I AM HORSE came on to our radar a long time ago with help from our friends at Audiophiles. We were fans straight away of their strange mix of electronic, folk and bits of everything else. They have been around for a while, as the album was coming out we decided to chat to them and find out what it takes to make the album and how it all started.
Hello I Am Horse how are you? Excited about the album?
We're very excited about our debut album, it’s taken a year of hard graft, and we are very happy and proud of what we've produced.
How long have you guys been playing together? Have you known each other a long time?
Susanne and Magda have been friends for years and played together in a band in Brighton about 10 years ago. When Susanne moved to Bristol in 2009 the pair formed I am horse.
Magda met Anna through mutual friends and asked her to join as we'd been told she was an ace pianist. We had a fourth member, Kate, who plays violin on the album but she left to pursue other ventures. Since then we have 'floating' string players - so our current line-up sometimes includes Rebecca on violin and Will on cello (a boy nussled his way into the stable when we weren't looking....!).
Who plays what in the band? How long have you been playing them?
We're all multi-instrumentalists, so there’s a lot of swapping around and a lot of instruments.
Magda is the lead singer and also is the Loop-master, plays flute, synth, glockenspiel and melodica. She has been singing and writing songs since she was a kid, and the instruments above she has picked up on the way (although there was a year of flute lessons at school).
Susanne is drummer extraordinaire, but not only that, she also plays synth, clarinet and melodica. Suz has also been writing and playing music on the circuit for many years.
Anna has played piano since she was 5 and though always desperate to perform she spent the majority of her adult life waiting to be asked!
So the album, how long did it take to sort out I can’t imagine it’s a quick process?
The album took over a year, as first we deconstructed all our tracks and then put them back together again. Playing live can be much more spontaneous, but when it comes to recording, and with all the instruments we use, each part needed to be locked down. So yeah, it took a long time, but we think it was worth it!
Are there any tracks on the album which stand out to be your favourite?
That's such a hard question! We worked so hard on them all – what’s your favourite?!
‘Pictures of you’ really stands out for me and from the first time I heard it I have wanted to know the background, what’s/who’s it about?
Pictures is one of our oldest songs and it’s great that you like it. We're a bit shy about giving away too much detail, but it’s about when you are really into someone (in a slightly stalkerish way), and they don't realise it. In your head you've created something that isn't actually real, so it’s like being in love, but the other person hasn't noticed. Anyone who has ever drifted onto the obsessive richter scale will have an affinity with this track.....
To have a listen to the album and to buy it go to their Bandcamp Page:
I am horse Bandcamp
Have you been playing the album out live yet?
We're saving ourselves for the launch! Many of the tracks have been part of our live set and we find that the response to them will depend on the audience. Our songs drift from classical/folkie feel through to electronic/dance stuff, so if we're playing a more folkie night, something like To Weston goes down a storm, whereas if it’s more electronic, Fade Away is a big favourite. Pictures is definitely the sing-a-long track.
Bristol is your hometown right? Where else have you played do you have a gig which was especially good?
We're all Bristol-based, and we've played in most of the venues here over the last couple of years. Our favourite and best gig is easy - supporting Kyla La Grange last October downstairs at the Thekla. We had an hour sound check, and Matt (the sound man) made us sound amazing. There were loads of people and there was such a buzz in the room - feel excited again now thinking about it!
Bristol’s music scene has seemed too exploded in the past year to an even greater level, is there any other bands you may suggest to people who are digging your music?
Bristol is a great place to be a band at the moment. Guess we should plug our mates - Joyce the Librarian and Billy the Strange and Bernadette Pike - two great bands, definitely worth catching. Love a bit of Lonely Tourist, and for some proper punk, Crash Paris are a must.
We always wind up an interview with the same question and I’m hoping there is a great answer to it from you guys, where did I Am Horse’s name come from?
We are all massive equestrian enthusiasts. Susanne's 'my little pony collection' is second to none. Anna is big on the dressage circuit and Magda spent a large chunk of her childhood clip-cloping around Medway insisting she was a horse.
For more information on the band make sure to LIKE their Facebook page:
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We're saving ourselves for the launch! Many of the tracks have been part of our live set and we find that the response to them will depend on the audience. Our songs drift from classical/folkie feel through to electronic/dance stuff, so if we're playing a more folkie night, something like To Weston goes down a storm, whereas if it’s more electronic, Fade Away is a big favourite. Pictures is definitely the sing-a-long track.
Bristol is your hometown right? Where else have you played do you have a gig which was especially good?
We're all Bristol-based, and we've played in most of the venues here over the last couple of years. Our favourite and best gig is easy - supporting Kyla La Grange last October downstairs at the Thekla. We had an hour sound check, and Matt (the sound man) made us sound amazing. There were loads of people and there was such a buzz in the room - feel excited again now thinking about it!
Bristol’s music scene has seemed too exploded in the past year to an even greater level, is there any other bands you may suggest to people who are digging your music?
Bristol is a great place to be a band at the moment. Guess we should plug our mates - Joyce the Librarian and Billy the Strange and Bernadette Pike - two great bands, definitely worth catching. Love a bit of Lonely Tourist, and for some proper punk, Crash Paris are a must.
We always wind up an interview with the same question and I’m hoping there is a great answer to it from you guys, where did I Am Horse’s name come from?
We are all massive equestrian enthusiasts. Susanne's 'my little pony collection' is second to none. Anna is big on the dressage circuit and Magda spent a large chunk of her childhood clip-cloping around Medway insisting she was a horse.
For more information on the band make sure to LIKE their Facebook page:
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