have a room if she ever wanted to stay, there
was a spare room and that was Victorias room!
Victoria: Yeah, they were very sweet (smiling).
Cherish: We dont live together anymore though.
Samantha: No, just me and Cherish.
Cherish: Its like Ipso Matchbox (laughing), it has the basics
and a couple of rooms its alright
Rosie: I now live with our Manager as well, which is a bit weird.
Samantha: But being in a band is everything we expected and more!
You want to see how we tour Steve, weve got a little tin-can bus
and Chris, our Manager, is hell-bent on budget tours! When we played
in Berlin, we stayed in an abandoned orphanage!
All: (laughing)
Samantha: Its just horrible, but well appreciate it
more when we do have a proper tour bus!
Victoria: Definitely!
Cherish: We wouldnt have it any other way though
Rosie: We have so much fun so much fun (smiling)!
Victoria: At the moment, were also driving back home to
London after every gig.
Samantha: Yeah, and we just emptied three bin-liners out of the
bus today.
Rosie: We were living in a bin basically, there was rubbish everywhere
Samantha: And Chris underwear!
All: (laugh hysterically)
Rosie: Being in a band is just the easiest life in the world (pausing),
well, its not really, because it does take a certain type of person
to do it you know? But luckily, we all are (smiling)!
A very special thanks to Rosie, Cherish, Victoria
and Samantha, to Ipso Factos Management Dave + Chris, and Sound
Engineer / Tour Manager Mark, for all of their time and help.
Oxford Set List
Introducing
The Hunt
You Dont Own Me
Joined By The Swords
Balderdash
Ears & Eyes
New
6 ¾
Queen
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Harmonise
www.myspace.com/ipsofactomyspace
"Can't you hear us laughing at you?
We're laughing at you now
You sold your joke for pennies
Yet you have never been so proud"
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