In Conversation with Isobel Heyworth:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2004

 

A little background:

 

Salutations to my good pals in George for being partly responsible for

this interview and Also to my pal, Phil for reasons, as I will explain

soon.

 

Quite recently in Manchester, I ended up going to a semi acoustic gig to see

my pals in George play, and along the lines also ended up watching a number

of other pretty good bands (Some of which I will be approaching

for interviews Soon), but for me and my pal, this one young singer

songwriter completely blew both me and my pal away, and she

was called Isobel Heyworth…

 

Here was a young singer songwriter, who just armed with a acoustic guitar

managed to completely Shut a crowd in about a minute and a half, with her
beautifully sung songs.

 

After the gig finished, we had both already decided to get hold of copies of

her self released CD the next day, but on the way out of the gig, Phil got

talking to Isobel herself and I was pleasingly surprised to discover she was a particularly
charming young lady, and I asked her there and then did she want

to do a interview. She agreed and the rest is history, as you could say…

 

Most of the questions are pretty self-explained, but before she did this

interview, She then did a short interview and played a short session with a local

Radio Station, GMR (Greater Manchester Radio) which was just as charming

as her CD and live show… and it was from here, I learned she was from Macclesfield…

 

Thanks again for the interview, Isobel and hope your stay in London goes

well…

 

Andy N xxx

For more details about Isobel, please go to: http://www.isobelheyworth.com/

 

Setting Sun: How are you and what’s happening at the moment?

 

Isobel:

I'm very well thanks. I’m practising for gigs and writing as per, all this sunshine we’ve been
getting means I can do all that in the garden, which is a lovely

way to pass the time.

 

Setting Sun: Now although I have been aware of you for a little while, I

was told last year by somebody that you were one to watch out for example,

but as I always say there are people out there who don’t know, so can you
introduce yourself,give us the general bio and who fired the starting

pistol etc, etc?

 

Isobel:

Ok well I’ve been playing round Manchester for the last two or three years. I

started out playing the open mic night at the Roadhouse which was called Organics
and when that shut down I went to the Night and Day’s quiet versions of loud

songs for awhile, and then the Blue Cat every week for over a year just to

practice and try and get better.

 

The Blue Cat was one of the only open mics to keep going when a lot of

the others shut down post the “New Acoustic Movement” .It has the

considerable advantage that it’s weekly where as most were/are monthly

or fortnightly. It’s a really friendly place and great practice to make

all the mistakes you want to learn how to avoid at important gigs. Danny

and Mary who run it are really big music fans and do a lot to get involved

and help out new talent. They have even started a record label, which has

just released the new Desolation Angels album…

 

Anyway, after awhile I started getting supporting gigs at the Blue Cat and

Band On The Wall and it just went from there I suppose, getting better gigs etc...

I’ve been really lucky in that Steve Fretwell (who I met at Organics) helped

me out loads over the years and he and his management have had a

lot of faith in what I’ve been doing.

 

Setting Sun: What have you been listening to recently, and what

have proved your influences?

 

Isobel:

Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Air actually. I went to see them at

the Apollo a few months ago and T in the park awhile back...it’s the kind

of music that seems to fit with everything.

 

So yeah, I have them in the car then Pet sounds on CD and Fats Waller on

vinyl on at home at the moment…

 

I’d like to think that my influences are fairly wide. I can’t stand it

when people will only listen to one genre of music; I think it’s a real shame.

I like anything from The Hot club of France and Edith Piaf to Röyksopp

but I am predictably partial to pretty much anything retro and/ or acoustic.

 

Setting Sun: I know at the moment, you just about have a CD out called

“ On the back of an envelope”, which is a great idea for a title of the CD

as it literally lists them on the flip of the CD. Can you tell us a little about

the sessions for the CD, and how doing it live compares to this album?

 

I did the CD last summer instead of going on holiday. With the money

I saved I bought a multitrack machine thing, mic and book on engineering

and recorded it in my bedroom.

