Berries are a London-based trio who’ve been gaining increasingly complimentary plaudits for their incendiary blend of rock, grunge and indie sounds. Prolific giggers, they’ve spent the last couple of years playing the London circuit, and more and more, festivals , supports further afield.
Fresh from a high-profile support slot with Ex Hex at illustrious Shoreditch hangout Village Underground, and with a new single ‘Silent’, a showcase as much for their outspoken lyrical firepower as their lean, tight sound, GIITTV caught up with guitarist Holly Carter to find out all the juice on Berries.
Tell us about the origins of Berries. When and how did you form?
Lauren Cooper (bass) and myself grew up together in Norfolk. We used to spend our days eating pizza and competing to see who could play Plug in Baby the fastest – a competition that is still very much on-going to this day, much to the distress of Lucie (Hartmann – drums). We loved the same music and it was inevitable we would end up in a band together but that didn’t happen until we both moved to London and met Lucie.
How would you describe the sound you’re going for?
I think the amazing thing about writing songs with Lauren and Lucie is that everyone has a million ideas. And we love all of them. So we try to fit everything into a three-minute track. But we love writing songs that push us and are exciting to play and (hopefully) exciting to listen to and I think that is definitely the foundation of the band.
Who does the current line up consist of? What is your common musical ground and what do you each bring to the table in terms of individual traits and tastes?
The band is myself on lead vocals and guitar, Lauren on bass and Lucie on drums. We share a love of riff-driven rock and keeping things fresh during the track. No one wants to play the same riff or beat or line for very long without adding in a flourish or altering it slightly, so our tracks usually develop from one idea and then move into something totally different. Lauren loves a good breakdown and her and Lucie run with an idea and then shout ‘Holly solo over this’ and we all just improvise until we get something we really like.
Give us a quick rundown of what you’ve released to date…
So far we have released singles ‘Discreetly’ ‘Faults’ and ‘Wild Vow’ and a six track EP called ‘Those Funny Things’.
Following on from that, you’ve just released a single called ‘Silent’ – what’s it about??
‘Silent’ is about struggling to be heard in such a noisy world which we feel many people can probably relate to. Whether it’s your views, choices, decisions or opinions,, many people feel they don’t have a voice and this is what the track is about.
https://soundcloud.com/berriesband/silent-1/s-vuGmW
You’ve been chalking up some nice high-profile support slots recently…. Which are the most memorable?
One of our favourites has to be Village Underground supporting Ex Hex. It was a great crowd and an incredible stage. The reaction was brilliant and Ex Hex are lovely, so we had an insane time.
Likewise, you’ve been playing more and more out of London. Where are your favourite places to play when you’re not in the capital? Anywhere you’d like to play, both in the UK and beyond, but haven;t got to yet?
We love playing everywhere but in Brighton and Liverpool the crowds are always super into it. We’d love to play in Germany and France as we have family there, and Scotland too.
On a similar tip, what is next in the pipeline for Berries? Can we expect a debut album soon?
We are dropping another EP first, but a debut album is definitely being discussed more and more, we would love to do it!
We understand that your fan base recently welcomed one of The Slits to its fold? Tell us more, and what nuggets of advice has she given you if any?
Yeah Tessa (Pollitt – longtime Slits bassist) is really amazing, she is so passionate about music and so supportive, she always says the main thing is to stay true to yourself.
LIVE DATES:
August 22 – Lexington, London. (w/Bleached)
November 6 – EP launch, Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen.London.
Facebook.com/Berriesband
Instagram.com/Berriesband
Twitter.com/Berriesbanduk
