Deap Vally are readying their debut album, ahead of their gig at the Shipping Forecast in Liverpool, they tell Getintothis’ Nick Lodge about their DIY approach and why Courtney Love is the ultimate badass.
‘We’re gonna melt some faces…‘
Lindsey Troy, laid back, softly-spoken singer and guitarist behind the two-headed rock beast Deap Vally, is telling Getintothis what audiences should expect when they reach these shores.
On a miserable February evening in Liverpool, Lindsey was on her way to finish off Deap Vally‘s debut album in a Californian studio. The album, due for release in May, ‘sounds so good…really raw and heavy.‘
The band are currently tearing the rock world a new one with their take on R&B, swamp rock, and any other musical genre that involves guitars and drums handled without care and played at volume. Their fledgling career as a duo is only a couple of EPs old, but their incendiary live shows are fast becoming legendary.
Ironically, they met on the relatively-sedate crocheting circuit, her drumming partner-to-be Julie Edwards serving as teacher, in her shop, The Little Knittery. They chatted, about the usual stuff – their lives, their music, disillusionment -, bonded, and soon realised the obvious next step was to team up, close-knit Valley girls doing it for themselves.
As part of a family band growing up, Lindsey was familiar with the limelight by 11 years old. By 15 she was considered something of a teenage folk-pop prodigy, with label backing, and recorded an unreleased album with her sister, before a solo spell. As hinted earlier, though, things didn’t quite go according to plan, and Lindsey went back to the lively San Fernando Valley music scene – ‘a lot of my friends are in bands‘ -, falling back on earlier idols and influences.
“When I was really young I thought Courtney Love was the ultimate badass, probably something to do with the fact that I wanted to play rock ‘n’ roll. I liked her ‘don’t give a f*ck’ attitude,” she says.
But other influences are more prevalent on the duo’s first recorded output. We mention The White Stripes and Led Zeppelin. Lindsey graciously acknowledges their influences, even though I suspect she’s answered this question a thousand times:
She adds: “I love both those bands. Jack White is a great guitar player – kinda chaotic, really creative. And Jimmy Page, he’s like the king.”
Troy and Edwards are now mixing with rock royalty themselves. In their short life they’ve already toured with ‘sweet English boys’ The Vaccines, opened for Josh Homme‘s Eagles of Death Metal (when we ask about working with Homme, I’m met with a coy giggle as she neatly sidesteps the question), as well as Muse, and have signed to Communion, the label owned by Ben Lovett of Mumford and Sons.
Amid all the hype, though, it’s easy to forget that they’ve been together less than two years, and have a history of disappointment within the industry. They prefer to enjoy this moment rather than planning their future, revelling in the ‘specific dynamic’ of being a duo at the start of something:
She added: “We always want to be having fun. That could mean different things – a lot of our music has a sense of humour.‘
Which may explain their basic approach to spelling and the presence of hotpants, in winter, in the UK. But it’s the primitive riffs, brutal drumming, f*ck you lyrics, and banshee wail that will be the topic of serious conversation after we emerge, eyes blinking and heads shaking, from the Deap primordial sh*t of their Shipping Forecast gig.
Deap Vally play Shipping Forecast on March 7 at the Shipping Forecast.