 

I made this kind of vocal booth thing out of blankets and recorded it at night

because there was less external noise. The snag with the set up was that

it was that really hot spell last summer so it was absolutely mad hot in this

little tent like thing I’d made. Also the machine picked up satellites going

over head so I did perfect takes that had to be discarded because there

would suddenly be Russian or Czech radio over the top of it. I also

was working a lot of the days as well to pay for the equipment

so I turned into a bit of a zombie for the cause...

 

As it turned out the multitrack feature wasn’t as useful as maybe I might

have predicted because I hadn’t realised how difficult it is to sing without

playing and play without singing. It surprised me, but I have subsequently

spoken to others who agree. I suppose if you write a song with the vocals

and guitar evolving at the same time, it makes sense that it becomes very

difficult to separate the parts, but it hadn’t occurred to me. So in the end I

recorded it all live on to one track instead...

 

I did make a decision to try and keep the multitracking down on the basis

that I wanted it to be reproducible live. There are two multitracked songs on the

CD called "God Knows Why" and "Route 130" which I really enjoyed doing.

Route 130 has always been a bit of a light hearted song - I wrote it as a joke so

I kind of went a bit nuts on that but they are the only multitracked ones.

I’d like to do more of that though.

 

I had some help mixing the final CD at a studio in Wigan; I had no idea

how it would go down at all so it was a really nice surprise to get so many

positive reviews and feedback. Everything seems to have taken off from there.

I think I would have been more pedantic with it at the time if I had known the

places it would end up…

 

Setting Sun: What plans do you for the future? I think there is a

re-issue happening here during September… Do you have any plans

in addition?

 

Isobel:

There are quite a few plans in the pipeline all at various stages of fruition.

I’m going down to London mid August for about 7 weeks or so and hopefully

doing as many gigs as I can down there. Then as you say, the plan is to

re-release in September and hopefully do a special gig for In The City –

which should be quite exciting! There’re lots of other projects to but I’m

always a bit loathed to count chickens before they hatch. Suffice to say

all news goes on the website as soon as its official….

 

Setting Sun: I know from your session on Radio Manchester recently, which

was lovely, that you are writing new material. How does this compare to

your earlier material?

 

Isobel:

I think its better. Although I would say that wouldn’t I? There wouldn’t be

much point in doing it if I didn’t think that I was progressing but I do think

that I am. I put a lot more thought into what I write now because I suppose I

feel now that people are going to listen to it, where as with OTBOAE I was

prepared for it to do nothing and to be using them as coasters for years to come…

 

I still really like the songs on OTBOAE and am pretty proud of it, but I can

pick flaws from it and it makes me very motivated to do better…which

I think is a good thing.

 

Setting Sun: I also seem to recall you come from Macclesfield, which

I have been through a few times. What’s the gig scene like up there?

Have you seen any good gigs recently?

 

Isobel:

I come from a village called Rainow, which is just above Macclesfield as

you say. Everybody knows Macc because the Manchester London Euston

line goes straight through it.

 

It’s a really lovely place to live especially Rainow, which is very green and

has loads of great local characters. The real advantage is the positioning

because you really can have the best of both worlds with Manchester only

20 minutes by train and the peak district right on the doorstep.

 

The music scene in Macclesfield is in all honesty a bit neglected. There

are some great venues like Bar Cuba and there have been some really

well meaning pushes such as the Kavehaz owner who tried to put on a

live night. Unfortunately for one reason or another there doesn’t really

seem to be much of a public interest for bands that play their own material.

Last time I was there they were advertising for the Macc summer show and

had about eight tribute acts billed. That’s a shame when there are some really

great Macc bands like The Deeds and Screaming Beavers…. anyway.

 

As a consequence of that, all the gigs I go to see are in Manchester, which is

really the opposite. I’ve lived the first three years of my course in Manchester

and seen loads of GREAT gigs. It just puts other places to shame as far as live

music goes and is really sparkling at the moment because of some great venues

and promoters really put a lot of work in. The whole place is just really buzzing

and it’s very exciting to be involved in.

