In Conversation With Indogo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- June 2004

 

 

A little background:

 

When interviewing bands, my sources for discovering them often

Come from sometimes the most unlikely sources, bands / singers in some cases

I have known sometimes for years and years or perhaps hearing a song by them

On the radio and then tracking down their album etc or seeing them live or

Getting recommended to listen to them by a friend being just a few little

Examples.

 

Indogo were different in a completely different fashion to any of the methods

As listed above. I discovered them simply by reading a review of a demo of

Theirs on a page, which gave demo reviews. I cannot remember what the review

Said exactly now, but I know from memory it sounded interesting enough to

Warrant me approaching the band to get hold of a CD of theirs first, and then

Do this interview a few weeks later.

 

Indogo to give a little background are Amanda and Mike, who are really a

Pop music band but not in the sense of the manufactured pop bands that seem

To litter the charts too much for myself, but rather a duo who seem to make pop

Which certainly isn’t manufactured and seems to contain a lot more soul and

Desire and in Amanda, their singer, a young lady who has a striking enough

Voice to suggest a major star is on the rise here, perhaps Bjork like according to a

Few pals off mine, but oddly enough I don’t like Bjork, but I like these…

 

Indogo can be contacted by e-mail on [email protected]

 

Or through their website which contains several excellent photographs of

The time Amanda also performed on “Star in your Eyes” as Hazel

O’Connor…

 

www.indogo.karoo.net/indogo.htm

 

Thanks again to Amanda for the interview and also her help

And advice otherwise…

 

Many thanks – Andy N xxxxx

 

 

Setting Sun: How's tricks and what's happening at the moment?

 

Indogo:

Well, at the moment we are working on promotion, letting people

Know who we are.

 

We are now working on album no.5, which has been named 'Social

Butterfly’.

 

Our next step is to gain interest of television and radio, which

May lead to the interest of record companies.

 

But then we also consider remaining independent.

 

Setting Sun: Now although I am aware of your music etc through

Your website etc, as I always say clearly there are

People who won't be aware off you, so can you tell us a

Little about yourselves n what started you off and who fired

The starting pistol for a better word etc?

 

Indogo:

Amanda started singing about ten years ago after

Seeing a singer in a hotel close to where she

Lived. “I saw this girl sing, Emma Miles she was

Called, totally blew me away, had such emotion in her

Voice, really moved her audience, so I went and asked

Her, how I could learn to sing. She said 'sing anywhere

And everywhere you can', so I did. After a few years I

Started getting good/strong, I sang day in, day out.”

 

“I then became a voice impersonator-purely by accident

That’s how I ended up on stars in their eyes. I always

Wanted to write my own songs, ever since being a

Little girl. I tried working with a few bands/guitarists but

Nothing worked out. So, I got a guitar myself and started

Learning to play and wrote my own songs, that’s where most

Of our songs started. I always had a taste for dance music

Though, I used to roller-skate a lot as a teenager and skated to

Bands such as, Del A Soul, Soul 2 Soul, Snap etc.

 

A friend of ours (unfortunately passed away now) gave us a dance

Music cd around 1998.So, we started having a play...”

 

Setting Sun: What have you been listening to recently

(Music-wise)?

 

Indogo:

We listen to the radio a lot, Alanis Morrisette, Massive Attack,

Recently (Amanda) I have been listening to a lot of the classic love songs by

The likes of, Elkie Brooks, Bonnie Tyler, and Gene

Pitney I really love his voice.

 

Setting Sun: What have proved Indogo's influences? Have you

Found your influences have changed as Indogo has

Developed?

 

Indogo:

You know, we have between us, sooooo many

Influences, there’s not much we don’t like so, yeah I

Think that’s why indogo's music is so varied.

 

Setting Sun: I usually like to try and guess when interviewing

Bands, what inspired them with their name etc, but I

Must admit your name Indogo has completely threw me,

So can you explain what has proved the inspiration

Behind the name of your band?

 

Indogo:

Well, one of our favourite colours is indigo, so when

We first started that was our name, we were getting

Some demo cds together and our friend accidentally

Printed indogo instead of indigo, well we loved it

Instantly and kept the name indogo from then on.

 

Setting Sun: Do you play concerts? If so, how do they compare

To your albums? I could imagine it been quite different,

Or if not, do you have any ideas how you would approach it?

 

Indogo:

We wrote a lot of songs in France, and we performed

A lot there, sold a lot of cds, so that showed us that

What we are doing really works. We haven't performed

Here yet, as we are getting ourselves known, once

People know who we are and we have a good fan base

Then that gives us more opportunity to perform .we

Are very exited at the thought of performing our

Material in the UK.

 

Live is pretty much the same as the cd...but better. I think

Most bands/music sound so much better live,

The music has more of an impact on people.

 

We are looking forward to performing again, we have lots

Of visual/choreography ideas, which we are working on

At the moment.

 

Setting Sun: Probably my favourite song off the CD is

"Bye Bye Baby". What's the story behind that etc?

 

Indogo:

Oh yeah, we love this song too. It’s actually originally

Madonna’s song. I have a video of Madonna's earlier

Stuff..'Girlie show live down under', she performs

This song wearing a mans suit, has a great group of

Dancers with her..is fabulous....

 

Setting Sun: So what's next for Indogo? Do you have any more

Recordings planned / tours etc? Have you had much

Interest from record companies?

 

Indogo:

Well, we are writing a new album, putting together

Ideas/preparing ourselves for future performances. We

Have had a surprising response from the public

Generally, but we still need to continue promoting

Ourselves, letting peeps know who we are.

 

Setting Sun:  Now a couple of slightly lighter questions to

Finish off with, firstly what would be your dream job if

You were not a pop / rock n roll star?

 

Indogo:

Mmmm, a difficult one. I (Amanda) would probably be a

Doula, which is a birh assistant, and mike, he would

Be doing something to do with electronics/computers...

 

Setting Sun: Amanda, Tell us a little bit more about your

Adventures in "Stars in your Eyes". I've gotta ask

You, since you mentioned it on your website.... I

Could imagine it been a completely different ball

Game to your adventures in Indogo...

 

Indogo:

This was a time when although I was writing my own

Material, I was performing as an impressionist. Mike

Sent a demo tape to a show called 'give your mate a

Break’. They were no longer running that show, so they

Sent all their tapes onto 'stars'. They rang me on

Christmas eve and said they had never had a Hazel

O’Connor on the show before, would I like to do it. I'd

Never really watched the show much and didn’t know too

Much about it, but I was made up and thought what the

Heck. It was a great experience...thoroughly enjoyed

Myself....

 

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

 

Indogo:

Mmmm, good question. Like to be taking it easy,

Supporting other new upcoming bands, still be

Writing, helping out with various charities, enjoying

Our children/grandchildren. Looking back on our

Lives. Having a good laugh!! Would like to be living

Somewhere nice etc....

 

Setting Sun: What will you be doing when you are 60?

 

Indogo:

Who knows what we will be doing at 60,no one can

Know that, I hope we will still be together enjoying

Life generally, inspiring people, I’d like to think we

Can sit back and look upon all that we have done, all

That we have got and feel hat we have done all we

Wanted to do, and we have all we want to have xx

 

Setting Sun: Lastly, (Nicked 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?

 

Indogo:

Oooh, a difficult one...would have to be...

 

Love songs collection

 

Alanis Morrisette

 

Mammas and Papas

 

Snap

 

Madonna