The Cellophane Flowers… Not pictured: yellow and green
Showcase: The Cellophane Flowers
Published on December 6th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
The Cellophane Flowers released their Dave Allen-produced debut LP Staring At The World this week, so Rocksucker fired some questions over to their bassist Luca in order to find out a little bit more about them. First, though, check out this dreamy album cut…
What’s the line-up of the band? How did you all meet, and how long has the band been going for?
Luca on bass, Nick on drums, Fra sings, Ian on guitar. The string pluckers do backing vocals, we all play occasional keys. The band’s been going with all four of us for about five years. Nick and Ian played together as the rhythm section in a previous band, Fra and Luca we met one at a time in a pub.
How would you describe your music, if pushed?
A flaming brandy with a vanilla ice cream float.
Where are you based, and what do you use to record with?
We’re based in south east London but gig more in north London than south.
Are you signed to a label? If so, how did you come to their attention?
We’re not signed, we prefer the DIY approach. We’re only interested in a label that can help with distribution, to help get our music out there.
Is there a full album in the works? If so, what can you tell us about it? (Feel free to be as abstract as you like…)
Yes, our debut album Staring At The World is out 3rd December. It was a couple of years in the making and the releasing, and it feels weird seeing it go out into the world. So much effort, so much pride. The press reaction has been incredible, beyond our wildest dreams, we just hope that our fans like it at least as much.
We’ve tried to come up with something that’s timeless, something that’s built around great songs. We think we’ve succeeded, with a lot of help from our producer Dave Allen who did all the good albums with The Cure, whether people like it or not is down to individual tastes. We’ve given it a good shot, and managed to keep it raw and vibrant.
Where can we hear your music online?
Now. It’s on Spotify for the time being, and if you search for us on SoundCloud we have a few free downloads. Then you can buy it, we’re hungry…
Which have been your most exciting gigs and/or overall moments so far?
Gigs, we love playing somewhere different to your usual venue. Nothing beats a festival, and we do like a good gig in an art gallery or a clothes shop. Exciting moments, well we’re all fans at heart. Jamming with the guys from Inspiral Carpets and The Fall, mixing the album on the mixdesk that Kraftwerk recorded their classic albums on, working with Dave Allen…
Got any more coming up? (Gigs, that is…)
Yes, it changes all the time so check out www.thecellophaneflowers.co.uk for the latest updates.
Are there any obscure and/or up-and-coming acts that you’d like to recommend or give a shout-out to?
Yes, sure. We play a lot around London so we get to meet lots of new bands and musicians. One that particularly impressed us was Dan Shears. We played with him at Proud Galleries in Camden last year and absolutely loved him! He has a website if you want to check him out: http://www.danshearsmusic.com/
Finally, if you were forced to spend the rest of your days in solitary confinement, but were allowed to bring the entire works of five different artists along to tide you over, whose would you choose?
It would have to be The Cure, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Jimi Hendrix and the Pulp to share!
Luca, thank you.
Staring At The World is out now
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