 

The really great thing is that its over such a variety of styles and genres, like

Steve, Beats for Beginners, Lisa Brown, The Cardinals, Bone Box,

The Pioneers, Nine Black Alps, Lee Griffiths, 2020 Vision, Sam Hammond,

Nathan Burton, Jack Cooper, etc… it really shows how healthy the scene

is at the moment.

 

Setting Sun: A few more slightly lighthearted questions to finish off,

firstly what can you see yourself doing when you are 60?

 

Isobel:

By the time I’m 60 I intend to have perfected the art of being a really

great mad old lady. It’s going to take time and dedication but that’s the

plan.

 

Setting Sun: What would you like to be doing when you are 60?

 

Isobel:

Still playing a lot of music hopefully, so trying to avoid rheumatoid arthritis!

It would break my heart to not be able to play anymore or worse, going deaf

really early because I really love playing and writing songs. I’m not under

any delusions of where the whole thing might go. I’m aware that only a tiny

fraction of people will ever  “make it”. Both way I will always be playing and

writing even if it’s just to myself. I get a lot of pleasure out of it. (Also making

lots of jam - strawberry)

 

Setting Sun: What would be your dream job if you were not a rock n

roll star????

 

Isobel:

I think I’d make a pretty good gardener. Either that or a chauffer. I really love

driving.

 

Setting Sun: Lastly, something light to finish off with…(borrowed from a

pal’s Zine almost) “Imagine you were ship wrecked On a desert Island

and could have (Clearly have second sight here - lol) The choice of

having 5 records or Cds with you with a stereo of Course - what would be

your desert Island Discs?

 

Isobel:

Wow. That’s really hard. Five really isn’t a lot of CDs. Ok well I’d just like to

stress that this is just my choice…. and will miss out someone blindingly obvious

and only remember them later ….I’m going to assume they are albums because

who buys singles these days, let alone takes them on a cruise….

 

Ok well I’d have to take Bryter Layter – Nick Drake. It’s a toss up

between that one and Pink Moon but I think BL would be better for the frame

of mind if I were shipwrecked…. As far as Mr Drake goes. Well he’s just

THE man isn’t he?

 

Song to a Seagull – Joni Mitchell my favourite JM album, but only just

beating For the Roses. Joni Mitchell had a big impact on me when I first

heard her because I had never heard anyone with the same vocal range

as me before. If you add to that the sheer quality of her songs and the

breadth of what she’s done over her career…She’s just amazing and I

have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t think so.

 

Ok so now it’s getting harder. Lauren Hill – The Miseducation of. I can’t

see myself ever growing tired of this CD. It has everything. It may well be

the perfect album for the sheer variety of what is on it, and none of that

detracts from each song with in its own right. I can’t say that I always

hold true with what she says lyrically or personally but it’s a great album,

the harmonies and rhythms are just wonderful.

 

REM – Automatic for the people. I think this is fantastic. Its always

makes me want to physically climb inside the CD player and

sit in the middle of it. This also has the advantage that my copy

is my first ever burnt CD and so has Scot Joplin (played by Joshua

Rifkin) on the end of it as well. People think of The Entertainer when

they think of Scot Joplin but he wrote so many beautiful piano rags each

just as awe-inspiring as The Entertainer.

 

The Lines – Stephen Fretwell. On top of the fact that the songs are

sublime I love it because it creaks. You can hear all the parts almost

breathing. Its such a pity that the recording process in general has

advanced to such a degree that you don’t usually get to hear that

on most CDs. It’s a testament to him and his band that they can record

it so perfectly and reap the rewards by way of keeping the “creak”. I might

have completely lost everyone at this point, but suffice to say I think its great.

 

I’d also just like to point out at this point that I would of course also have

saved my guitar and hence the lack of inclusion of the Beatles and Dylan

on the basis that I would have been able to play, at least a version of them ….

I also retain the right to change my mind about these choices within 5

seconds of having finished the interview…if you will only give me 5 CDs…