Louis is a musician from Pembroke Dock via Bristol and London, and a self-professed leaver of bands. He performs live with a full band under the name Louis O’Hara and His Burley Chassis.
Hi, how are you today?
I’m pretty good. I’ve got a stye so I’m answering these questions with cucumber over my left eye. Other than that, no complaints.
Where does your name come from?
Burley Chassis / Shirley Bassey. It’s an homage to our great Welsh songstress. The ‘His’ bit my friend Josh suggested, and I thought it was pretty funny.
How did you meet the band?
I met Will (guitar/keys) first, about 3 years ago – I was asked to session for a band called Oslo Twins, he was in the band so we became friends through that. Frankie (clarinet) I met while working at The Windmill in Brixton. I did sound for a band from New Zealand he was playing with and asked if he’d like to come clarinet with me. Georgina (cellist) I found on a North London string players Facebook group. She responded to my “Cellist needed. Message for details” ad and completed the lineup.
What was the first thing you released?
Ever? A soundtrack I made for a zero-budget film shot in Pembrokeshire with the director, Nick Swannell. That went onto Bandcamp. The first release of the current project was Clay, the single from my ‘Clay EP’.
What’s the music scene like back home?
In Pembroke Dock itself there’s a cafe round the corner from my house called Cwtch Coffee that put on some really great stuff. The shows are quite sporadic but if you can get down to one it’s absolutely worth it. In West Wales in general, there are some really great venues doing really great things. I think CWRW in Carmarthen are laying the foundations for something really special there, and they’re getting some top bands already. I played The Cellar Bar in Cardigan on my tour just gone, and that’s a really great space too. The venues are out there, you’ve just got to look a bit harder than you do in the cities.
How would you describe your music in five words?
Calming, nostalgic, naive, emotional, tender. I’m really bad at answering questions like this, so I tried to find words that commonly come up from other people about my music.
Which artists do you admire?
Jonathan Richman is someone whose approach I really admire. Discovering him and his music really helped me to approach songwriting more fearlessly, embracing naivety and simplicity in my songs rather than feeling like I have to achieve some sort of poetic excellence. I also have loads of admiration for any artists that have done well for themselves coming from South / West Wales. Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci are a huge influence, Cate Le Bon too.
Which albums do you share a love of?
When I play live with my full band we do a cover of a track called ‘Psycho’. It was originally released by Eddie Noack in 1949 but our version is closer to the Jack Kittel version from 1974. It’s definitely one of everyone’s favourite songs to to play in our set list.
What would be your dream collaboration?
John Cale.
Can you tell us about your new release?
The ‘Clay EP’ is my first time really releasing songs in the true sense of the word ‘song’. I’ve been releasing music under my own name for years now, as well as playing in about 13 different bands, but this is the first release where the songs were really built around me singing with an acoustic guitar. They’re not quite the first songs I ever wrote, but some of the ideas had been knocking around for years so I really wanted to just get them out so I can carry on writing new, more developed material. I recorded and mixed them across two days in London and three in Bristol, and I was lucky to work with some amazing musicians and engineers as part of that, including the three musicians I play with live who are Frankie Di Stani (clarinet), Georgina Hamilton (cello) and William Snelling (guitar and keys). I’m extremely lucky to know those people as they’re incredible musicians and have kept the songs fresh for me by improvising and adapting their parts constantly.
What’s the best band you have played with so far?
I don’t know if I can name just one. I supported The Rebel, of Country Teasers fame in June which was wicked and I’ve had some amazing acts supporting me too. Ike from Tapir! and Mari Mathias were both incredible; Looney Bergonzi too, who supported me on most of my tour. They’ve no music out yet but when they do, it’s game over for everyone else.
What’s on your rider?
Cup of tea (milk one sugar) and some malted milk biscuits.
What do you do to fill the time on tour when you aren’t playing?
Playing cards, eating fry-ups, reading, not listening to music.
What’s on your playlist?I made a playlist while planning the recording and mixing sessions for the EP, it’s got a lot of Townes Van Zandt, The Fleetwoods, Françoise Hardy, Bill Callahan, Cate Le Bon and Leonard Cohen, amongst others.
Are you playing any shows this autumn?
We’ve just come off a 9-date summer tour, so taking it pretty easy until next year. Hopefully we’ve got one show left in us in October to celebrate the release of the EP though.
